How a Sicilian mobster helped organize crime in Brazil

[JogodoBicho]

During the 1960s, the famous "Sicilian War" broke out in Palermo, Italy, a conflict involving several Italian mafia families.

Antônio Salamone was an accountant for one of the most powerful families in the region. He was one of the masterminds behind a crime that left seven police officers dead.

Hunted in Italy, Salamone sought refuge in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, he was received by Castor de Andrade, the big boss of Jogo do Bicho, a popular illegal gambling game.

Castor did the mafia a favor and placed Salamone in one of his textile mills in Bangu. Furthermore, the boss obtained Brazilian citizenship for the mafioso through contacts he had with members of the federal government during the military dictatorship.

In return, Salamone taught Castor how to divide his territory and organize criminal groups into clans and families. Furthermore, it established something similar to the Commission, known as "cúpula".

In the mid-70s, Castor divided Rio de Janeiro between other bosses and ended armed conflicts that lasted years.

Until today, Castor is known in the Brazilian underworld as capo di tutti capo

How the Mafia never forgets a favor. Castor was awarded, in the early 90s, the privilege of being able to import slot machines to Brazil. The entry of these machines caused a terrible war in the ilegalbusiness. Because their insertion reconfigured, in blood, the division of Rio's territory.

Translated and adapted from: https://www.instagram.com/iconografiada ... LBEGIrwxL/

[motorfab]

-Antonino Salamone was married to Salvatore 'l'Ingegnere" Greco's sister, so he wasn't the mastermind behind the Ciaculli Massacre (Michele Cavataio, Pietro Torretta and few others were)

-Salamone was more than an accountant, he was the representant of the San Giuseppe Jato mandamento in the Cupola, the Sicilian Commission (San Giuseppe Jato mandamento = the Families of San Giuseppe Jato, Altofonte, Monreale, Camporeale, San Cipriello and probably a couple of other villages around)

-Salamone moved to Brazil after the Ciaculli bombing in 1963 then moved to NY and came back for a while in Italy during the 70s. He returned to brazil in the 80s and was arrested there in the early 1990s (don't remember the exact date). I guess it's during this lattest stay he knew this Castor de Andrade

[B.]

Good post, Fabien.

When he was living in NYC he was also partners with Giuseppe Ganci, a capodecina in Salamone's Family associated w/ the Bonannos.

Associated closely with Buscetta and got pulled into the political spider web surrounding him.

I've been curious if he was related to early San Giuseppe Jato member Antonino Salamone who was uncle to the Zito brothers of Rockford / Springfield.