The 1960's brought rivalries and conflict to the Montreal crime family that grew into a cold war, but the elder leaders of the crime family Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco were traditional, reasonable and low key mafia Bosses who valued respect, honor and the rules of the mafia. Except there were differences between Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco as Cotroni relied on his brains and cunning while Greco relied more on his brawn and penchant for violence, the two contrasting styles of leadership would strain the relationship between the two mafia Bosses, but even so they wanted crime family members to concentrate on obtaining power and profit quietly without law enforcement and media scrutiny that could be brought on or instigated by internal rivalries and animosities, but rivalries within the crime family between the factions would eventually cause the alliance between the Calabrians and the Sicilians too reach a breaking point. At the center of the conflict between the two Montreal mafia factions seemed to be animosities and rivalries between two new rising stars in the Montreal underworld who would continue to clash due to ambition and operating styles. As conflicts within the Montreal crime family and the American mafia threatened to split and destroy the alliance the Montreal mafia had built over twenty years of joint operations, Cotroni and Greco used all their influence to maintain the peace and restore order when matters started to get out of hand between the factions! Events within the New York mafia would directly effect future of the Montreal crime family immensely, for starters Vic Cotroni's and Luigi Greco's powerful ally, Carmine "Lilo" Galante who had become Underboss, the number two man in the Bonanno crime family in 1957 was indicted in 1960 and eventually convicted in 1962 and given a 20 year prison sentence for his part in a heroin distribution ring that was directly connected and part of the American and Sicilian mafia's heroin network established in the late 1950's. Luigi Greco had been the main liaison between the Montreal and American mafia regarding their joint heroin operation, Greco frequently traveled to New York, Detroit and Chicago, with visits to Mexico, France and Italy, but his deep involvement in the international heroin trade with Galante caused Greco to be indicted along with Galante in 1962 and put and end to Greco's world travels, but Greco remained safe in Canada as long as he didn't enter the United States.
The jailing of Galante in 1962 removed an influential American mafia benefactor for the Montreal mafia and soon after the Montreal mafia looses one benefactor they begin to experience the loss of another, their most powerful and influential! Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, the patriarch of New York's Bonanno crime family, the Montreal crime family's strongest supporter and ally was directly involved in a New York mafia power struggle by 1964 which would tear apart the Bonanno crime family and could grave consequences for the Montreal mafia! New York had been the American mafia's powerbase since the late 1800's and with the formation of the Commission in 1931 the New York mafia cemented it's power and influence over the other Cosa Nostra families in America, but by the early 1950's the Conservative faction of mafia leaders that had held the majority influence within the Commission was being rivaled by the Liberal faction of mafia leaders. Joe Bonanno had been the Commission chairman and leader of the Conservative faction since 1951 and with the retirements and deaths of various Conservative mafia leaders on the Commission throughout the 1950's and early 1960's, Bonanno was losing power and influence in New York. By 1963, Joe Bonanno was facing attack from both law enforcement and mafia adversaries. Government subpoenas, along with mafia rivalries and conflicts nfluenced Bonanno's decision to leave New York, "The Volcano" as Bonanno called it and travel to avoid further legal and underworld affairs, but not before he instituted a plan to maintain his position of power, the leadership of his crime family and possibly obtain influence over the entire New York mafia! New York mafia Bosses and allies, Joe Bonanno and Joe Magliocco made an obvious attempt to secure the future leadership of the Commission by planning to assassinate two leading Commission members, but the plot failed and by 1964 Joe Bonanno was being opposed by the Commission who supported a rival faction within Bonanno's own crime family.
