If today everyone knows the international drug trafficking known as "Frecnch Connection" we know very little about its origins (both in the US and France), or its functioning. Part of the blame comes from the media, which do not really understand the problem by presenting this sector as a single organization, when in fact it is about several distinct groups that function in the need of alliances. Whoever has the right contacts in the U.S. and knows a chemist is most likely to succeed. And those who will succeed particularly will be the Corsicans. The fault also to John Cusack, an agent of the Narcotics Bureau established in France who to move the authorities has swayed the press the myth of Unione Corsica, a kind of equivalent to Cosa Nostra (which of course does not exist in France).
Origins
At the beginning of the XXth century, Indochina is a French colony and Opium consumption is legal there, it is even one of the main sources of income of the country (to the great misfortune of France which closes the eyes anyway seeing the source of income). French organized crime being perfected in international prostitution trafficking knows perfectly the sea roads to borrow and seek to feed their whorehouses with drugs. However, from the 1920s opium houses began to become rare because of smoke that was too thick and therefore identifiable. Drug addicts prefer heroin and the needles much more discreetly. In the early 1920s Arnold Rothstein wants to get into the traffic and sends one of his men, Yasha Katzenberg, to buy the product directly to the factories. Lepke Buchalter, or Vito Genovese and Lucky Luciano will take over the business by dealing directly with François Spirito & Paul Carbone, the biggest Bosses in France at the time. Spirito being also Napolitan exchange them are all the easier.
The most talented man to turn opium into heroin is Charles Fortin. He is a talented former chemist, but who is turned to the dark side because he is a degenerate gambler and prostitute lover. He will end up bookmaker, but before will train one of the "stars" of the chemists, Dominique Albertini who will work for Carbone & Spirito. Albertini is also the half-brother of Joseph Césari whom I will speak to you later.
The first big case dates back to 1933 when Marius Aranci (another "great" chemist who will be talked about later) is arrested with "FNU" Ruggieri & "FNU" Calixte, who piled 2,500 kg of opium in a house in Marseille ... In Paris, we made drugs too, in 1935, a team of chemists (who strangely were not Corsican but Hungarians) explode their laboratory. The police will find 50kg of heroin.
Spirito, Carbone & Albertini
Paris and the Vendetta of Montmartre
In Paris too (and especially Montmartre, the hot district of Paris) we trade a lot and this will give rise to one of the most famous Vendetta. At that time the biggest drug trafficker is Jean-Paul Stefani and his brothers Etienne & Marcel (helped by chemists Dominique Carlotti, François Sciarli & "FNU" Mozinnaci).
In December 1934 Angel Foata another trafficker (drug and prostitutes), working with Joseph Marini (another big Boss), is arrested with 3 other mobsters related to Marini. Surely by jealousy towards J.P. Stefani, he begins to spread the rumor that Stefani would have rated on them, which obviously is not going to please Stefani. The jealousy comes from the fact that Stefani bought a lab at Marini & Foata and would make a lot of money.
December 24 Foata is in a cabaret with his mistress and son. Stefani is there too and shoots at Foata. Unfortunately he misses and kills his mistress' son. Stefani runs away but is stopped by the police. He will await two in prison before his trial, before being innocent. Indeed, to be acquitted, he said it was his brother Etienne who committed the murder. Etienne who himself was killed on the evening of December 24 by the Foata men (yes it is complicated ...).
During those two years, J.P's wife died of tuberculosis. After his release from prison, he will go to his wife's grave with his cousin Dominique Paoleschi (a famous pimp who will illustrate himself after the war in cigarette trafficking). Foata who has no doubts that Stefani will go to the cemetery, awaits just hidden there with a rifle. He opens fire ... And misses Stefani, but not Paoleschi who despite several balls in the belly miraculously survives. Foata trying to flee was struck by someone passing by.
At his trial he will admit the crime to avoid retaliation and take 7 years of forced labor. He will end his days at more than 80 years old. This will not be the case for Stefani who will be assassinated in 1937 by a pimp who "forgot" to compensate after taking one of his prostitutes as his mistress ... He will be avenged the following year by (probably) his brother Marcel.
Stefani,Carlotti/Scilari, Foata, Marini
After the war and the reign of the Corsicans Grandpas
From 1945 until the mid-1960s, traffic was still under the belt of the Corsicans. The big Bosses of the time, the Guerini brothers, Venturi, Renucci or Francisci have strengthened alliances with La Cosa Nostra and especially Lucky Luciano, who is exiled to Palermo, organizing the black market (notably cigarette traffic, but I should do that another article so epic) in Europe with the Harbor of Marseille.
