- (grave music)
- (static crackles)
REPORTER 1:
Organised crime in Philadelphia
REPORTER 1:
Organised crime in Philadelphia
REPORTER 2:
The head of the local Mafia
was Angelo Bruno.
- You can hear everything
if you want,
because I've got nothing to hide.
JOURNALIST: How's your health?
- Not so good.
REPORTER:
Bruno died from a shotgun blast
REPORTER:
Bruno died from a shotgun blast
outside the door of his
Southern Philadelphia home.
ROSS: KEMP:
On the 21st of March, 1980,
a major Philadelphia Mafia boss
was assassinated.
a major Philadelphia Mafia boss
was assassinated.
- (shotgun blast)
REPORTER: Several members
of the family came to the scene,
in front of Bruno's
row house on Snyder Street.
- One sh**ter.
He ran across the street,
- One sh**ter.
He ran across the street,
and he shot him
with a sawn-off shotgun.
Shot him in the side,
put a hole in his head.
Shot him in the side,
put a hole in his head.
REPORTER: Police are still
looking for clues to the sh**ting.
- (siren wails)
- (siren wails)
KEMP: The motive
for this brutal m*rder was unclear.
REPORTER: The authorities
believe he made big money
from ill*gal gambling,
with stakes in casinos in London.
- Who did he do business with?
- Ronnie and Reggie.
- The Krays?
- The Krays, yeah.
- The Krays?
- The Krays, yeah.
KEMP: Would Angelo Bruno's death
change the American Mob's
relationship with gangland Britain?
MARTORANO:
When it's good, it's good.
But when it goes bad,
you've got to ride with the bad.
KEMP: I'm on a journey to uncover
KEMP: I'm on a journey to uncover
how far The Mafia's influence
has spread throughout the UK.
- (music crescendos)
- (theme music)
- (g*nshots)
- (siren wails)
- (siren wails)
KEMP: The Mafia is one of the oldest
organised crime groups in the world.
Dating back to the 19th Century
Dating back to the 19th Century
in rural Italy,
for two centuries, its influence
has spread across the globe.
But what exactly
is its relationship with Britain?
But what exactly
is its relationship with Britain?
- (static crackles)
REPORTER: The body was hanging
from scaffolding
underneath the bridge.
KEMP:
A 1980s m*rder in Central London
KEMP:
A 1980s m*rder in Central London
revealed the Italian Mafia
were operating in the UK.
- The Mafia were clearly saying:
- The Mafia were clearly saying:
"Wherever you go, we'll find you."
KEMP: And my journey
uncovered Mafia activity
in unlikely places. Aberdeen
in unlikely places. Aberdeen
He was the head
of a Camorra crime family?
- One of the biggest crime clans
in the South of Italy.
KEMP: ..and Preston.
Good-looking lad, ain't he?
- Very smart.
- Not a guy that you'd normally
find in this location.
- Not a guy that you'd normally
find in this location.
And discovered dark truths.
Can you remember
how many lives you've taken?
-(speaks Italian)
-(speaks Italian)
KEMP: I traced the US Mafia's
roots in Britian
back to the 1960s
roots in Britian
back to the 1960s
- A lot of Mafia people came over.
They wanted to have a casino.
KEMP: ..with a link between
The Mob and London casinos.
KEMP: ..with a link between
The Mob and London casinos.
These are big members
of The Five Families.
- These were the real architects
of organised crime in The States.
- These were the real architects
of organised crime in The States.
KEMP: How did The Mob's
operation in London work,
and where did it lead?
- There's only one place
you need to go, and that's the US.
- There's only one place
you need to go, and that's the US.
KEMP: I've crossed The Atlantic
to find out.
- (tense, suspenseful music)
KEMP: New York is synonymous
with The Mafia.
KEMP: New York is synonymous
with The Mafia.
Power base of The Five Families
of the American Mob:
Infamous migrant
Sicilian crime syndicates,
who built empires here.
Racketeering,
Racketeering,
politics,
construction, the unions.
Over the course of the 20th Century,
almost no part of American life
was left untouched.
- (grave music)
- (grave music)
KEMP: Ozone Park,
Queens, in New York,
KEMP: Ozone Park,
Queens, in New York,
was part of The Gambino Family turf.
Sal, how are you?
- Yeah, you came a long way
to hear some tales. (laughs)
KEMP: In the 1970s, Sal Polisi
worked for both the Colombo
and Gambino crime families.
- They just knew
I would erupt at any time.
- They just knew
I would erupt at any time.
