They were powerful in their own neighborhoods, and never answered to the mob or anyone else, except each other. They did not branch out into other neighborhoods back then including other Black ones as much as the mob or others did. The Mafia did work with each other in their respective neighborhoods. The ones we know about are known as the biggest, but there had to be groups that stayed low key and thrived. I once came across a 1957 arrest of a Black drug dealer who had multiple locations in Harlm and the surrounding areas where he stated both cocaine and heroin in apartments of various women. He was bringing it up from Mississippi and Alabama, out of Mexico. No info on his partners, but he had big amounts coming in. I came across his case 10 years ago in a file, but found no news coverage of his case, just the arrest file and his indictment, after hat it was a dead end. I think Black groups were largely ignored in the news till the 1960's.

There had to be a few who we rarely hear of, they would be of interest to read about.