Snake relatives in the Mancuso 'ndrangheta family, the story of Pasquale Megna in the appeal of Rinascita Scott
Pasquale Megna The bomb placed under the house with the consent of his best man. The attempted double murder and the escape to Argentina of Pantaleone the Engineer. The fight with the Campisis and the peace imposed by the boss Luigi. The repentant highlights fractures and disagreements and explains that the good relations in the family were "only a facade"
Cocaine smuggling in Netherlands soars as new tactics bypass detection systems Criminal groups are increasingly using sophisticated methods to smuggle cocaine into Europe, with up to 50 percent of the cocaine entering the continent hidden in materials like cardboard, concrete, and textiles, De Telegraaf reports. These methods make detection extremely difficult, according to Martin van Nes, national cocaine officer for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service. “Scanners in ports can’t detect it, sniffer dogs can’t smell it, and some on-site tests fail,” he told De Telegraaf.
As major European ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp face stricter controls, traffickers are turning to alternative routes through West Africa, Portugal, and Spain. This shift highlights how quickly criminal networks adapt. “Authorities may take years to improve port security, but criminals adjust in minutes,” Van Nes added.
The rise of “washed cocaine,” which is hidden in materials like concrete, also poses new challenges for authorities. The drug is processed in such a way that it’s virtually undetectable by traditional methods.
To address this growing threat, judicial officials from Latin America, Europe, and West Africa are meeting in Amsterdam. Their goal is to share intelligence and strategies to disrupt trafficking and dismantle criminal networks. Peter Huttenhuis, national officer overseeing criminal financial flows, emphasized that “every country has a piece of the puzzle,” and only through collaboration can they effectively fight the global drug trade.
The Netherlands plays a key role in the international drug market. Huttenhuis pointed out that in 2018, synthetic drug trafficking in the country was worth 19 billion euros—more than the export value of cheese and tulips. As traffickers adapt to tighter controls in major ports, they are increasingly using other European hubs, demonstrating the rapid adjustments of criminal groups.
The price of cocaine has dropped significantly in recent months, signaling an oversupply. The wholesale cost of a kilogram fell from 29,000 euros in September 2024 to around 17,000 euros today. Van Nes noted, “This is a clear sign that there is a huge amount of cocaine available, and it’s deeply concerning.”
The financial side of drug trafficking is evolving as criminals increasingly use underground banking systems and cryptocurrencies, particularly stablecoins tied to the U.S. dollar. Huttenhuis reported monitoring 20 to 30 key individuals involved in these operations, many of whom are Dutch nationals with Pakistani or Indian backgrounds.
Traditional, hierarchical criminal organizations are being replaced by more flexible networks. Criminals are now collaborating as freelancers and sometimes using corrupt port employees to facilitate their operations.
A young man arrested in a sordid kidnapping case where the victim had a finger and toe cut off admits his participation in the crime. Julien Leguédard was sentenced to 20 months in prison for his involvement in the kidnapping of Michaël Chouinard during the ongoing royalties war in the underworld.
The chances of the protests succeeding remain unclear. There are two million residents in Gaza, with tens of thousands in the military wing of Hamas. Overthrowing the regime would require the internal collapse of the strongest armed force in Gaza.
Chorev does not rule this out, and believes Israel’s resumed military campaign and the diminished aid influx could help
“It is possible that eventually, those currently filling the ranks of Hamas’s military wing will abandon it because the food and water they received in exchange for enlistment will run out, due to the ongoing ban on humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Hamas has recruited individuals, some of them very young, “who are not as ideologically committed as those who came before them and were killed,” “This could have an impact. The ongoing blockade could trap Hamas in a very difficult situation.”
Even if the current wave of protests ultimately ebbs or is suppressed, Chorev thinks it won’t be in vain: “Hamas is a social movement that embeds itself in the hearts of people, and once its image is damaged, it loses that hold.
This has a long-term effect, a social effect that could shape Gaza’s governance after the war and influence the [Gaza] public’s willingness to accept a different government instead of Hamas.”
Lol, sometimes it can seem that way. Especially when you hear a relatively big name like Caifano.
But, fortunately for the mob, most guys stood their ground and manned up when the going got tough (especially back in the day), compared to nowadays where so many guys flip.