I mean, right here,
in that building,
I erupted one night.
There was a big guy,
six-three, 240,
k*lled a bunch of people,
and he was a*usive.
k*lled a bunch of people,
and he was a*usive.
And I took him apart in there.
Wound up on that kerb, right there.
Busted his head, pulled his ear off.
Busted his head, pulled his ear off.
I had teeth in my hand.
- Knuckles.
Sal, tell me about this area.
- Well, this neighbourhood,
the things we did here,
it was very tight.
the things we did here,
it was very tight.
This was our bolthole, here.
KEMP: By the mid-1970s,
The Gambino Family was run
The Gambino Family was run
by the infamous Mafia don
Paul Castellano.
The Mob was powerful
and operated with impunity.
and operated with impunity.
- I did a two-million-dollar
robbery.
Two million in 1973,
when gold, was 60 bucks an ounce.
Hello! (laughs)
when gold, was 60 bucks an ounce.
Hello! (laughs)
KEMP:
Going out and committing robberies,
that was just the done thing, right?
- Yeah.
I mean, look,
this was in in the 1970s.
There was no DNA, no cameras,
no informants. How easy was it?
no informants. How easy was it?
We thought we had
a licence to steal.
So, this was once called
Robert's Lounge.
So, this was once called
Robert's Lounge.
And of course, people would go by,
and they'd think it's a regular bar.
Little did they know,
they had one of the baddest of bads.
All the action was in the basement.
- (eerie music)
KEMP: Sal worked out of an old bar
and gambling joint in Queens.
and gambling joint in Queens.
You were a member
of The Mob for how many years?
- Pfft.15 years active.
- Pfft.15 years active.
And then, when I was a little kid,
I was learning about it,
probably 15 other years.
My uncle drove a horse and wagon
My uncle drove a horse and wagon
in 1930 or 1929.
Around the Prohibition time,
when alcohol was ill*gal,
when alcohol was ill*gal,
he would drive it out
to the eastern part of Long Island
and there would
be a ship out there,
ships from London, the UK
ships from London, the UK
and that ship would send in
cases and cases of whisky.
He brought it back to Brooklyn,
and he distributed it.
- So, even then,
there was a connection between
the Italian Mob and the UK?
- Right.
the Italian Mob and the UK?
- Right.
KEMP: So, it was Britain
that supplied some of
the contraband alcohol that helped
to build the American Mob.
the contraband alcohol that helped
to build the American Mob.
Could Sal also shed light
on the British link
that brought me out here:
that brought me out here:
London casinos run
by US mob bosses in the 1960s?
- I was in the Lewisburg Federal
Penitentiary in 1975,
and I got know two made members
and I got know two made members
of the Philadelphia Mob,
which was run then
by Angelo Bruno,
and occasionally, they would
talk about a casino operation
and occasionally, they would
talk about a casino operation
based in the UK
known as The Colony.
And it was Bruno
that had a piece of this operation.
And it was Bruno
that had a piece of this operation.
- Where was Angelo Bruno based?
- Philly, Philadelphia.
KEMP: Sal may have now
turned his back on The Mafia,
KEMP: Sal may have now
turned his back on The Mafia,
but his eight-year sentence
has given me the next lead:
Philadelphia.
Just under 100 miles
from New York,
it's one of the most
dangerous cities in America.
it's one of the most
dangerous cities in America.
By the 1950s,
the city's Mafia faction,
The Philly Family,
had joined forces
with The Five Families of New York.
had joined forces
with The Five Families of New York.
Pleasure to meet you, sir.
George Martorano
was a Philly Mob member.
- My street, where I was raised,
was called 'g*nman's Row'.
- My street, where I was raised,
was called 'g*nman's Row'.
These gunmen would be hanging there,
and a lot of businessmen
would come and hire them
and a lot of businessmen
would come and hire them
to go collect money,
go k*ll somebody.
My godfather had the biggest
territory of any mob boss.
My godfather had the biggest
territory of any mob boss.
His territory went from Newark,
New Jersey,
New Jersey,
all through Philadelphia,
all the way to Baltimore.
KEMP:
George's godfather, Angelo Bruno,
ran the Philly Family
in the '60s and '70s.
ran the Philly Family
in the '60s and '70s.
A shrewd businessman,
Bruno was reluctant to use violence,
and was known as 'The Gentle Don'.
and was known as 'The Gentle Don'.
- Gambling was a big part
of my godfather's operation.
He controlled the gambling
in three states.
Gambling was big, so he loved it.
