We all know about the 5 fams. of N.Y. and the Chi. outfit and the fams. in L.A., Philly and Jersey and others in America....Nebody have any info. on organized crime in T.O.??????

toronto mob related activities





News Desk > Major Coup For Canadian Police.


Woodbridge; a suburb of Toronto was the setting for a major drug bust,as Alphonso Caruana a major player in the international drugs and money-laundering market. Fifteen others were also arrested in Montreal, Cancun and 2 couriers were even picked up a couple of weeks before in Houston,showing the extent of how far and wide this ring operated.

Alphonso Caruana and his brother in law Pasquale Cuntrera are both linked to the Sicilian cuppola and for the last 30 years they have been the most successful drugs ring throughout the globe,laundering money through up to 13 and probably more countries. In their time they have made important links with the Colombian cartels exchanging thousands of kilos of heroin for cocaine on a small island off the coast of Venezuela known as Aruba. Aruba has been the perfect exchange point over the years as the Cuntrera/Caruana family haven't had to worry about the authorities since they bought the island from the Venezuelan government in the mid seventies for a reputed $85 million.


::Alphonso Caruana::

The Cuntrera/Caruana family has made millions for the Sicilian cuppola as the clan has flourished over the years. Anonymity has been a huge part of their success and also because their operations stretch across several continents they haven't had to worry about fighting other Mafia gangs or get caught up in the middle of any other domestic problems which could halt or slow down their progress. The Cuntrera/Caruana clan had grown into the most sophisticated of crime families, never before has there been a syndicate that has had such an impact in so many countries in so many continents.

The arrest of Alphonso comes only months after the arrest of his brother inlaw Pasquale Cuntrera. Pasquale was arrested in the southern Spanish city of Malaga and has been extradited back to Italy and is serving time. Alphonso Caruana was the big coup though , head become an international icon within the drugs and laundering market and has avoided serving time in any of the countries where he has been involved. But it is likely that his time will now come as Italy and the USA both vying to extradite him. Alphonso has been charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and drugs trafficking but a statement from his lawyer says that he will plead not guilty to any of the charges. Keep looking on our site for our next installment on this amazing story.

part one; he was one of the most power bosses in
canada.





Boss Files > Johnny "Pops" Papalia, Hamilton, Canada.

Johnny Papalia could well be one of the most successful Canadian mobsters to come out of Hamilton. Papalia was well connected with some of the New York mobsters, which helped him establish himself as one of the top mobsters in Canada.


:: Johnny Papalia ::
Born on the 24th of March 1924, Johnny was brought up on Railway Street, Hamilton. His Father and Mother were from Calabria in Southern Italy, where they brought their culture into the new country. Heavily involved in Mafia gangs, Johnny's father brought up his family in the bosom of Mafia life and it wouldn't be long until his siblings would follow their fathers footsteps into the world of the Calabrian Mafia.

By 1943, Johnny had turned his attentions to Toronto; only a one hours drive away. In Toronto he ran his own crew of Tough young hoods including Roy Pasquale, Alberto Mignaccio and Paul Volpe. In 1945 Papalia got his first taste of prison when he was sentenced to 4 months after he was caught following a housebreak in. Shortly afterward Johnny began to show an interest in gambling, but in 1947 he was arrested again when he was caught in an illegal gaming house.

Papalia's respect and stature in Toronto and Hamilton was growing, he was beginning to make some important connections in the underworld, none more so than Harvey Chernick. Chernick was supplying heroin to some 1'000 or so addicts in Toronto. Where he had a crew of tough hoods to peddle capsules of heroin. Papalia also joined Chernick's payroll, but was arrested in 1949 for dealing in heroin. But Johnny had suffered from syphilis in his teenage years and pleaded that he was using the drug himself for medical reasons. The judge bought it and sent Johnny away for just 2 years.

Upon his release Johnny headed for Montreal where he made some important connections. Carmine Galante was sent to Montreal by Joe Bonanno, in the hope of setting up a new arm of the Bonanno family in Canada. Galante set up numerous innovations that would earn the Bonanno family even more money. Galante was introduced to Johnny Papalia and was impressed with his references from Hamilton and Toronto. Papalia was used to collect gambling dues and also got into the heroin trade through Galante. Galante was setting up meetings all over the place in order to perfect the heroin pipeline from France and Sicily.

This however didn't go down well in Buffalo. The Buffalo don Stefano Magaddino complained that Bonanno was planning flags all over, and so took upon himself to reassert some influence across the border. Magaddino had been an associate of Johnny's father for years and in fact had many joint interests with the Hamilton mobsters. Magaddino met up with Johnny when he arrived in Hamilton. Johnny had also decided to return to operations that were indeed closer to home. Johnny decided that his loyalties lay with Magaddino and so under Magaddino's jurisdiction went about getting a complete grip of the underworld operations in Hamilton.