These are all excellent observations. The variety of them shows just how much nuance is contained in that brief scene. I'd like to add a few:
I'm usually far more sympathetic to Tom than to Michael. But, in this case I think Michael was legitimately pissed at Tom for several reasons. Michael was stunned and dismayed when he learned--after he testified--that Pentanageli was alive. Tom's reply was insulting: "Roth, he played this one beautifully...you've opened yourself to five counts of perjury." Tom was praising Roth and chiding Michael. Not very "brotherly."
Tom over-reacted to Michael's order to kill Roth ("It'd be like killing the President...do you have to kill everyone?"). That type of lawyerly over-caution might have been necessary for Sonny, given his hot temper, but not for Michael, who'd correctly thought it through and concluded that Roth was his most resourceful and dangerous enemy, and had to go.
Tom had also had let Michael down badly by screwing up. "Our people with the NY detectives said [Pentangeli] was half deadI, scared.talking out loud about how you betrayed him..." If Tom did his job right as Michael's liaison with the NY detectives , why didn't he pick up that Pentangeli survived before Michael testified? And, when Michael asked, "What abot Fredo?", Tom, who was Michael's liaison to Fredo replied, "He says he knows nothing--and I believe him." But, Fredo knew Pentangeli had survived--and, more important, that the Senate lawyer, Questadt, "belongs to Roth." Why didn't Tom get that out of Fredo before Michael testified?
Michael needed Tom for two critical missions at that point: To persuade Vincenzo to come to America to show himself when Pentangeli testified, and to persuade Pentangeli to kill himself. He had accumulated doubts about Tom's attitude toward him and his judgment, That's why he got tough and hurtful when he asked, "Are you going to come along with me in these things I have to do?"
Originally Posted by CleanBandit
, Perhaps Rocco or Neri complained to Michael about Tom
When Michael says to Tom: "...you can take your wife, your family and your mistress to Vegas..." the camera pans to Neri, whose smug, self-satisfied expression tells me that he was the source of that tidbit.
Elon Musk Sells Social Media Platform X To His Own Startup xAI In $33 Billion Deal: What It Means
Elon Musk has sold his social media platform, X, to his AI startup, xAI, in a $33 billion deal, marking a major shift in his tech empire. The merger aims to integrate AI-driven innovations with X’s vast digital ecosystem, setting the stage for a new era of intelligent online experiences.
Teacher Nancy Vandergroot (Nicole Kidman) thinks she has the perfect life in Holland, Michigan. She's married to her successful optometrist husband Fred (Matthew Macfadyen) and they share their 13-year-old son Harry (Jude Hill). However, Nancy's world comes crumbling down when she begins to suspect Fred, who is always away at work conferences, is having an affair. She enlists the help of fellow teacher and friend Dave Delgado (Gael García Bernal) to assist in her investigation to prove Fred's guilt. The first 2 acts of this story were enjoyable, presenting the audience with a faux Hitchcockian inspired story that turns on the audience in the 3rd act (nice swerve by the way as I didn't see that coming). However, the story also (clumsily) falls apart during this period as well. Kidman is graceful, tender, and sweet, the perfect wife for this story while García Bernal sticks out like a sore thumb. You can tell his casting was based more on checking a box than on talent. Disappointed in the ending but I was engaged for the first 90 minutes or so. Worth the watch on Prime. 6/10
I believe most of these guys - contradicting Nadu - want to avoid ever going back to prison. He'll find a way to survive and live the rest of his life legitimately.
Fed Judge Gives Gambino Mobster, Philly Scamster “Joe Mack” LaForte 16 Years For Half-Billion Par Funding Rip-Off Scheme
March 28, 2025 — Reputed 55-year old Gamino mob soldier Joseph (Joe Mack) LaForte was smacked with s 16-year federal-prison term on Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney for his role heading a nearly $500,000,000 dollar fraud through his and his little brother and fellow Gambino mob button man, James (Jimmy the Hammer) LaFotre’s Par Funding lending and investment company out of Philadelphia. Originally, the feds placed the profits of the rip-off at $100,000,000, but in the press-release issued by the U.S. Attorneys Office Wednesday morning put the total at 404,000,000.