Since the early 1950's the Bonanno crime family has held direct influence over the Montreal crime family, the Montreal mafia was recognized as an official "Decina" or "Branch Plant" of the Bonanno crime family under the flag or protection their sponsors as a North American Cosa Nostra crime family, but the mess involving Joe Bonanno in New York brought the Montreal crime family, various supporters and allies of the group directly into the conflict surrounding the American mafia. The affiliations, alliances and joint narcotics operations that had been maintained between the American and Canadian mafia were now a major point of contention between various mafia groups in New York State, Quebec and Southern Ontario, the Montreal crime family was right in the middle of a Italian mafia conflict that involved only certain mafia groups, the main or central groups involved being New York's American mafia Commission, the Bonanno, Buffalo and Montreal crime families, along with various mafia groups, crime families and Clans from North America and Italy, the outcome of this conflict, the matters and top mafiosi surrounding it would determine the future of the Montreal crime family and it's leadership.
As the Bonanno crime family and it's leader, Joe Bonanno held a level of influence over the Montreal mafia, so too did the Buffalo crime family and it's leader Stefano Magaddino in regards top the Southern Ontario mafia. The Bonanno and Magaddino families are originally from the same area of Sicily, Castellammare del Golfo and due to the connections, resources and influence mafia Bosses Joe Bonanno and Steve Magadino held in regards to the international heroin trade which included strong mafia connections to Sicily that would allow both of these top mafia Bosses and their crime families to be deeply involved in the American and Sicilian mafia's narcotics network as both mafia leaders held influence over Canadian mafia groups and were now jockeying for control over the Canadian branch plants and the various criminal interests held by the Montreal and Southern Ontario mafia including narcotics. As official American branch plants the Montreal crime family fell under the influence of the Bonanno crime family as the Hamilton mafia and a Toronto crime group (The Papalia, Luppino, Scibetta, Bordonaro and Volpe crews) fell under the Buffalo (Magaddino) crime family, while both areas under mafia control in Canada were situated to assist the America-Sicilian mafia heroin network by overseeing the drugs importation, wholesale and distribution into the United Sates as Montreal lay 380 miles from the New York border and Southern Ontario (Hamilton & Toronto) lay 100 miles from the Buffalo border, Niagara Falls, Ontario and United States lay directly across from each other, separated by roughly one mile of water!
Longtime Bonanno crime family Boss, Joseph Bonanno had been traveling frequently since mid 1963, while leaving an "Acting Leadership" in place to oversee his mafia affairs in New York. Bonanno's son, Salvatore or "Bill" as he was called had been elevated to official Consigliere of the Bonanno crime family and acted as one of the temporary leaders of the crime group in his fathers absence, along with Underboss, Johnny "Burns" Morales. This led to rivalries and open hostilities as the younger Bonanno's promotion was seen as a direct ploy to secure future control of the crime family for the Bonannos, while ignoring and other leading members of the Bonanno crime family! By mid 1964 Joe Bonanno faced and insurrection within his own crime family, avoiding his base of operations in New York with stops across America and even in Montreal, Canada where he met with mafia leaders in June, later arrested and briefly jailed until he was deported from Canada. By 1965 Bonanno was engaged in a war to regain control of his crime family from a renegade faction supported by Bonanno's cousin, Buffalo, mafia Boss, Steve Magaddino carried the support of the Commission in his quest to depose Joe Bonanno as the Boss of his crime family and as benefactor of the Montreal crime family. In late 1965 Bonanno was deposed by the Commission as leader of his crime family and was now only in control of a loyal faction of followers, while the loyalty, support and joint interests of the Montreal crime family were at stake, including gambling, business investments and most importantly, the heroin network which Joe Bonanno had played a vital role in creating during the late 1950's! Buffalo mafia Boss, Steve Magaddino had been a loyal Bonanno relative, supporter, ally since the 1920's, but as Joe Bonanno's power and influence grew and his interests expanded into Canada, a longtime Buffalo crime family stronghold, Magaddino's jealousy, animosities and paranoia grew as he felt that Bonanno was making a play for his Southern Ontario interests just as Bonanno had allegedly done to other mafia Bosses in parts of New Jersey, California and Arizona, the botched assassination plot that Bonanno had supported in 1963 was all the proof Magaddino and his supporters on the Commission needed to oppose Joe Bonanno.