- When did Angelo Bruno
become interested
in the casinos in London?
in the casinos in London?
- Well, you know, Ange heard about
this big operation in London,
and he went for it, made a deal.
And we started business over there,
money going
And we started business over there,
money going
back and forth from The Atlantic.
KEMP: During my investigation
back in Britain,
I discovered that Bruno
was part of the US Mob's move
I discovered that Bruno
was part of the US Mob's move
into London casinos
when gambling
was legalised in the 1960s
when gambling
was legalised in the 1960s
but no-one has ever documented
how the US side
of the business worked.
- We would bring junkets over there.
- We would bring junkets over there.
We would arrange a plane
to go there, with gamblers.
- (roulette pill rolling)
REPORTER:
Guests included 120 Americans,
REPORTER:
Guests included 120 Americans,
over from The States on a six-day
jauntorganised by the club.
CROUPIER: No more bets.
- These guys are going to gamble,
they're going to gamble.
So, you'd say: "Hey, bud.
You want to go to London,
gamble over there?"
"Oh, yeah, OK."
"Oh, yeah, OK."
And they would run
and get their money.
KEMP: For each trip to London, the
high rollers from the United States
would need to commit
a $200,000 stake.
would need to commit
a $200,000 stake.
- Twice a month,
we had planes
- Twice a month,
we had planes
full of guys from Philly,
South Jersey, New York.
30-40 big gamblers
going to our casinos.
KEMP: Because Bruno and his
associates operated the casinos,
they were getting a cut of their
American gamblers' losses on top
they were getting a cut of their
American gamblers' losses on top
of junket fees,
but The Mob's undeclared profits
were on the wrong side
of The Atlantic.
- Well, we had to get our money.
(laughs)
The first time we went
to receive our money,
my father took my mother,
my father took my mother,
and they designed
a special fur coat for her.
It had a zipper inside,
and it had all little pouches.
and it had all little pouches.
So, each pouch
would probably hold
10 grand, 20 grand.
- Cash?
- The coat probably weighed
more than her.
- The coat probably weighed
more than her.
It could have been two-three hundred
thousand that we moved, maybe more.
- 200,000?
- Maybe more, maybe more.
- 200,000?
- Maybe more, maybe more.
KEMP: $200,000 in 1965
is worth nearly
two million dollars today.
A lot of money to be illicitly
leaving London's casinos,
A lot of money to be illicitly
leaving London's casinos,
without local gangland help.
Who did he do business with?
- Ronnie and Reggie.
Who did he do business with?
- Ronnie and Reggie.
- The Krays?
- The Krays, yeah.
- (heartbeat pounding)
KEMP:
Most people would find it surprising
that there was such a connection
that there was such a connection
between the Philadelphia Mob
and The Krays.
- We didn't know how crazy
The Krays were, 'til time passed.
When we were involved with them,
they were gentlemen.
KEMP: In the 1960s,
gangster twins
Ronnie and Reggie Kray
gangster twins
Ronnie and Reggie Kray
were running protection rackets
at London casinos.
- They were operating for a while,
and my godfather
invited Ron over here.
and my godfather
invited Ron over here.
- So, Angelo Bruno
invited Ronnie Kray
to come to Philadelphia?
- Right, over here.
And as a businessman,
Ronnie brought cash.
And as a businessman,
Ronnie brought cash.
A lot of cash.
City detectives
followed him from the airport
and they ran right in on them.
- So, Ronnie Kray, the biggest
gangster in London at the time,
and Angelo Bruno
- Right.
- ..the biggest gangster in Philly.
- They get arrested.
KEMP: Ronnie Kray
soon brings the Philly Mob
unwanted attention
from the authorities.
- There was going to be
a tonne of heat coming down.
- There was going to be
a tonne of heat coming down.
They were going to bring in the FBI,
they were going to bring INTERPOL.
KEMP: And I discover
a secret British drug pipeline
into the United States.
Whereabouts in London?
into the United States.
Whereabouts in London?
- Woking, in Surrey.
- Woking?
- Woking, yes.
- Are you kidding me?
- (tense, dramatic music)
KEMP: I'm in the United States,
KEMP: I'm in the United States,
investigating The Mafia's
links with Britain.
I've discovered
that ill*gal alcohol from the UK
helped fuel the US mob's
rise to power
helped fuel the US mob's
rise to power
in the 1920s.
And in the 1960s,
notorious British gangster,
Ronnie Kray,
notorious British gangster,
Ronnie Kray,
brought problems
for the Philadelphia Mob.
