I think the American Mafia could see there was too much Money to pass up.
I think that no matter what the criminal act is, if it is a HUGE money maker, they have to acknowledge it and control it. Even if it is just oversight control, with no direct involvement. If they don’t, their power was in jeopardy.
Just like the gas tax scam....Carmine knew the problems that were brewing.
How could they have absolute control without being directly involved in some way? It seemed as though the people directly involved(the big drug pushers in the 70s and 80s like Frank Matthews) were the ones making the big money while cutting out the Italians. And if not for their involvement with drugs, do you think they would still thrive? Or would there only be a select few who were business minded who would find a way to make big money?