As Montreal's top mafoisi Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco had fallen under the influence of New York mafia Boss, Joe Bonanno since the early 1950's, rising Montreal mafiosi, Paolo Violi had first fallen under the influence of Buffalo mafia Boss, Steve Magaddino. Paolo Violi had originally lived in Hamilton, Ontario and came up under the guidance and influence of Calabrian mafia Boss, Giacomo "Jack" Luppino who had emigrated to Hamilton himself roughly the same time as Violi in the early 1950's. Violi moved to Montreal in 1962 and two years later he married the daughter of Jack Luppino as he began his rise in the Montreal mafia. On November 28, 1966, various central players in this American-Canadian mafia conflict met in Montreal with representatives of the Bonanno loyalist faction led by Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno, son of powerful mafia Boss, Joe Bonanno. Bill Bonanno had been the former Bonanno crime family Consigliere, but he was deposed by the Commission along with his father in 1965, and in January of 1966 an attempt was made on his life by the renegade Bonanno faction during a botched hit disguised as a meeting . The attempt on the younger Bonanno's life was the opening volley of a the shooting war in the Bonanno crime family and the seriousness of the American mafia conflict brought Bill Bonanno and various members of the Bonanno loyalist faction including Vito DeFilippo, Peter Magaddino, Carl Simari and Peter Notaro to Montreal in order to meet with mafia leaders, Vic Cotroni, Luigi Greco, Paolo Violi and Giacomo Luppino of Hamilton too discuss the events pertaining to the growing New York mafia conflict that threatened to envelope the Montreal mafia! The meeting was held at the Reggio Bar headquarters of Paol Violi in Jean Talon North Montreal, the main topic of discussion was no doubt the on going "Bananas War" in New York as the conflict had carried over into Canada between various Canadian mafia groups in Montreal and Southern Ontario who's Cosa Nostra affiliations and heroin operations were supported by the American mafia in New York and Buffalo.
The outcome of "Bananas War" would hold consequences for the Canadian mafia such as whether or not the Montreal crime family would stay under the Bonanno crime family flag or be sponsored by another American crime family! Bill Bonanno was in Montreal that November day to make sure that the Montreal crime family under Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco stayed neutral and impartial to the conflict, not siding with either the dissident Bonanno faction or the Buffalo crime family, the future of the Montreal crime family, who they would be affiliated with would be decided by the outcome of war and the Commission. The "Bananas War" was not only in response to the dissident Bonanno crime family faction, but because of sanctions and support for the dissident Bonanno crime family faction from the Commission, a June 10, 1965 conversation between New Jersey mafia Boss, Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante and Bonanno faction loyalist, Joseph Bayonne Joe" Zicarelli picked up by an F.B.I. bug demonstrates juts how serious the Commission opposition to Joe Bonanno was and how far they were willing to go in terms of sanctions against the former Commission member.
DeCavalcante, the Commission "Messengero" explained to Bonanno crime family member, Zicarelli that he was told by Commission chairman and rising New York mafia powerhouse, Carlo Gambino that the Commission had deposed Joe Bonanno as Boss of his crime family in early 1965, replacing him with the dissident faction leader, Gaspar DiGregorio (Steve Magaddino's brother in law) and now they were considering redistributing the remaining territories under Joe Bonanno's influence, including Montreal which would go to Buffalo crime family. This would have placed the important narcotics shipment point of Montreal under the control of Buffalo mafia Boss, Stefano Magaddino who already had a level of influence over the Southern Ontario mafia, if Montreal and southern Ontario been joined into one territory and placed under the flag of the Buffalo crime family, the Canadian mafia's branch of the joint America-Sicilian narcotics network would have made Buffalo Boss Stefano Magaddino one of the most powerful mafiosi in North America as he would have influence basically over all of Canada.