- (heartbeat pounding)
- Ronnie Kray, the biggest
gangster in London at the time,
and Angelo Bruno
- Right.
- ..the biggest gangster in Philly.
- They get arrested,
and they get taken
to 22nd & Jackson,
and they get taken
to 22nd & Jackson,
where the detectives division was.
KEMP: A godfather
and a London gangster in jail
KEMP: A godfather
and a London gangster in jail
would have been
a high-profile disaster.
So, Philly mobsters
pressured court officials
to delay the hearing.
to delay the hearing.
- They're hit, we were already
- Out the door?
- Out the door. And Ange says:
"Put Ronnie in the car.
I want him on a plane, today."
- So, you managed to get
Ronnie out of the US, yeah?
- Yeah, put him on a plane.
KEMP: Ronnie Kray and Angelo Bruno's
run-in with the law in America
has never been documented before.
Bruno's connections
to London casinos
brought 'The Gentle Don'
extra unwanted attention.
brought 'The Gentle Don'
extra unwanted attention.
- Well, after they got arrested,
we knew there was going to be
a tonne of heat coming down.
A tonne of heat.
They were going to bring in the FBI,
they were going to
bring in INTERPOL.
they were going to
bring in INTERPOL.
That's when Ange felt
that was the beginning of the end.
Even though they were making
a lot of money in London,
Even though they were making
a lot of money in London,
you can't compare it
with Atlantic City.
KEMP: In 1976,
KEMP: In 1976,
a new gambling licence was issued
on America's East Coast waterfront:
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
MAN: Atlantic City,
because of the casino industry,
generates huge amounts of cash.
Organised crime will be there;
they're attracted to it
Organised crime will be there;
they're attracted to it
like a magnet.
- With the casino in London,
you're probably making
three-four million a year,
compared to three-four
hundred million a year
in Atlantic City.
So, Ange just went there.
in Atlantic City.
So, Ange just went there.
KEMP:
Bruno severed ties with London,
in favour of the more
lucrative returns
in favour of the more
lucrative returns
he could make from casinos
in Atlantic City.
- He had complete control.
He had all these other mob families
wanting to get a piece of the pie.
He had all these other mob families
wanting to get a piece of the pie.
They felt that he was stopping them
from what they wanted to do there.
So, that's how he wound up
getting ambushed.
So, that's how he wound up
getting ambushed.
- He got ambushed where?
- Right across the street,
right in front of the house.
- His own house?
- His own house.
- His own house?
- His own house.
- (grave music)
KEMP: On the 21st of March, 1980,
KEMP: On the 21st of March, 1980,
Angelo Bruno was shot dead.
- While his wife's
looking out the window.
- While his wife's
looking out the window.
My godmother, she's screaming.
- What happens
to the Philadelphia Mob?
- What happens
to the Philadelphia Mob?
- Very simple.
You've got to watch your back.
KEMP: Angelo Bruno's death
signalled the end of a generation
KEMP: Angelo Bruno's death
signalled the end of a generation
of old-school American mobsters.
Their focus on gambling
and racketeering went with them.
The next generation of mafia
was selling a new vice.
was selling a new vice.
- We had drugs. (laughs)
Pockets full of marijuana.
We had cash, we had coin.
KEMP: The proliferation of drugs?
- Yeah, I'm making
more money with the weed.
I've got all this money,
but I've never dealt with powder.
There's people in New York,
Italian guys up in Harlem,
that dealt with heroin, cocaine.
I mean, millions and millions.
I mean, millions and millions.
- They were making millions?
- Oh, sure, that was the norm.
Called 'playing the game.'
KEMP: By the late 1970s,
hard drugs were being pushed
by tougher,
even more ruthless mafia dons.
even more ruthless mafia dons.
So, was Britain drawn into
The Mafia's drug operation?
So, was Britain drawn into
The Mafia's drug operation?
- (knocking)
- What a view.
- What a view.
- Beautiful, eh?
- Yeah.
- They made billions of dollars
on both sides of the ocean.
on both sides of the ocean.
KEMP: Professor Antonio Nicaso
has dedicated his life to studying
The Mafia's international networks.
The Mafia's international networks.
NICASO:
The American Mafia created the first
international pipeline for heroin.
international pipeline for heroin.
That was one of the major
criminal enterprises
in the history of organised crime.
in the history of organised crime.
KEMP: Heroin is ill*gal
and highly addictive.
The opium needed for its production
comes from well-established
poppy plantations in Afghanistan.
comes from well-established
poppy plantations in Afghanistan.
