Angelo Bruno's drug operations

[JohnnySalami]

Lets not forget how tight Bruno and Rosario Gambino were. saro was their main connect in philly. Bruno’s men were copping straight from him. Bruno was vocally against drugs but didn’t turn down the fat envelope let alone low key finances his men for it

[JohnnySalami]

Only reason that happen was because Rosario wasn’t made in America. He essentially had carte blanche

[Ivan]

Angelo Bruno was a drug dealer. Are we all agreed? (sheesh)

and don't you fucking forget it pal

[CabriniGreen]

They were against drug dealing, not narcotics trafficking....

They didnt want mob guys buying kilos, breaking it down and standing on street corners with everyone else, potentially running into police...

Contrary to what some might think, you actually have to be a relatively disciplined, low key, connected and wealthy guy to be a narcotics trafficker.

It's like something they wanted in the hands of trusted, capable capos, not every soldier and associate in the streets... Who would trust Quack Quack with being discrete with a heroin operation? Or even a flashy guy who liked to dress?

[Wiseguy]

My take on leaders like Bruno and Castellano is that they used the drug rule (which did exist, followed or not) to prevent drug dealing from being a free-for-all among the membership, instead sanctioning specific individuals to handle larger drug-trafficking operations, many of them between members of different mafia families. Obviously they couldn't control the membership from dealing on their own, but it does seem like they attempted to control the status quo this way.

Bruno was suspected by the FBN of heroin trafficking before he became boss but I'm not sure what, if any, evidence there was for his involvement. He was tasked with supervising Harry Riccobene's operations when Riccobene went away in the 1950s for heroin trafficking but I'm not aware of any drug operations directly absorbed by Bruno, only gambling and loansharking. I believe Martorano was on record with Riccobene before Riccobene went away and Martorano was assigned to Bruno after that, so given Martorano's long and extensive history with drug dealing (and his alleged admission to Leonetti), that's a sign that Bruno was indirectly involved.

That's always been my position regarding the "No drug" rule. It wasn't, "You deal, you die." It was "You deal, you die...unless you have permission otherwise." Obviously that shouted hypocrisy to the troops down the ladder but one can understand the thinking behind what the bosses were doing. Let's not forget Scarfo was also indicted in 1987 as part of a ring controlling the distribution of P2P.

[Grouchy Sinatra]

A lot of "black and white" logic here, the stubborn refusal of two things being true at once. Some are drawing the conclusion that because Bruno got a taste of the drug profits that he must have been sitting in a mansion in Miami with an AK-47, a lion, and a mountain of coke on the desk daring the government to take a shot at him. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between.

[B.]

My take on leaders like Bruno and Castellano is that they used the drug rule (which did exist, followed or not) to prevent drug dealing from being a free-for-all among the membership, instead sanctioning specific individuals to handle larger drug-trafficking operations, many of them between members of different mafia families. Obviously they couldn't control the membership from dealing on their own, but it does seem like they attempted to control the status quo this way.

Bruno was suspected by the FBN of heroin trafficking before he became boss but I'm not sure what, if any, evidence there was for his involvement. He was tasked with supervising Harry Riccobene's operations when Riccobene went away in the 1950s for heroin trafficking but I'm not aware of any drug operations directly absorbed by Bruno, only gambling and loansharking. I believe Martorano was on record with Riccobene before Riccobene went away and Martorano was assigned to Bruno after that, so given Martorano's long and extensive history with drug dealing (and his alleged admission to Leonetti), that's a sign that Bruno was indirectly involved.

That's always been my position regarding the "No drug" rule. It wasn't, "You deal, you die." It was "You deal, you die...unless you have permission otherwise." Obviously that shouted hypocrisy to the troops down the ladder but one can understand the thinking behind what the bosses were doing. Let's not forget Scarfo was also indicted in 1987 as part of a ring controlling the distribution of P2P.

Yep, exactly. We also see how they found grey areas around the rules, i.e. DelGiorno talking about how they could give "loans" to drug dealers who then imported meth with other mafia associates and did the actual drug dealing. It was sanctioned by the mafia at every stage, but they found loopholes around it so they could technically say they weren't drug dealers.

It's like the president of a company saying he doesn't manufacture widgets because he doesn't physically work on the factory floor, yet he bought the equipment, pays the rent, and hired all of the workers.

[Ivan]

It's like the president of a company saying he doesn't manufacture widgets because he doesn't physically work on the factory floor, yet he bought the equipment, pays the rent, and hired all of the workers.

Yeah, this exactly.

Some are drawing the conclusion that because Bruno got a taste of the drug profits that he must have been sitting in a mansion in Miami with an AK-47, a lion, and a mountain of coke on the desk daring the government to take a shot at him.

Not sure where you got that characterization, but I wouldn't be shocked if he made over a million from it.

Angelo Bruno was a drug dealer.

[Grouchy Sinatra]

No he wasn't. Angelo Bruno wasn't a drug dealer. He had no choice but to let the Gambino Sicilians sling on his turf and he took a cut because he's a mobster and of course he's taking his cut. But he didn't want it.

[Wiseguy]

No he wasn't. Angelo Bruno wasn't a drug dealer. He had no choice but to let the Gambino Sicilians sling on his turf and he took a cut because he's a mobster and of course he's taking his cut. But he didn't want it.

And his reason for allowing Long John to deal?

Nobody is saying he was Pablo Escobar. But, like Castellano, Bruno did make his own exceptions despite the rule. Same for Accardo, apparently. It's an old topic but examples have been given of Outfit people trafficking in drugs while Accardo was running the show.

[Grouchy Sinatra]

You said it yourself. "Exceptions".

[Wiseguy]

You said it yourself. "Exceptions".

That's the point some of us are making. The bosses picked and chose who was allowed to deal and who wasn't.

[stubbs]

No he wasn't. Angelo Bruno wasn't a drug dealer. He had no choice but to let the Gambino Sicilians sling on his turf and he took a cut because he's a mobster and of course he's taking his cut. But he didn't want it.

And his reason for allowing Long John to deal?

Nobody is saying he was Pablo Escobar. But, like Castellano, Bruno did make his own exceptions despite the rule. Same for Accardo, apparently. It's an old topic but examples have been given of Outfit people trafficking in drugs while Accardo was running the show.

Technically, wasn’t Long John an associate during the Bruno era? I think he wasn’t made until after Bruno was killed. So, would the dealing ban apply to associates too, or just made members?

[stubbs]

No he wasn't. Angelo Bruno wasn't a drug dealer. He had no choice but to let the Gambino Sicilians sling on his turf and he took a cut because he's a mobster and of course he's taking his cut. But he didn't want it.

Agreed, at least in the sense that, no way Bruno could’ve told the Gambinos or the Cherry Hill faction not to operate there and sell drugs. They were his powerbase. I’m sure they gave him some tribute as a courtesy, but I doubt he had a choice.

[Wiseguy]

Technically, wasn’t Long John an associate during the Bruno era? I think he wasn’t made until after Bruno was killed. So, would the dealing ban apply to associates too, or just made members?

I'm not sure but Bruno would have certainly had the authority to tell Long John to stop dealing if he wanted to be affiliated with him, no? Even if someone questions his assertion that Bruno was the biggest drug trafficker in the city, it basically suggests he was involved in it on some level on a case by case basis. If guys like Castellano and Accardo made exceptions, I don't have a hard time believing Bruno did too.