In 1978, a police officer named Boris Giuliano (nicknamed the sheriff) began to sense the scope of this new organization. Trained by the FBI, he set up the first international investigation.
On July 21, 1979, he was assassinated with seven bullets in his back on a café terrace. On the American side, efforts were intensified in the open war against organized crime. New laws were enacted, the most notable being the ‘Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act’ (or ‘RICO’). It defines racketeering in a very broad manner that encompasses murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, and drug trafficking, as well as a series of federal offenses including usury, counterfeiting, mail fraud, and wire fraud.
The occurrence of any two of the offenses specified within a ten-year period is sufficient to result in a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of $25,000, or either of these penalties, which is advantageous for federal authorities.
The first undercover agent was Joe Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, who infiltrated the Italian-American Mafia for six years. He was within the Bonanno family, the most powerful in New York. The distinct feature of this family was that most of its loyal members were trained in Sicily before being brought to the American East Coast. They were called “the Sicilian faction.” This group was the largest drug trafficker in the Bonanno family. The drugs were delivered to pizzerias across the country along with tomato sauce or cheese. These pizzerias then distributed the merchandise within the neighborhood.
Joe Pistone’s mission was to identify these individuals so that the FBI could investigate them. This led to the inception of the “Pizza Connection” operation. Carmine Galante, the head of the family at the time, was killed in a mob hit in Brooklyn. With his Sicilians, he was overshadowing the New York families. This event fractured the Bonanno family, sparking an internal war for succession that lasted several years.
In Sicily, efforts were also underway, with the establishment of four judges entirely dedicated to the anti-mafia fight. Paolo Borselino and Giovanni Falcone emerged from this new team. A cooperation between American and Italian authorities was established to try to dismantle the octopus that was plunging the city of Palermo into terror.
The profits from heroin resulted in internal wars among the Sicilian families, notably with the Corleone clan. This family derives its name from its original village (Corleone), located 50 kilometers from Palermo. It is one of the most secretive strongholds of the Italian mafia. They were mocked and described as peasants and bumpkins. Famous for their deadly vendettas, the most bloodthirsty mafioso in its history emerged from here.