During this time Johnny Papalia began to flourish as a mobster in Hamilton. He made a move to get his hands on every racket he could along with many legitimate businesses along the way. As more and more illegal enterprises were being fingered by Papalia, there would be one nut that he wouldn't crack. Maxie Bluestein was one of gambling kingpins in Ontario, he had a large and comprehensive set up, so big that Papalia began to show a rather big interest in it. To start with Johnny just wanted a slice of Maxie's dice games at the Royal Hotel in Ontario.

However Maxie was well aware of what Papalia was up to and decided stubbornly that he would not be shaken down so lightly. Eventually Papalia got frustrated with the none negotiations of Maxie Bluestein and so decided to beat Maxie nearly to death. Maxie spent the night in hospital, and Papalia decided to go on the run in order to avoid capture from the police who were called out that night after someone had reported a disturbance. Eventually Papalia had to give himself up, and in 1961 Papalia found himself in court for the assault of Maxie Bluestein, where he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

part II i know these are long but there pretty
good.Boss Files > Johnny "Pops" Papalia, Hamilton, Canada. Part II

Shortly after his release it wouldn't be long until Johnny was in court again. This time in New York of all places, for his part in the French Connection heroin smuggling ring. He went to trial in 1964, and was sentenced to 10 years were he would serve only 5.

Upon his release Johnny returned to Canada, with his reputation more fearsome than when he left. Now Johnny had served some real time, and in a tough New York prison too. Papalia, like all bosses must have worried about how things would run while he was inside. But Johnny had some really loyal men under his wing, 2 of which were his own brothers, Antonio and Dominik who in place to run some of the legitimate schemes that Johnny Papalia was interested in.

During the 70's and 80's, Johnny pops, matured into what you might call a more typical Mafia don. He started to slow things down a little bit, but only with the knowledge that he had trusted people around him. He was also very paranoid about going back to prison and therefore was very wary about bugs and wiretaps, he was becoming a real fox of a Mafia boss, he knew that he had good backing from across the border in Buffalo.

During the late 70's Johnny got wind of the Hamilton city council were considering changing the gambling laws, and were further considering possibilities of opening up a couple of gambling halls and casinos in the area. The moment Johnny found out he called his people to get the plans ready to open up their own casino's and gambling halls. But to Johnny's disappointment the council never did go ahead with their ideas, thus thwarting Johnny's hope of getting into some legal gambling in Hamilton.

As Johnny aged, he began to leave more and more of the responsibilities to one of his more trusted capo's, Carmen Barilaro who was active in the Niagara area. By the nineties Johnny was truly now ailing. The Canadian authorities suspected that Johnny was now suffering from Alzheimer's disease, but this was only speculation. But this speculation would eventually turn Johnny into a target, as rivals expected Johnny to be showing signs of weakness.

On May 31st 1997, the ailing Mafia don was murdered on his own doorstep on Railway Street, Hamilton. The murder perplexed the Canadian police as most Mafia murders do. There was plenty theories flying round as to who and possibly why. There were plenty of rival clans in Toronto and Montreal for the police to make their assumptions. One theory though would soon emerge above all others. The Rizzuto clan, from Montreal with their allegiances to their fellow Sicilians, the Cuntrera/Caruana family might have decided to take away Johnny's grip by force. The Cuntrera/Caruana clan had now settled in Woodbridge, Ontario, and was an extremely powerful and important clan, and not just at a local level either, for the C/C family had forced many allegiances worldwide and were indeed active in several countries throughout the world due to their massive drug smuggling operation.
.
This however would have been a good theory but yet in wasn't the right one. The Musitano's were a clan also from Toronto and were behind the shooting. Ken Murdock was the Musitano family hitman and was completely responsible for the murder of Johnny Papalia. Also Murdock was behind the murder of Carmen Barilaro, a couple of months later. As yet we do not know for sure why Johnny Papalia was murdered the way he was. However we do know for a fact that it was indeed the Musitano family who orderedthe hit. What baffles us at Global Mafia is why would the Musitano family decide to kill him now when he may have had only a few years left in him any how.

Grazie eddietheplumber. That's good $H!+ man. What is Global Mafia?

heres a history of OC for your area of canada,
this is a very reliable source and a good read

global mafia is a link,it does not have a sight
per-say,sometimes very hard to get to!

In Montreal, La Cosa Nostra criminals fall under the umbrella of New York's Bonanno Family. However, there has always been a rift of varying degrees between criminals of Italian ancestry whose roots are in Calabria and Sicily. For many years, Calabrians were dominant due to the prestige and power of Vic Cotroni, a capo in the Bonanno Family -- often called "The Godfather of Montreal." In the 1970's, as Cotroni grew older and his health began to fail him, he tried to anoint a fellow Calabrian, Paulo Violi, to succeed him as the top banana in Montreal. For various reasons, however, things worked out poorly for Cotroni, and worse for Violi.

