@pmac

Here is an excerpt from a report on Jersey OC from 1989- And this is from back then....

(THE LINK TO ARTICLE)

http://mafianj.com/sci89/sicilian.shtml

(The excerpt...) They have been CRIME FAMILIES/Narcotics syndicates more than extortion operations for a LONG time now, since maybe the fifties....



Another characteristic that sets the Mafia apart from the LCN is the former's use of women and non-Mafia family members to conduct its illicit activities. Investigations have revealed that women couriers are often used to transport narcotics in quantities small enough to be strapped to their bodies in Italy for delivery to the United States. Although the Mafia uses the services of non-members, it is more selective than the LCN about inducting new members into its ranks. Most members are either related through blood or marriage, making it difficult for law enforcement to penetrate this coterie. (In this regard, the Mafia is much like the Colombian drug cartels.)

The greatest source of revenue for the Sicilian Mafia is narcotics trafficking. Because of its world-wide connections, the Mafia has established a transportation network that brings cocaine from Colombia to Italy and heroin and cocaine from Italy to the United States. This group is using many east coast ports, including New York and Philadelphia, for its smuggling operations.