Joe Bonanno’s attempted takeover?

[JoelTurner]

My guess would be in the late ‘40s

The best way to get an actual estimate would be to look at all the Bonanno members who got pinched for drugs, see who was the earliest and try build from that

[Don_Peppino]

My guess would be in the late ‘40s

The best way to get an actual estimate would be to look at all the Bonanno members who got pinched for drugs, see who was the earliest and try build from that

That's a good idea.
I agree that it was probably the late 40's. I know the Bonannos were still involved in bootleg liquor until the 40's. Bill Feather notes that it was a major case around 1944, involving the members of the Bonannos and a few other Families.
I find it interesting because Bonanno was in Montreal as early as 1938 and moved to Tuscon in 1942 I believe. Surely he recognized the value in controlling certain territories. I think the mafia as a whole was so fixated on Luciano, Costello, Genovese and Anastasia, that they all looked up in 1957 and Bonanno has quietly acquired all this power. From the rear by the way (if you subscribe to him being the weakest Boss in 1931). He strengthen the Castellamarese connection throughout the country, usurping Magaddino's senoirity and sowing the seeds of jealousy. I have to also believe Gaspar DiGregorio and the guys from Long Island were probably kept out of the drug profits and then tve final insult of naming Bill as Consiglieri, is what caused the division in the family. I think the Bonannos and Luccheses may have been working together in the drug business until the meeting in Sicily. You see cross collaboration between the Galante crew and the DiPalermo crew until the late 50s. If Bonanno had taken over California, he would't have to whack Lucchese or Gambino. Based on territory alone, he would've been "defacto boss of bosses". This would have been too much power for one person, within the confines of the Commission.