This is exactly what the meeting in November of 1966 between Bill Bonanno and Montreal mafia leaders dealt with and centered on, the important connections connection that had been established between the Bonanno crime family and Montreal were vital to the international narcotics network that the America and Sicilian mafia controlled, underworld respect, power, influence and millions upon millions of dollars were at stake! Later in that November day in Montreal, Bill Bonanno, his New York associates and Montreal crime family Underboss, Luigi Greco were arrested by Montreal police constables after the two cars the mobsters were in were searched, three 32.-caliber pistols were found in one car, and a starter pistol in the other (don't ask) as the "Bananas War" gave the New York mafiosi incentive to be armed even in Canada. The 7 hoodlums were taking to a Montreal police station where at first only Montreal mafiosi Luigi Greco stood out to police who knew him well and as the remaining mobsters stood smoking cigars and talking they were identified as New York mafia members, but after posting bail they were released because they agreed to immediate deportation from Canada. As fate would have it, just two days prior to the mafia meeting in Montreal, Nick Rizzuto's son, Vito married Giovanna Cammalleri his first cousin once removed in an eleborate ceremony in Toronto, Ontario that was attended by high level Sicilian mafiosi from Canada, America and Sicily. The marriage cemented another blood alliance for the Rizzuro crime family and the Sicilian mafia in Canad as the Cammalleri Clan of Cattolica Eraclea had also emigrated to Canada in the 1950's and settled in Toronto, Ontario and formed a part of what became known as the "Toronto Sicilian Group" which included Sicilian mafia groups from Cattolica Eraclea (Cammalleri & Arcuri Crews), Siculiana (Cuntrera-Caruana & Indelicato Crews), Trapani (Genua Crew) and Salemi (Zizzo Crew).
The Montreal crime family continued to operate and prosper throughout the 1960's, their neutral position involving the New York mafia conflict known as the "Bananas War" allowed Montreal mafia leaders, Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco to sit on the sidelines while factions within their New York sponsor, the Bonanno crime family fought for control of various New York, New Jersey and Montreal criminal interests, while the Commission supported the new Bonanno leadership. The war came to and end by the late 1960's after roughly 4 years of fighting for control over the Bonanno crime family, one of 5 powerful New York mafia crime families which made up the majority of the Cosa Nostra Commission. After a heart attack and the realization that multiple mafia groups and the odds were against him, Bonanno crime family patriarch Joseph Bonanno was banished by the Commission to his regime and remaining interests in Tuscon, Arizona, while the Montreal crime family remained under the new Bonanno crime family regime led officially by New York mafiosi, Paul Sciacca starting in 1968. By 1967 cracks in the Montreal mafia's Calabrian-Sicilian alliance were visible, even the ''New York Times'' reported "disharmony" in the Montreal mafia between mafia Bosses Cotroni & Greco. Canadian police were quoted as saying, "Greco is only a door opener for Cotroni", a bit exaggerated as it was fact that Vic Cotroni's power and influence had eclipsed Luigi Greco's by the mid 1960's, but Greco was still the number two mafiosi in Montreal and a formidable rival for anyone.
The jailing of Galante in 1962 removed an influential American mafia benefactor for the Montreal mafia and soon after the Montreal mafia looses one benefactor they begin to experience the loss of another, their most powerful and influential! Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, the patriarch of New York's Bonanno crime family, the Montreal crime family's strongest supporter and ally was directly involved in a New York mafia power struggle by 1964 which would tear apart the Bonanno crime family and could grave consequences for the Montreal mafia! New York had been the American mafia's powerbase since the late 1800's and with the formation of the Commission in 1931 the New York mafia cemented it's power and influence over the other Cosa Nostra families in America, but by the early 1950's the Conservative faction of mafia leaders that had held the majority influence within the Commission was being rivaled by the Liberal faction of mafia leaders. Joe Bonanno had been the Commission chairman and leader of the Conservative faction since 1951 and with the retirements and deaths of various Conservative mafia leaders on the Commission throughout the 1950's and early 1960's, Bonanno was losing power and influence in New York. By 1963, Joe Bonanno was facing attack from both law enforcement and mafia adversaries. Government subpoenas, along with mafia rivalries and conflicts nfluenced Bonanno's decision to leave New York, "The Volcano" as Bonanno called it and travel to avoid further legal and underworld affairs, but not before he instituted a plan to maintain his position of power, the leadership of his crime family and possibly obtain influence over the entire New York mafia! New York mafia Bosses and allies, Joe Bonanno and Joe Magliocco made an obvious attempt to secure the future leadership of the Commission by planning to assassinate two leading Commission members, but the plot failed and by 1964 Joe Bonanno was being opposed by the Commission who supported a rival faction within Bonanno's own crime family.