Until 1954 the source of opium will still be Indochina, aided by the French secret services that will finance Vietminh mercenary groups with drug trafficking to counter the communists (sorry, the Vietnam War is our fault) until the defeat of Dien-Bien-Phu.
From there, the main source of supply will be Turkey or Lebanon and their poppy fields. Drug trafficking explodes in U.S. and addiction and offenses that go along with. The Bureau of Narcotics sends agents to France (see introduction) and things are starting to move a bit.
In 1960 it is the Aranci brothers (Marius, Georges & Joseph) who are the first to fall, A prostitute deals with the links between passers-by and sailors who leave for NY. Everyone will be arrested.
In 1962, it's the famous story that will influence William Friedkin's film, Jacques Angelvin (a TV animator), who has a heroin-stuffed car, his contact François Scaglia, and buyers Patsy & Tony Fuqua (I never knew for who their working) who are arrested ...
In 1963 another team fell. Toussaint Carbuccia (63 years old) at a train station in Paris with two suitcases filled with 30kg, Charles Vinceleoni (62 years old) in N.Y. and Mathieu Franchesci (60), Pietro Piazza (63) and Paul Stefani (57) in Marseille. Franchesci will take 3 years, Carbuccia 2 years, and the other 3 5 years. The sentences for drug trafficking in France are 5 years (a big joke) because the consumption is almost non-existent. Unfortunately, this will change in the mid-1960s.
Georges, Joseph & Marius Aranci, Carbuccia, Franchesci, Paul Stefani, Vinceleoni & Scaglia
The fall of Mr 98%
In the mid-1960s, drug addiction began to grow in France and the law changed. Prison sentences will now be 15 years, double in the case of recidivism. It was under these conditions that in 1972, King of Chemists, Joseph Cesari (Albertini's half brother, see Origins), the one who made the purest and most sought-after heroin in the market, was arrested folliwing tip of an informant. Considering he was arrested in 1964 for the same reason and is getting old, he knows he will spend the rest of his life in prison. He cannot bear it and commits suicide 3 days after his arrest in prison.
Cesari
Le Caprice Des Temps
Also in 1972, it was Laurent Fiocconi & Jean Claude Kella's turn to fall. With the help of several other gangsters (Alexander Orsatelli, Francis Vanverberghe and maybe Gaetan Zampa), they are preparing a large shipment to Florida for Louis Cirillo. The boat (Le Caprice Des Temps) has already made 2 trips. But the customs police find it odd that a boat supposed to practice shrimp fishing has never caught any shrimp, so they decide to watch it. After several weeks, the boat leaves for the U.S. and is intercepted by the customs officers.
Problems: the boat is brought back to the port of Marseille and everyone sees what happens. Orsatelli flees the country and will never be found (Vanverberghe & Zampa have never been officially involved). In addition the captain of the boat (Marcel Boucan) managed to escape the boat (he was not supervised and left alone in his cabin) The police of drugs is furious because it was a unique opportunity to drop a network Fortunately, despite all these failures, Boucan will be found the next day and 425kg of drugs will be found at the front of the boat (a record) Fiocconi will take 30 years in prison & Kella 20 years in the US.
Fiocconi & Kella
The final fall
In 1972, the South American network of Auguste Ricord collapsed. Tired of pressure from the U.S. on them, Paraguay will begin to arrest the team members (a bunch of mobsters who left France for escaping justice). They will all be arrested or killed by the police.
In 1973 the team of Jean-Baptiste Croce (the main supplier of the Bonanno Family, Cotroni in Canada, and Antonio Flores a figure of Puerto Rican organized crime) will be denuded. Croce will take 18 years of prison, his lieutenant Joseph Mari will die in 72 and his other lieutenant Joseph Marro will manage to flee (him too will never be found). Ansan Bistoni, Antoine D'Agostino and Paul Mondoloni (the main contacts between France & LCN) will never be worried by the police. On the other hand Bistoni & Mondo will be killed in 1973 and 1985.
Ricord, Croce, Mari, Marro, Mondolini & Bistoni
Conclusion
If it is clear that the FC stops during these years, the traffic continues largely under the impetus of Gaetan Zampa, the new big Boss of Marseille. Some laboratories will survive in Marseille but most chemists will practice in Sicily where they will train other chemists there to launch ... The Pizza Connection. The problem has just been moved.
Zampa
. If you ever want to translate it, it's here: