https://mafiainaustralia.wordpress.com/

[AustraliaSteve]

If you have your copy of Evil Life handy, go the chapter titled “The Toronto Connection”. In it, the authors describe a few phone calls being made between Canada and Australia. They use fake names (due to Australia’s draconian defamation laws) but one of those calls is between Alvaro families. Some guy was being shaken down, and a relation of said guy rang from Australia to tell his Canadian relative that said guy was with them and could he make sure that the hassling ended. Iirc it did. I’m trying to locate in my notes where the fuck I have the source.

[AustraliaSteve]

Hey Fabien, for the moment I’m going to play it safe and admit I may have been wrong; I believe the conversation I referred to may have involved members of the Macrí family. What’s super frustrating is that I know there’s a significant Alavaro family connection, but I can’t for the life of me find the source at the moment. Give me some time and I’m sure I’ll find it.

[antimafia]

Lethal Exports: B.C. [British Columbia] gangsters at the centre of a global drug trade
https://vancouversun.com/feature/lethal ... drug-trade

[antimafia]

^^^^
Lethal Exports: How B.C. gangsters are damaging a tropical paradise
https://vancouversun.com/feature/lethal ... l-paradise

[Tmr88]

I’d give my left foot for all of that Ironside info! I feel like it’ll still be a good few years before we get enough, if ever.
There’s still a number of guys moving around Aus who were using those phones ALOT.

The UN BC gang having a supply line into Aus is interesting, kinda lines up with some of those msgs going around referring to Canadians bringing work in and undercutting locals

[AustraliaSteve]

A lot of this Ironside info is apparently wrapped up in national security issues, especially considering the trans-national nature of most of the relative syndicates. It was a pain just to identify the two Alvaros charged last year, and as far as I know their cases are still to come before the courts (Rafael Salvatore and Raffaelle Salvatore Alvaro. Threw me because I thought it was a typo at first, but nope, two cousins, both with the same names. Their biker associates were named at the time, but I had to cross-checks the dates with court listings to get the names). Australian Ironside arrests also include figures across Griffith, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Alvaro, Nirta, Romeo and others arrested on information discovered as a part of Ironside. I have a list of 120 names, some of them are still supressed because they’re still facing charges.

[AustraliaSteve]

^^^^
Lethal Exports: How B.C. gangsters are damaging a tropical paradise
https://vancouversun.com/feature/lethal ... l-paradise

Btw, great article anti. This method of “parasite smuggling” where the cargo is welded on to hulls and in to ballast spaces.
I was talking to a journo the other day, and he remarked on how often Canada is sending shipments. This network Mexico/Canda, to South-East Asia, the Indo-Pacific and Oceania. If they’re catching 200kgs randomly, imagine how much is actually getting through. This is the engine around which this network makes millions. Italo-Canadian, Italo-Australian, Vietnamese and the bikers at the end of it.

I mentioned previously I’d be posting some more info on the current South Australian clans and biker clubs. Standby.

[antimafia]

If you have your copy of Evil Life handy, go the chapter titled “The Toronto Connection”. In it, the authors describe a few phone calls being made between Canada and Australia. They use fake names (due to Australia’s draconian defamation laws) but one of those calls is between Alvaro families. Some guy was being shaken down, and a relation of said guy rang from Australia to tell his Canadian relative that said guy was with them and could he make sure that the hassling ended. Iirc it did. I’m trying to locate in my notes where the fuck I have the source.

Hey Fabien, for the moment I’m going to play it safe and admit I may have been wrong; I believe the conversation I referred to may have involved members of the Macrí family. What’s super frustrating is that I know there’s a significant Alavaro family connection, but I can’t for the life of me find the source at the moment. Give me some time and I’m sure I’ll find it.

I'm almost certain that the account in Evil Life is the one described below in Peter Moon's 1982 article.

From "Tapes identify Mafia members, RCMP says"
PETER MOON. The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ont.:Aug 18, 1982. p. P.4:

On May 26, Mike Racco received a call from his brother, Joe, who told him a man called Pasquale Polestina had called him in Toronto from Australia. "He told me that he heard that his nephew had some problems with me and that I was going after him and this and that. And he said for me to leave him alone because he's responsible for his nephew, and for me to talk to Giacomo Luppino and for Giacomo Luppino to phone him back." Mike Racco said he would pass the message on to Mr. Luppino and did so by phone later that day. (Insp. Chiarot testified last month that, in his opinion, Mr. Luppino is the head of the N'Drina in Hamilton.) Mr. Polestina emigrated from Italy to Australia in 1949 and was "suspected of being (a) prominent figure in an Italian criminal society in (New South Wales)," a memo in the court exhibit said.

[motorfab]

Excellent find antimafia, thanks a ton !

[antimafia]

^^^^
Lethal Exports: How B.C. gangsters are damaging a tropical paradise
https://vancouversun.com/feature/lethal ... l-paradise

Btw, great article anti. This method of “parasite smuggling” where the cargo is welded on to hulls and in to ballast spaces.
I was talking to a journo the other day, and he remarked on how often Canada is sending shipments. This network Mexico/Canda, to South-East Asia, the Indo-Pacific and Oceania. If they’re catching 200kgs randomly, imagine how much is actually getting through. This is the engine around which this network makes millions. Italo-Canadian, Italo-Australian, Vietnamese and the bikers at the end of it.

I mentioned previously I’d be posting some more info on the current South Australian clans and biker clubs. Standby.

The author of the Vancouver Sun article, Kim Bolan, was interviewed about this on the "10/3 Canada Covered" podcast:

'B.C. gangsters at the centre of a global drug trade' by 10/3: Canada Covered
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7BleP9DN9n9GldszbGtcna

The audio is also found on the following page:

10/3 podcast: B.C. gangsters at the centre of a global drug trade
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/10 ... drug-trade

[AustraliaSteve]

THATS it! Polestino and the goddamn Luppino family!
Thanks anti, I will save the clipping amd keep looking for the old source.

[motorfab]

THATS it! Polestino and the goddamn Luppino family!
Thanks anti, I will save the clipping amd keep looking for the old source.

I took a look on Trove, I didn't find anything but with a different spelling there is an article about a Pasquale Polistena. It could be him. Or not, it depends on whether a Canadian or Australian newspaper botched his name (or if somebody else have the same name obviously) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... 0polistena

[antimafia]

Steven and Fab, you're both welcome.

So it seems that from Sydney -- or one of its suburbs -- Pasquale Polestina (Polistena? Polistina? Polestino?) called Giuseppe Racco ("Joe") in Toronto before or on May 26, 1971, maybe before or on that date in 1970 or 1972 (the Evil Life authors wrote that Joe Racco received a phone a call around 1970).

I need to corroborate somehow the following possible details about Polestina that I've found:

Born Jan. 12, 1918 (either Oppido di Mamertina in Reggio di Calabria [province] or Reggio di Calabria itself [the capital])

Died Sept. 15, 2009 (Rookwood Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria, Rookwood, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia)

Arrived in Australia on Aug. 3, 1949.

Oppido di Mamertina is of course where Giacomo Luppino was born, specifically in the frazione of Castellace. So if Polistena asked that Luppino be contacted about the extortion of Polistena's nephew in Ontario and for Luppino to call Polistena back, their shared birthplace might explain why.

Sources:

https://forestwayfresh.com/our-story/ (for verification purposes, you'll have to check a box before proceeding to the webpage or any other part of the site)

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s229/sh/ ... 59iRMhJe5A

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s229/sh/ ... cbzmkTrKGQ

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s229/sh/ ... aoGovjGtZQ

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s229/sh/ ... as6q8Ddm6Q

[AustraliaSteve]

It’s also where the Madafferi brothers were from, making it a somewhat interesting possibility, but that has little bearing on this conversation.

Beyond the murder of Vincenzo Polestino recorded as occurring in Victoria, 1927 (which I assume is what you’re referring to Fabien…?) im finding very little on Polestina/o also, but I’ve got Pasquale Polestino on a chart as one of the post-war era Sydney leaders and now I’m curious as to how to he got there (plus the million other things I’ve got in the air, it never ends).

I’ll try a few other lines as well.


Just on a different note quickly, the company founded by “Winery Tony” Sergi, Warburn Estate, following their “insolvency” issues, is being transferred to Meditrina Beverages. This is owned by the Real Juice company which is owned by the Taliano family: grandchildren of Winery Tony. It’s a continuation of a family business. You could say they’re legit nie, but some pretty dodgy business practices say otherwise.

Anyway. I’ll try and find why Polestino is in on my chart. I try to keep track but sometimes I feel like a mad scientist running around with a stack of loose leaf foolscap.

[motorfab]

I often research the 'ndrangheta in Piedmont, particularly Rocco Lo Presti and the town of Bardonecchia. Not only is it interesting and it has many connections between Calabria/Sicily, the USA and even Marseille, but I also live next door, so to speak.

Anyway, even though it's very indirect than the Racco/Luppino/Polestina thing, there is a Toronto/Australia connection surrounding the 1969 murder of an individual named Vincenzo Timpani.

Timpani from Grotteria (Reggio Calbria) was killed in December 1969 by three bullets and his face and hands were burned so that he would not be recognized (he was identified thanks to his wallet found in his jacket pocket, no comment). It was established that he had to leave Bardonnechia to go to France to escape prosecution (apparently for the rape of a young boy, no comment²). An abandoned car, likely used by Timpani, is found not far from the crime scene and belonged to Lo Presti. Timpani has a criminal record for theft, attempted kidnapping, rape, break-in and pimping. He lived in Australia and it was precisely his conviction of pimping that led to his being deported.

It was quickly established that he was killed by his brother-in-law, Giuseppe Oppedisano. Oppedisano is also the brother-in-law of Lo Presti. Oppedisano had just moved to Bardonnechia after living in Canada for 4 years. Funny detail, he left Canada for Bardonnecchia because his wife (Lo Presti's sister) couldn't stand the climate in Canada (for info Bardonecchia is a mountain village located in the Dolomites, so probably as cold as Canada lol ).

On the occasion of the murder of Salvatore Triumbari in Toronto in January 1967, a cousin of Triumbari named Michele Oppedisano called the rescue. Mike Oppedisano had emigrated to Canada 3 months before Triumbari's murder.

Although Oppedisano is a fairly common name in Calabria, I wonder if Giuseppe is not a relative of Michele (the emigration period 66/67 corresponds)

Anyway, as I said, it's a very indirect links, but I found the Australia/Canada/Piedmont triangle interesting to note