I'm of the opinion that there never was a criminal organization that equaled the power and influence the American mafia had at their peak in the 1950s. Remember that at that time the United States was at its peak too. It was certainly the richest and most powerful country then and its criminal underworld would therefore automatically be the most powerful in the world. During this time the American mafia was a global organization, controlling the heroin trade and had interests in Europe and as far as the Middle East.