Violi got tangled up in an official inquiry into organized crime in Quebec. In addition, the Sicilian Mafia, then getting into the heroin trade in a big way, was looking for Sicilians in Montreal to deal with. Also working against Violi was the ascension of Carmine Galante, a Sicilian and long time heroin dealer, as boss of the Bonanno family. All these factors worked together to diminish the power of the Calabrians in Montreal and increase that of the Sicilians. It wasn't long before Violi, several brothers and other supporters were killed and the Sicilians were in the leadership position. The Calabrian cause was not helped by the nearly continuous legal troubles of Vic's younger brother Frank. Galante's killing at an outdoor restaurant in Brooklyn in 1979 (right) did not help the clout of Sicilians in Montreal. And over the last two decades, the leading Sicilians in Montreal have also come under intense pressure from law enforcement. Many have fled, some have been jailed, and a few have been killed.

Needless to say there are many criminals of other nationalities as well.
Montreal has always had its French hoods. These have usually been gangs which would expand and then contract due to legal pressures and internal problems. The Dubois brothers were the most infamous in the 1970's.

The English gangsters are known as the West End Gang. They too have gone
through many members and leaders. They are more loosely structured than Cosa Nostra mobsters, but the West Enders are sophisticated and have been very active in the drug trade. One leader was very successful in corrupting a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) official.

Quebec is also plagued with outlaw bikers. For decades, the various gangs have been fighting and killing each other -- usually in disputes over drug turf. In the 1970's, dead bodies were strewn all over the city due to internal feuds within the Devil's Disciples. By the end of the decade, the Hell's Angels had taken over the violent Popeyes. Then the Outlaws absorbed Quebec's Satan's Choice chapter and the war was on. During the 1990's, the Rock Machine has engaged the Angels in a bombing and shooting war. Bikers often try to intimidate parole and prison officials to obtain favorable treatment in prison and to ensure control of drug dealings in the prisons. Two prison guards were gunned down and an Angel has been accused of masterminding the hits.

In Ontario, the Calabrians have controlled the western end of the province for decades. There are a number of cells of the Calabrian "ndrangheta in the region and they have always showed a great deal of respect to the Cosa Nostra Family of Buffalo, which has always had a number of made members operating in Ontario. Among the more well known mobsters, were Paul Volpe and Johnny Papalia (left). Both were killed in gangland hits, when they fell out of favor in power shifts in the U.S. and Canada.

When Cotroni was on top in Montreal, the Toronto hoods were very respectful toward him and wiretaps indicated that he was in a superior
position even though the Ontario mobsters belonged to another Family.

There was an ebb and flow in the power of the various Calabrian cells in
Ontario. During the 1920's and 30's, a Calabrian named Rocco Pieri dominated South Western Ontario. Prohibition made him rich but by the 1940's, his power had waned and he was made to disappear. It is likely that hoods associated with the Buffalo Cosa Nostra Family took him out.

In the 1950's and 1960's, mobsters with Buffalo connections, like Papalia, were on top. However, Papalia had a number of brushes with the law that prevented him from becoming dominant. Fellow Buffalo mobster Volpe began to rise but Volpe was not an intimidator. During this period, various Calabrian cells began to gain strength as the Buffalo boss aged and his Ontario soldiers were preoccupied. Eventually, after the death of the Buffalo Boss in 1974, a split in that Family curtailed its dominance in Ontario.

Also, in 1980, the death of the senior Calabrian 'ndrangheta leader Mike Racco caused a power shift to the 'ndrangheta cell led by the
Commisso brothers, who had strong ties to Italy. Their position was further solidified when Racco's son was killed, thus preventing him from later becoming a rival.

The Sicilian Mafia also has some dealings in Toronto, but rarely do they cross paths or feud with more established Calabrian hoodlums. The Sicilians limit themselves primarily to drug dealings, and leave the gambling, loansharking and other extortion rackets to the 'ndrangheta hoods. This prevents conflict, but both groups are very wary of each other.

To sum up, Toronto has never had one big powerful Italian organized crime gang, like Montreal once did. There were many ethnic groups in Toronto. Jewish hoods were very strong in gambling. The Jamaican, Asian and other ethnic gangs usually steer clear of Italian "territory" and vice versa. Now it's like everywhere else. Everyone is everywhere. No one is dominant.

WoW! Thanks a lot E.T.P.!!!!
Good Work....

Damn... finally one good thing came out of Canada!

Would I become a part of it. Yes. I work in the business world. There is plenty of greed and corruption there but quite frankly, most of us have no power. I see little difference in the so called "legitimate businesses" and the mob. At least the mob is honest about who they are. They don't make those cloyingly annoying public service messages like Phillip Morris does talking about how much good they do the community (yeah right) And I am tired of being powerless. As a woman, I doubt I'd have to whack someone. But smuggle drugs? Hide weapons? Sure.