Last week, Jimmy LaForte, 47, was sentenced to 11 years in the can in the same case in which they both copped guilty pleas back in the fall. Mob Talk Sitdown broke the news of the sentences. Par Funding was located in Old City and allegedly maintained ties to the Philadelphia mafia’s Bruno-Scarfo crime family. The LaForte brothers belong to the Gambino crime family’s Sicilian “18th Avenue” crew.
“Joe Mack” LaForte was ordered by Judge Kearney on Wednesday to forfeit a whopping 120,000,000 in cash and $20,000,000 in assets, including a private plane. He allegedly threatened to blow up a debtor’s house if he didn’t make good on his payments and asked another debtor if he had ever heard the term “cement shoes.” During an SEC inquiry into his lending business, LaForte expressed the intent to physically harm individuals he suspected were cooperating with the financial-sector regulatory body. Joe Mack’s wife, Lisa, the owner of Par Funding on paper, pleaded guilty in the case last spring.
The Sicilian branch of the Gambinos has held the power in the borgata since the late 2000s. Gambino mob administrators were reportedly in South Philly for a meeting with Philly mob leaders in May 2024 to discuss joint business in the area construction trade and the Par Funding case. Prosecutors accused the LaForte brothers of funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars from their sham deals and exorbitant loans at Par Funding to members of the Sicilian Gambino faction.
Descending from a rich gangland bloodline, the LaFortes’ grandfather is deceased Gambino mob capo Joe (The Cat) LaForte, a lieutenant of longtime Gambino mob underboss Neil Dellacroce and known as a huge earner in the crime family for years. “Joe the Cat” owned the property housing the iconic Ravenite Social Club in Little Italy, serving first as Dellacroce’s and then Gambino mob boss John Gotti’s Manhattan headquarters. Philly’s Bruno-Scarfo organization has a history of allowing the Gambinos to do work in its territory dating back decades in exchange for a piece of the action. Per sources, some relatives and associates of the Philly mob were employed at Par Funding and at least a pair of Bruno-Scarfo mob members visited the office occasionally.
Maxi-sequestro di cocaina al Porto di Gioia Tauro: bloccato carico da quasi 200 milioni di euro
Controlli all'interno di 11 container: trovata cocaina purissima per un peso complessivo di oltre 1.100 kg
Un altro duro colpo alle organizzazioni criminali dedite al narcotraffico internazionale è stato inflitto dalle autorità italiane. Il Comando Provinciale della Guardia di Finanza di Reggio Calabria, in collaborazione con il personale dell'Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), ha sequestrato presso il Porto di Gioia Tauro un enorme carico di cocaina purissima, per un peso complessivo di 1.170 chilogrammi.
Le indagini hanno portato i militari del Gruppo di Gioia Tauro e i funzionari del locale Ufficio delle Dogane a individuare 11 container sospetti, tutti provenienti da un porto del Brasile meridionale e destinati a una società con sede a Reggio Calabria, dopo aver effettuato uno scalo in Spagna.
L’operazione di controllo è stata condotta attraverso una scansione radiogena approfondita, utilizzando le sofisticate apparecchiature scanner in dotazione all’ADM. Successivamente, è stata effettuata un’accurata ispezione con il supporto delle unità cinofile della Guardia di Finanza di Gioia Tauro. Grazie a queste metodologie avanzate, gli operatori sono riusciti a individuare un migliaio di panetti di cocaina, abilmente occultati all’interno di sacchi di materiale combustibile.
Il tentativo dei narcotrafficanti di eludere i rigorosi controlli doganali è stato così vanificato. Si stima, infatti, che una volta immesso sul mercato, sia in Italia che nel resto d’Europa, il carico avrebbe fruttato oltre 187 milioni di euro.
Le indagini proseguono per identificare i responsabili della spedizione e i destinatari finali del carico illecito.
Interesting stuff in the article posted by Ciment in the HA thread.
1, He was snitched on by one of his main guys for the 250K reward. Perhaps that means they can't be making that much money if he did that, 250K is not much. It's not in the league of the HA or the mafia
2. He was "arrested on suspicion of committing criminal offenses in Italy". What crimes could he have committed in Rome, by himself? Maybe he was trying to set up deals to buy coke from Italians there, a clan from Calabria or Naples?
