Last month guest host Jose Latour mentioned criminal links
between Cuba and the Montreal underworld.
"Allegedly, Joe (Bananas) Bonnano argued that when he
controlled Montreal during and after Prohibition (fact?), he
shared it with all the other families, so why wouldn't Lansky
and Costello reciprocate (in Havana)?"
Those still interested might want to look up an article in
today's Globe and Mail announcing the death of Lucean Rivard
("Montreal mobster nearly sank Liberals" by Tu Thanh Ha, http://www.theglobeandmail.com).
Rivard is famous for escaping "jail by persuading his guards
to let him water the prison ice rink - even though the
temperature was above freezing." He was being held while US
officials sought his extradition for his part in smuggling
heroin into Texas. He later served 9 years in a Texas prison
for the crime. In the 50's Rivard operated casinos in Havana
while simultaneously running guns for Castro's rebels. Rivard
was a player in Montreal's drug trade, associating with Mafia
bosses such as Giuseppe Cotroni. Later he was suspected of
helping to set up the infamous "French Connection" bringing
heroin from labs in France into North America.
I must have loaned my copy of Adrian Humphreys' "the
enforcer, Johnny Pops Papalia: A Life and Death in the
Mafia", but if memory serves, the Hamilton gangster was also
active in Montreal mob wars during the late 50's, early 60's
working for Carmine Galante, described as Bonano's man in
Montreal. Papalia's father had been active in Southern
Ontario during prohibition and is asuspect in the unsolved
disappearance of Rocco Perri, Canada's King of the
Bootleggers. With backing from Galante and Buffalo's Magadino
family, Johnny Pops later took over the rackets in Ontario,
peaking with the vicious beating of Toronto gambler Maxie
Bluestein in the lobby of a crowded, central Toronto
nightclub. The place was full, but nobody saw anything.
Papalia went on to serve time in a New York prison for his
part in the French Connection.
An era passes. Papalia, rumoured to be suffering from
Alzheimer's disease, was shot at close range in the parking
lot outside his Hamilton office just a few years ago, the
local Musitano brothers currently serving time for ordering
the hit. Now Rivard dies of old age. Recently, Toronto mayor
Mel Lastman welcomed the Hells Angels into his city. They
were coming anyway.
Kerry
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Literary events Calendar (South Ont.) http://www.lit-electric.com
The evil men do lives after them http://www.murderoutthere.com
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