This was the perfect opportunity
for The Mafia
to exploit its global network.
to exploit its global network.
- They realised that the jackpot
was the American market.
The American Mafia
and the Sicilian Mafia
The American Mafia
and the Sicilian Mafia
put together the resources
to purchase raw opium,
refine it in the labs in Sicily
refine it in the labs in Sicily
and ship tonnes of heroin.
The Cuntrera-Caruana
The Cuntrera-Caruana
were two Sicilian Mafia families.
They decide to use London
as the perfect place
as the perfect place
to ship heroin to North America.
- So, there were boats leaving Italy
but going into ports in the UK,
but going into ports in the UK,
and going across to The States?
- Yes.
KEMP: In order to establish their
drugs transportation hub in London,
KEMP: In order to establish their
drugs transportation hub in London,
The Mafia had put people in place
as early as the mid-1970s.
So, 1970s,
The Caruana Family
have a representative in London.
Whereabouts in London, do you know?
- Woking, in Surrey.
- Woking?
- Woking, yes.
- Woking, Surrey?
- Yeah. Surrey, yes.
- Are you kidding me?
- No.
KEMP: Woking is a commuter town
on the outskirts of London;
an unlikely place
for The Cuntrera-Caruana
Mafia Family to base its operation.
for The Cuntrera-Caruana
Mafia Family to base its operation.
What exactly were they doing?
- Arranging shipment of heroin
- Arranging shipment of heroin
to the United States.
Another Sicilian mobster,
Another Sicilian mobster,
Francesco Di Carlo,
joined The Cuntrera-Caruana
in London.
- Franco Di Carlo?
Francesco Di Carlo
was a name that had been
previously mentioned to me
when I was in London.
- There's a guy called
Francesco Di Carlo in London.
- There's a guy called
Francesco Di Carlo in London.
'Frankie The Strangler,'
they called him.
KEMP: A mafia hitman
originally suspected
KEMP: A mafia hitman
originally suspected
of the brutal
and very public m*rder
of Vatican banker,
Roberto Calvi,
under Blackfriars Bridge.
under Blackfriars Bridge.
So, Di Carlo is suspected
of being the m*rder*r?
- Yeah.
KEMP: But now, Professor Nicaso
tells me that, in addition,
KEMP: But now, Professor Nicaso
tells me that, in addition,
Di Carlo was part of
a heroin-trafficking network
in the UK.
- He was the mastermind.
- He was the mastermind.
They were shipping furniture
to England, but that was a cover.
They made billions of dollars
bringing hashish and heroin
to the UK,
and then sending it
to North America.
and then sending it
to North America.
Laundered the proceeds of crime
through the City of London.
They perceived themselves
as bankers.
They perceived themselves
as bankers.
At one point, they were called
'The Rothschilds of The Mafia.'
- 'The Rothschilds of The Mafia?'
- 'The Rothschilds of The Mafia,'
because they had to invest
the proceeds of crime.
because they had to invest
the proceeds of crime.
So, the first destination
was London.
MAN: I remember a merchant banker
in the City of London telling me
that he loved to handle mafia money,
because it came
in extremely large amounts.
because it came
in extremely large amounts.
KEMP: From the 1970s,
Britain was a vital part
of The Mafia drug-trafficking
and money-laundering operation
of The Mafia drug-trafficking
and money-laundering operation
pushing heroin and ill*gal money
into the United States.
By the end of that decade,
By the end of that decade,
heroin smuggled in from the UK
was being sold by the New York Mob
in pizza boxes.
in pizza boxes.
Heroin is the drug of choice.
How long does that last for?
- That lasts until the '80s,
when the Medellin Cartel
when the Medellin Cartel
- Pablo Escobar?
- ..are responsible
- Pablo Escobar was responsible
for a mass production of cocaine.
Cocaine was more social, acceptable,
than heroin.
than heroin.
- It's attractive to a larger
universe of people.
You don't have to
sh**t it into your arms.
- So, with the cocaine,
you could have a larger market.
- So, with the cocaine,
you could have a larger market.
Cocaine changed the face
of organised crime.
Made them a big corporation
with ramifications worldwide.
- So, in the '80s,
there's a major demand for cocaine.
- So, in the '80s,
there's a major demand for cocaine.
Where does it first come into
the United States of America?
- The first destination was Miami.
Miami was the Wall Street
of cocaine.
Miami was the Wall Street
of cocaine.
- (tense, dramatic music)
- (tense, dramatic music)
KEMP: So, I head to Florida
Dominick?