Since the early 1950's the Bonanno crime family has held direct influence over the Montreal crime family, the Montreal mafia was recognized as an official "Decina" or "Branch Plant" of the Bonanno crime family under the flag or protection their sponsors as a North American Cosa Nostra crime family, but the mess involving Joe Bonanno in New York brought the Montreal crime family, various supporters and allies of the group directly into the conflict surrounding the American mafia. The affiliations, alliances and joint narcotics operations that had been maintained between the American and Canadian mafia were now a major point of contention between various mafia groups in New York State, Quebec and Southern Ontario, the Montreal crime family was right in the middle of a Italian mafia conflict that involved only certain mafia groups, the main or central groups involved being New York's American mafia Commission, the Bonanno, Buffalo and Montreal crime families, along with various mafia groups, crime families and Clans from North America and Italy, the outcome of this conflict, the matters and top mafiosi surrounding it would determine the future of the Montreal crime family and it's leadership.
As the Bonanno crime family and it's leader, Joe Bonanno held a level of influence over the Montreal mafia, so too did the Buffalo crime family and it's leader Stefano Magaddino in regards top the Southern Ontario mafia. The Bonanno and Magaddino families are originally from the same area of Sicily, Castellammare del Golfo and due to the connections, resources and influence mafia Bosses Joe Bonanno and Steve Magadino held in regards to the international heroin trade which included strong mafia connections to Sicily that would allow both of these top mafia Bosses and their crime families to be deeply involved in the American and Sicilian mafia's narcotics network as both mafia leaders held influence over Canadian mafia groups and were now jockeying for control over the Canadian branch plants and the various criminal interests held by the Montreal and Southern Ontario mafia including narcotics. As official American branch plants the Montreal crime family fell under the influence of the Bonanno crime family as the Hamilton mafia and a Toronto crime group (The Papalia, Luppino, Scibetta, Bordonaro and Volpe crews) fell under the Buffalo (Magaddino) crime family, while both areas under mafia control in Canada were situated to assist the America-Sicilian mafia heroin network by overseeing the drugs importation, wholesale and distribution into the United Sates as Montreal lay 380 miles from the New York border and Southern Ontario (Hamilton & Toronto) lay 100 miles from the Buffalo border, Niagara Falls, Ontario and United States lay directly across from each other, separated by roughly one mile of water!
Longtime Bonanno crime family Boss, Joseph Bonanno had been traveling frequently since mid 1963, while leaving an "Acting Leadership" in place to oversee his mafia affairs in New York. Bonanno's son, Salvatore or "Bill" as he was called had been elevated to official Consigliere of the Bonanno crime family and acted as one of the temporary leaders of the crime group in his fathers absence, along with Underboss, Johnny "Burns" Morales. This led to rivalries and open hostilities as the younger Bonanno's promotion was seen as a direct ploy to secure future control of the crime family for the Bonannos, while ignoring and other leading members of the Bonanno crime family! By mid 1964 Joe Bonanno faced and insurrection within his own crime family, avoiding his base of operations in New York with stops across America and even in Montreal, Canada where he met with mafia leaders in June, later arrested and briefly jailed until he was deported from Canada. By 1965 Bonanno was engaged in a war to regain control of his crime family from a renegade faction supported by Bonanno's cousin, Buffalo, mafia Boss, Steve Magaddino carried the support of the Commission in his quest to depose Joe Bonanno as the Boss of his crime family and as benefactor of the Montreal crime family. In late 1965 Bonanno was deposed by the Commission as leader of his crime family and was now only in control of a loyal faction of followers, while the loyalty, support and joint interests of the Montreal crime family were at stake, including gambling, business investments and most importantly, the heroin network which Joe Bonanno had played a vital role in creating during the late 1950's! Buffalo mafia Boss, Steve Magaddino had been a loyal Bonanno relative, supporter, ally since the 1920's, but as Joe Bonanno's power and influence grew and his interests expanded into Canada, a longtime Buffalo crime family stronghold, Magaddino's jealousy, animosities and paranoia grew as he felt that Bonanno was making a play for his Southern Ontario interests just as Bonanno had allegedly done to other mafia Bosses in parts of New Jersey, California and Arizona, the botched assassination plot that Bonanno had supported in 1963 was all the proof Magaddino and his supporters on the Commission needed to oppose Joe Bonanno.
