MONTREAL CRIME FAMILY
Part 2: THE RISE OF THE ITALIAN CRIME GROUPS
Author: Little Joe Shots
By the mid 1930's the Cotroni family had grown to include six children, Vincent, called "Vic", Giuseppe, called "Pep", eldest sister Palmina, who would eventually play a role in Vic's legitimate investments, Michel, the one brother that would apparently play no direct role in the Cotroni family's criminal empire, Francesco, the youngest brother who would become the most visible member of the Cotroni criminal empire and one day take his shot at being the successor to Vic, and lastly there was Marguerite, the youngest sibling who was never in the spotlight. During the "Depression Years" of the 1930's Vic Cotroni expanded beyond his tight knit Italian community on the North Side to become a businessman connected to the downtown Montreal nightspots, gambling houses and after hour drinking spots after he briefly made a foray into professional wrestling as "Vic Vincent" where he met Armand Courville, a French Canadian who would become Cotroni's longtime business partner and criminal associate. Vic "The Egg" Cotroni would go on to accumulate a number of legitimate business interests like nightclubs, restaurants and commercial real estate while cementing his influence over the Montreal underworld through his involvement in the traditional gambling, extortion, prostitution and narcotics rackets! At the same time Cotroni's underworld stature was growing in the 1930's and 40's the Calabrian gangster came to realize quickly that a legitimate and respectable front was not the only avenue of importance he needed to travel concerning his underworld career and by the early 1940's Cotroni become one of the most influential and well connected gangsters in Montreal as "The Egg" formed law enforcement and political associations that would follow him and assist his criminal career immensely throughout his life! Vic Cotroni became one of the top crime Bosses in Montreal by the mid 1940's, but he kept a low profile and was considered a traditional mafiosi who followed the rules and traditions of the Calabrian Ndrangheta, Cotroni's character and quiet demeanor would serve him well and assist him throughout his criminal career, The "Egg"carried a level of respect in the criminal and business worlds that followed him until the day he died.
At the same time Vic Cotroni was cementing his rise in Montreal's underworld during the 1930's and 40's another rising young mafiosi who had emigrated to Canada with his family and settled in the port city from Sicily at a very young age was making his criminal rise in Montreal! Luigi "Louis" Greco was a Sicilian immigrant born in 1913, he became involved in Montreal's underworld by the mid 1920, committing petty crimes ranging from theft, assault and robbery, graduating to auto theft and bank robbery. Greco's criminal endeavors would land him a 13 year jail sentence for armed robbery at the age of 23. Greco's prison time only enhanced his criminal connections and solidified his interests and after being released from prison Greco's criminal talents and ambitions were soon noticed by gang leader, Harry Davis who ran one of Montreal's largest gangs and was the area's leading crime czar! Harry Davis was jailed in 1933 on narcotics charges, released in 1945, Luigi Greco became a driver, bodyguard and protege of Harris which gave Greco the opportunity for expansion as he took over various criminal operations such as gambling clubs, brothels and narcotics operations in the West End of Montreal. Harry Davis's Jewish decent had given the Montreal crime Boss strong connections to the American underworld and New York crime Bosses, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and his associate and partner, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. Davis had run the Canadian branch of a massive narcotics ring that he, Buchalter and Luciano operated, the gangsters imported large amounts of heroin from Europe and into Canada via the Montreal ports, the drugs supplied by the French-Corsican Mob was then transported to New York for distribution into the American market. This was a great example of the long and closely connected criminal relationship that Montreal and New York crime Bosses would share for decades to come! Luigi Greco learned the "ins and outs" of the narcotics rackets from Davis in the mid 1940's and while Greco's criminal career and influence flourished, Davis lost respect, power and influence to the Italians who by 1940 had taking over the Montreal underworld. Harry Davis protege, Luigi Greco become one of the top heroin dealers in Montral as he began to overseer the Montreal-New York narcotics ring and was now one of Montreal's top crime Bosses, Greco was considered the top Sicilian mafia Boss in Montreal! Davis was murdered in 1946 and Greco along with his associate and protege, Frank Petrula expanded their criminal operations and underworld influence throughout Montreal by taking over what was left of the Davis operation and maintaining connections with underworld and political associates of the former crime Boss, Davis. By the 1940's the Sicilian mafia faction led by Luigi Greco and the Calabrian N'drangheta faction led by Vic Cotroni had cemented a strong working relationship in Montreal's underworld, the two Italian crime groups basically formed a pact or alliance that was the beginning of the Montreal crime family.
At the same time Vic Cotroni was cementing his rise in Montreal's underworld during the 1930's and 40's another rising young mafiosi who had emigrated to Canada with his family and settled in the port city from Sicily at a very young age was making his criminal rise in Montreal! Luigi "Louis" Greco was a Sicilian immigrant born in 1913, he became involved in Montreal's underworld by the mid 1920, committing petty crimes ranging from theft, assault and robbery, graduating to auto theft and bank robbery. Greco's criminal endeavors would land him a 13 year jail sentence for armed robbery at the age of 23. Greco's prison time only enhanced his criminal connections and solidified his interests and after being released from prison Greco's criminal talents and ambitions were soon noticed by gang leader, Harry Davis who ran one of Montreal's largest gangs and was the area's leading crime czar! Harry Davis was jailed in 1933 on narcotics charges, released in 1945, Luigi Greco became a driver, bodyguard and protege of Harris which gave Greco the opportunity for expansion as he took over various criminal operations such as gambling clubs, brothels and narcotics operations in the West End of Montreal. Harry Davis's Jewish decent had given the Montreal crime Boss strong connections to the American underworld and New York crime Bosses, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and his associate and partner, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. Davis had run the Canadian branch of a massive narcotics ring that he, Buchalter and Luciano operated, the gangsters imported large amounts of heroin from Europe and into Canada via the Montreal ports, the drugs supplied by the French-Corsican Mob was then transported to New York for distribution into the American market. This was a great example of the long and closely connected criminal relationship that Montreal and New York crime Bosses would share for decades to come! Luigi Greco learned the "ins and outs" of the narcotics rackets from Davis in the mid 1940's and while Greco's criminal career and influence flourished, Davis lost respect, power and influence to the Italians who by 1940 had taking over the Montreal underworld. Harry Davis protege, Luigi Greco become one of the top heroin dealers in Montral as he began to overseer the Montreal-New York narcotics ring and was now one of Montreal's top crime Bosses, Greco was considered the top Sicilian mafia Boss in Montreal! Davis was murdered in 1946 and Greco along with his associate and protege, Frank Petrula expanded their criminal operations and underworld influence throughout Montreal by taking over what was left of the Davis operation and maintaining connections with underworld and political associates of the former crime Boss, Davis. By the 1940's the Sicilian mafia faction led by Luigi Greco and the Calabrian N'drangheta faction led by Vic Cotroni had cemented a strong working relationship in Montreal's underworld, the two Italian crime groups basically formed a pact or alliance that was the beginning of the Montreal crime family.
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