someone claimed, a comment i saw a while back, that the Albanians used to bully the Commission in New York rendering the Italians powerless, is this true? and if its not, what was the true relationship between the Albanians and Italians?

is their any truth to this or not?

Yes John Alite was their chief enforcer.

Bullying the Commission? You gotta be trolling.

There were some troubles between them and some Greeks associated with the Luccheses early 2000s.

Gambino leader Arnold Squitieri had had enough and wanted a talk with Rudaj. The meeting took place at a gas station in a rest area near the New Jersey turnpike. Twenty mobsters accompanied Squitieri, while Rudaj only brought six members of his crew. According to undercover FBI agent Joaquin Garcia, who infiltrated the Gambinos during this time period, Squitieri told Rudaj to stop expanding their operations. Both sides had weapons, but Rudaj threatened to blow up the gas station with all of them in it. This ended the discussion, and both groups pulled back.

Well what the fuck were they supposed to do? The Albanians were suicidal and the Gambinos weren't.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out how the mob in NYC has more manpower than we give them credit for if it's true that one guy showed up to a meeting with 20 others.

Are the Albanian gangsters Christian or Muslim?

Mostly Sunni Muslims, a minority is Catholic.

so Hollander, may I ask then

how powerful were the Albanians at their peak compared to the Commission?

The Albanians were never a threat to LCN , not even close. They were very loosely organized.

On the world scale, the Albanians are very powerful. That little shit in NYC though were nothing compared to the local La Cosa Nostra.

The term " Albanian mafia " is often used in a descriptive sense and does not imply any real coordination of criminal activities, nor does it follow that these are regulated by a governmental body.

I know that, I'm just saying that internationally speaking, they're a force in the criminal underworld.

In recent years yes, in the past they were more depending on the Italian syndicates doing their dirty work. Connections are still there but they also coordinate major shipments on their own now.