As Montreal's top mafoisi Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco had fallen under the influence of New York mafia Boss, Joe Bonanno since the early 1950's, rising Montreal mafiosi, Paolo Violi had first fallen under the influence of Buffalo mafia Boss, Steve Magaddino. Paolo Violi had originally lived in Hamilton, Ontario and came up under the guidance and influence of Calabrian mafia Boss, Giacomo "Jack" Luppino who had emigrated to Hamilton himself roughly the same time as Violi in the early 1950's. Violi moved to Montreal in 1962 and two years later he married the daughter of Jack Luppino as he began his rise in the Montreal mafia. On November 28, 1966, various central players in this American-Canadian mafia conflict met in Montreal with representatives of the Bonanno loyalist faction led by Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno, son of powerful mafia Boss, Joe Bonanno. Bill Bonanno had been the former Bonanno crime family Consigliere, but he was deposed by the Commission along with his father in 1965, and in January of 1966 an attempt was made on his life by the renegade Bonanno faction during a botched hit disguised as a meeting . The attempt on the younger Bonanno's life was the opening volley of a the shooting war in the Bonanno crime family and the seriousness of the American mafia conflict brought Bill Bonanno and various members of the Bonanno loyalist faction including Vito DeFilippo, Peter Magaddino, Carl Simari and Peter Notaro to Montreal in order to meet with mafia leaders, Vic Cotroni, Luigi Greco, Paolo Violi and Giacomo Luppino of Hamilton too discuss the events pertaining to the growing New York mafia conflict that threatened to envelope the Montreal mafia! The meeting was held at the Reggio Bar headquarters of Paol Violi in Jean Talon North Montreal, the main topic of discussion was no doubt the on going "Bananas War" in New York as the conflict had carried over into Canada between various Canadian mafia groups in Montreal and Southern Ontario who's Cosa Nostra affiliations and heroin operations were supported by the American mafia in New York and Buffalo.
The outcome of "Bananas War" would hold consequences for the Canadian mafia such as whether or not the Montreal crime family would stay under the Bonanno crime family flag or be sponsored by another American crime family! Bill Bonanno was in Montreal that November day to make sure that the Montreal crime family under Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco stayed neutral and impartial to the conflict, not siding with either the dissident Bonanno faction or the Buffalo crime family, the future of the Montreal crime family, who they would be affiliated with would be decided by the outcome of war and the Commission. The "Bananas War" was not only in response to the dissident Bonanno crime family faction, but because of sanctions and support for the dissident Bonanno crime family faction from the Commission, a June 10, 1965 conversation between New Jersey mafia Boss, Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante and Bonanno faction loyalist, Joseph Bayonne Joe" Zicarelli picked up by an F.B.I. bug demonstrates juts how serious the Commission opposition to Joe Bonanno was and how far they were willing to go in terms of sanctions against the former Commission member.