..to meet a convicted
drug-dealer and k*ller.
..to meet a convicted
drug-dealer and k*ller.
- He made a bolt
to run out of the room,
and I shot him
in the back of the head.
KEMP: My investigation
into Britain and The Mafia
has brought me to Miami.
As the centre
of the US cocaine trade,
As the centre
of the US cocaine trade,
it's the best place to investigate
The Mafia's next chapter
and its links to Britain.
In the 1980s,
millions of tonnes of cocaine
was flooding in from South America,
attracting the attention
of the East Coast Mob.
attracting the attention
of the East Coast Mob.
RUGGIANO: You know,
I'm walking down South Beach
and I'm looking now how different
it looks, compared to the early-80s.
and I'm looking now how different
it looks, compared to the early-80s.
The town was built on cocaine money.
KEMP: Anthony Ruggiano Jr.
KEMP: Anthony Ruggiano Jr.
is a former mafia associate,
who was based in the city.
RUGGIANO: The Colombians
had these beautiful apartments,
or a condo.
They would have
armed guards in the hallways,
there would be prostit*tes up there.
there would be prostit*tes up there.
They would cook the cocaine
when the cartels were down here
running the show
and making all that crazy money.
KEMP:
As the nearest North American port
to where cocaine
was produced in Colombia,
to where cocaine
was produced in Colombia,
Miami was the obvious
point of entry.
But the East Coast Mob initially
had little presence in the city.
But the East Coast Mob initially
had little presence in the city.
In the 1980s,
New York's Gambino Family
New York's Gambino Family
sent Anthony's father,
a made member of The Mob,
down to Florida.
RUGGIANO: My father opened up
this restaurant called Danno's,
RUGGIANO: My father opened up
this restaurant called Danno's,
which was in North Bay Village.
You'd would walk in there
any given night
and there'd be Colombians
and Cubans,
and there'd be Colombians
and Cubans,
and they would have
their big phones on the table.
And my father would be running
around with his drink in his hand.
- The connection between
The Mob and The Colombians?
- The connection between
The Mob and The Colombians?
- Oh, without a doubt, yeah.
You had wise-guys coming
down here from New Orleans,
from Chicago,
from Chicago,
from Buffalo, from New York.
- And spreading elsewhere, as well?
- Of course, yeah. They were moving
major loads with them, yeah.
They were coming down, getting
loads, bringing it to New York.
They were coming down, getting
loads, bringing it to New York.
Major, major.
Down here at that time, in 1980-81,
Down here at that time, in 1980-81,
a gram would cost $40.
You'd go to a club
in New York, Studio 54.
In New York, that same gram is $120.
In New York, that same gram is $120.
KEMP: Miami was a goldmine.
The Mob used their network
to move huge quantities of cocaine
The Mob used their network
to move huge quantities of cocaine
into their old
East Coast territories.
REPORTER: Another night
in the drugs w*r, American-style.
Drugs officers from Florida
raid a house in a Miami suburb,
looking for cocaine.
looking for cocaine.
KEMP: By the 1980s,
the cocaine trade in Florida
was worth around
12 billion dollars a year.
Colombians, Cubans,
Colombians, Cubans,
mob guys, all hanging out together,
making lots and lots of money.
- I was using a lot of cocaine,
and I liked it
and I liked it
but it got really crazy
and dark for me.
I was very violent.
- You were violent?
- Yeah, I got violent.
I got violent.
- Yeah, I got violent.
I got violent.
- (solemn instrumental music)
- What were the police
doing at this point?
- Making lots and lots
of money, too. (laughs)
- Really?
- A lot of them were corrupt.
- Really?
- A lot of them were corrupt.
I mean, they were k*lling
There was a crew of cops here
that were k*lling people,
they all got arrested.
The Colombians
were bringing
boatloads of coke in
were bringing
boatloads of coke in
and they were getting
a police escort off the island.
We made a lot of money
through the cocaine business.
KEMP:
With the cocaine trade booming,
KEMP:
With the cocaine trade booming,
fresh East Coast mobsters
came down to Miami
to muscle in on the action.
Is there anyone that you know
Is there anyone that you know
that was directly involved
in that business?
- There was this guy,
Dominick, from The Bronx
who later on became a captain
in The Bonanno Family.
who later on became a captain
in The Bonanno Family.
He was involved in trafficking.
- Dominick?
- Dominick.
- (inquisitive music)
KEMP: Anthony gets me a number,
and I make contact.
Dominick?
- Hey, Ross.
- How are you?
