I look forward to listening to the discussion although we already know the answer - yes and no depending on what/where you're talking about.

The American Mafia is finished in many parts of the country. But it remains in the Northeast, Chicago, and South Florida.

The yes being for another few generations in the Northeast, Chicago and the Sunshine State.

(I have used Sicilian members of the underworld to make my point, but as we know, in Europe, and in Italy in particular, the Sicilian mafia is not the sole ethnic based criminal organization.)

Yeah, see the thing Alfa, any coke coming into the U.S. To be consumed by Americans is coming thru the border, meaning Mexican cartels. I'm sure they can truck this shit wherever they need to go in the U.S.
And then you got heroin, if European, it's coming from Afghanistan, or like Southeast Asia, this side of the world, it's Colombian or Mexican, with the Colombian being the higher grade. And they would be using their own routes along the border, not really the port of NEw YOrk, again unless it's being shipped OUT of the country.
This is why I really hope they shed some light on the calabrians, also if you believe Roberto SAviano (and I mean, why not when he has a standing price on his head) the Sicilians have, since like the early 2000s, had to go through either Naples clans or recently the Calabrians for even heroin.
Rizzutto really left a void in Italian Amrican crime, are they holding on, or have they been muscled out?

the gambinos are very big in drugs though i think cali has been linked to the pipeline and celfeau is a ex drug dealer himself

I said there were exceptions, and they're certainly one of them. But, in general, I was speaking overall.

Yeah, see the thing Alfa, any coke coming into the U.S. To be consumed by Americans is coming thru the border, meaning Mexican cartels. I'm sure they can truck this shit wherever they need to go in the U.S.
And then you got heroin, if European, it's coming from Afghanistan, or like Southeast Asia, this side of the world, it's Colombian or Mexican, with the Colombian being the higher grade. And they would be using their own routes along the border, not really the port of NEw YOrk, again unless it's being shipped OUT of the country.
This is why I really hope they shed some light on the calabrians, also if you believe Roberto SAviano (and I mean, why not when he has a standing price on his head) the Sicilians have, since like the early 2000s, had to go through either Naples clans or recently the Calabrians for even heroin.
Rizzutto really left a void in Italian Amrican crime, are they holding on, or have they been muscled out?

I think it's New York, among other places.

Good post, Cabrini.

The Mexicans, other South Americans, and various European ethnic groups don't NEED American CN to bring drugs into this country. And, for the most part, American CN doesn't give a shit. All they want is a little taste, which they'll make on a mid-level distribution level.

American CN counts on gambling, shylocking, their White Collar specialties (construction, trucking, garbage, etc.). And THEN the mid-level distribution of drugs, if that.

Alfa's reading too much into the traditional Italian groups (whether it be the Mafia, Camorra or the 'Ndrangheta) doing business with their AMERICAN counterparts. Does it happen occasionally? Sure. But American CN needs to count on the aforementioned scams and White Collar businesses to survive.

@ Alfa: These aren't the Illuminati or a bunch of boogeymen. These are only street guys. STREET guys. Not Don Corleone. They're just men. And I'll leave it at that because you're such a brilliant historian. But this is where we get into that intellectual vs. "been there, seen that" debate, so I'll stop now to avoid a needless argument.

Bookmaking + Shylocking + White Collar and legitimate investments = The potential future of American CN. They're not depending on partnerships with Italian National groups.

In other words, it's working right now. And if it ain't broke, you don't fix it. This is, of course, rhetorical. But go ask Barney or Stevie if they give a shit about that pipeline. See what kind of look you get.