DeCavalcante, the Commission "Messengero" explained to Bonanno crime family member, Zicarelli that he was told by Commission chairman and rising New York mafia powerhouse, Carlo Gambino that the Commission had deposed Joe Bonanno as Boss of his crime family in early 1965, replacing him with the dissident faction leader, Gaspar DiGregorio (Steve Magaddino's brother in law) and now they were considering redistributing the remaining territories under Joe Bonanno's influence, including Montreal which would go to Buffalo crime family. This would have placed the important narcotics shipment point of Montreal under the control of Buffalo mafia Boss, Stefano Magaddino who already had a level of influence over the Southern Ontario mafia, if Montreal and southern Ontario been joined into one territory and placed under the flag of the Buffalo crime family, the Canadian mafia's branch of the joint America-Sicilian narcotics network would have made Buffalo Boss Stefano Magaddino one of the most powerful mafiosi in North America as he would have influence basically over all of Canada.
This is exactly what the meeting in November of 1966 between Bill Bonanno and Montreal mafia leaders dealt with and centered on, the important connections connection that had been established between the Bonanno crime family and Montreal were vital to the international narcotics network that the America and Sicilian mafia controlled, underworld respect, power, influence and millions upon millions of dollars were at stake! Later in that November day in Montreal, Bill Bonanno, his New York associates and Montreal crime family Underboss, Luigi Greco were arrested by Montreal police constables after the two cars the mobsters were in were searched, three 32.-caliber pistols were found in one car, and a starter pistol in the other (don't ask) as the "Bananas War" gave the New York mafiosi incentive to be armed even in Canada. The 7 hoodlums were taking to a Montreal police station where at first only Montreal mafiosi Luigi Greco stood out to police who knew him well and as the remaining mobsters stood smoking cigars and talking they were identified as New York mafia members, but after posting bail they were released because they agreed to immediate deportation from Canada. As fate would have it, just two days prior to the mafia meeting in Montreal, Nick Rizzuto's son, Vito married Giovanna Cammalleri his first cousin once removed in an eleborate ceremony in Toronto, Ontario that was attended by high level Sicilian mafiosi from Canada, America and Sicily. The marriage cemented another blood alliance for the Rizzuro crime family and the Sicilian mafia in Canad as the Cammalleri Clan of Cattolica Eraclea had also emigrated to Canada in the 1950's and settled in Toronto, Ontario and formed a part of what became known as the "Toronto Sicilian Group" which included Sicilian mafia groups from Cattolica Eraclea (Cammalleri & Arcuri Crews), Siculiana (Cuntrera-Caruana & Indelicato Crews), Trapani (Genua Crew) and Salemi (Zizzo Crew).
The Montreal crime family continued to operate and prosper throughout the 1960's, their neutral position involving the New York mafia conflict known as the "Bananas War" allowed Montreal mafia leaders, Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco to sit on the sidelines while factions within their New York sponsor, the Bonanno crime family fought for control of various New York, New Jersey and Montreal criminal interests, while the Commission supported the new Bonanno leadership. The war came to and end by the late 1960's after roughly 4 years of fighting for control over the Bonanno crime family, one of 5 powerful New York mafia crime families which made up the majority of the Cosa Nostra Commission. After a heart attack and the realization that multiple mafia groups and the odds were against him, Bonanno crime family patriarch Joseph Bonanno was banished by the Commission to his regime and remaining interests in Tuscon, Arizona, while the Montreal crime family remained under the new Bonanno crime family regime led officially by New York mafiosi, Paul Sciacca starting in 1968. By 1967 cracks in the Montreal mafia's Calabrian-Sicilian alliance were visible, even the ''New York Times'' reported "disharmony" in the Montreal mafia between mafia Bosses Cotroni & Greco. Canadian police were quoted as saying, "Greco is only a door opener for Cotroni", a bit exaggerated as it was fact that Vic Cotroni's power and influence had eclipsed Luigi Greco's by the mid 1960's, but Greco was still the number two mafiosi in Montreal and a formidable rival for anyone.
MONTREAL CRIME FAMILY
Part 8:THE MONTREAL CRIME FAMILY IN CONFLICT
Author: Little Joe Shots
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