- Pleasure. I'm doing well.
I was associated
with The Genovese Crime Family,
but I didn't answer
to anybody at that time.
I just did my own thing.
I got lured in
by the glamour and glitz
of Florida, Miami,
where drug-dealing
was just an everyday thing.
where drug-dealing
was just an everyday thing.
I wanted it. I wanted the money,
the glitz, the glamour, the glory.
And I found it easier
robbing drug dealers.
And I found it easier
robbing drug dealers.
- So, you were a takedown merchant?
- Yes.
- And the advantage of that
is that if you're stealing
coke and money off a drug dealer,
he isn't going to the authorities.
coke and money off a drug dealer,
he isn't going to the authorities.
- Correct.
Cocaine was extremely lucrative.
I mean, the money that I was
making, at times it was just
I mean, the money that I was
making, at times it was just
- Any idea how much?
- By the time I was
18 years old, 19,
I had made over a million dollars.
KEMP: Even as a teenager,
KEMP: Even as a teenager,
Dominick was a self-made
mafia millionaire;
buying or robbing
cocaine in Florida,
and selling it at an inflated price
and selling it at an inflated price
back in his native New York.
But the vast amounts
of ill*gal money
caused huge problems,
turning Miami into a warzone.
Rival mobsters, drug dealers
Rival mobsters, drug dealers
and cartel members
fought for control.
How much violence
did cocaine cause in this city?
- Oh, it caused a tonne of violence.
uh, myself included.
- Oh, it caused a tonne of violence.
uh, myself included.
You know, it led up to the m*rder.
- How did you get involved
in a m*rder?
- Well, I had my friends
go rob this drug dealer.
- Well, I had my friends
go rob this drug dealer.
The next day, he called me up.
He said: "Dom, I know you had
something to do with it."
Of course, I denied it.
But he tried setting me up
to k*ll me.
But he tried setting me up
to k*ll me.
He offered the guy
$20,000 to k*ll me,
and he happened to be
one of my father's friends.
and he happened to be
one of my father's friends.
- Did he know
he was your father's friend?
- Absolutely not. Later on
that evening, they told me about it.
So, uh, we wound up luring the
drug dealer into their hotel room,
So, uh, we wound up luring the
drug dealer into their hotel room,
and I had a g*n on me.
He opened up the door.
I walked in,
I pushed him back,
and I had the g*n to his head.
He made a bolt
to run out of the room,
He made a bolt
to run out of the room,
to leave the hotel,
and I shot him
in the back of the head
- (dramatic beat)
- ..twice.
And then we got
cleaning materials, um
And then we got
cleaning materials, um
wrapped him up, and we took him
from the third-floor motel room
to the trunk of the car,
to Palm Beach County,
to the trunk of the car,
to Palm Beach County,
where he was discovered
about a month later.
KEMP: During his time in The Mafia,
Dominick was charged
with two murders.
Dominick was charged
with two murders.
- You know,
I talk about the murders,
but everybody
who I was involved in
in k*lling in my life,
they were all part of the life.
in k*lling in my life,
they were all part of the life.
These are guys
who would kidnap kids.
They would k*ll me in a heartbeat
if they had the opportunity.
They would k*ll me in a heartbeat
if they had the opportunity.
They hit me with
a first degree m*rder charge.
I'm facing the death penalty
or life in prison,
I'm facing the death penalty
or life in prison,
and they offer me a plea agreement,
which came out to
I wind up doing 17 months.
which came out to
I wind up doing 17 months.
- So, hang on.
You shot someone in the head,
k*lled them,
and you did how long inside?
- I did 17 months, and I was free.
- I did 17 months, and I was free.
KEMP: 17 months
was an extraordinarily
light sentence for m*rder,
light sentence for m*rder,
but he was about to do far more time
for a lesser crime.
You get out of prison,
you've done 17 months for a m*rder.
- Yes.
- But the DEA are waiting for you.
- I got caught up
in a low-level transaction
and they found me guilty
of conspiracy
and they found me guilty
of conspiracy
to distribute
two-to-three kilograms of cocaine.
- So, you went to prison
for how long?
- That was a ten-year sentence.
I did nine years in prison.
- That was a ten-year sentence.
I did nine years in prison.
- It's quite odd that for a m*rder,
you got 17 months,
and for conspiracy to supply,
you got ten years.
- As funny as it sounds, yes, it is.
- As funny as it sounds, yes, it is.
KEMP: Something had changed.
In the early 1980s,
President Ronald Regan
and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
had come to power,
almost simultaneously,
had come to power,
almost simultaneously,
in the US and the UK.
RONALD REGAN:
Drugs are menacing our society.
They're k*lling our children.
They're k*lling our children.
KEMP: They shared a determination
to stop the ill*gal drug trade.
MARGARET THATCHER:
The pursuit will be relentless.
MARGARET THATCHER:
The pursuit will be relentless.
The effort will get
greater and greater.
KEMP: Margaret Thatcher focused
on the UK's issues with heroin.
The Cuntrera-Caruana Clan,
with its base in Woking,
had their smuggling pipeline
taken down
by international law enforcement
by international law enforcement
while The States
turned their attention
to their cocaine epidemic.
to their cocaine epidemic.
Mike?
Ross. Nice to meet you.
- Ross, nice to meet you.
- At the time, bodies are dropping,
kids are dying.
You know, it was an epidemic.
KEMP: Mike McGowan
joined the FBI in 1987.
KEMP: Mike McGowan
joined the FBI in 1987.
- Everybody in America
wanted cocaine.
OK, college kids
were chewing it up, daily.
OK, college kids
were chewing it up, daily.
Everybody was experimenting with it.
It just flooded the country,
I don't know how else to explain it.
You know, we were putting
our fingers in the d*ke,
You know, we were putting
our fingers in the d*ke,
trying to stop it.
The US government said, basically:
"This is getting out of hand.
You've got to do something.
"This is getting out of hand.
You've got to do something.
FBI, do something."
- (dark, inquisitive music)
KEMP: As the primary dealers
of cocaine inside The United States,
The Mafia were the number one target
for federal law enforcement.
The Mafia were the number one target
for federal law enforcement.
In particular, John Gotti,
head of The Gambino Family,
who was well known
to the British underworld.
who was well known
to the British underworld.
You met John Gotti
and people like that?
- Yes, I was introduced
to John Gotti.
MCGOWAN:
When I came in, it was '87.
That was the heyday
of organised crime.
- The Mob's power?
- Power, and
- The Mob's power?
- Power, and
almost every one of the undercover
operations involved cocaine.
KEMP: So, Mike went undercover
inside The Mob.
- This is the first time I've sat
in a bar with my back to the door.
KEMP:
And The United States' w*r on drugs
KEMP:
And The United States' w*r on drugs
pushed the cocaine cartels
into new territories.
- As far as I know,
they went to Europe.
And to your country, the UK.
And to your country, the UK.
- (tense, sinister music)
KEMP: I'm investigating
Britain's links with The Mafia.
The Mob's involvement
in racketeering and casinos
in the US and the UK
brought huge profits,
brought huge profits,
but their trade in ill*gal drugs
brought government crackdowns
on both sides of The Atlantic.
on both sides of The Atlantic.
In 1987,
former FBI agent Mike McGowan
was sent undercover inside The Mob.
MCGOWAN:
When I became an undercover agent
MCGOWAN:
When I became an undercover agent
in the FBI, there was no training.
So, I learned, basically,
on the street, trial and error.
So, I learned, basically,
on the street, trial and error.
KEMP: To get inside the Mob,
Mike had to use
what's known as 'cold infiltration;'
spending time at mafia hangouts
spending time at mafia hangouts
and slowly winning their trust.
It is a bit like
becoming an actor, isn't it?
It's an act;
you have to take on a facade.
- I always argue with actors about
this, because we don't get Take 2.
KEMP: If you do a bad performance,
you might not get any applause.
You do a bad performance,
you could end up
You do a bad performance,
you could end up
- Well, we we joke about it,
but there's no Take 2.
The biggest fear I had
when I worked mafia,
The biggest fear I had
when I worked mafia,
was getting caught up in a beef
between two different factions.
- Yeah, collateral damage.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, collateral damage.
- Yeah.
You know, we're sitting in here.
You don't The door opens.
I can tell you,
this is the first time I've ever sat
in a bar with my back to the door,
because I can't see what's coming.
in a bar with my back to the door,
because I can't see what's coming.
KEMP: Mike connected
with low-ranking mobsters,
KEMP: Mike connected
with low-ranking mobsters,
but his undercover investigations
were back by a powerful law.
- The US Congress
passed the RICO Statute,
The Racketeer-Influenced
and Corrupt Organizations Statute.
The Racketeer-Influenced
and Corrupt Organizations Statute.
KEMP:
Can you tell me how RICO works?
- You can target an organisation,
as opposed to an individual.
So, if you have the top dog,
So, if you have the top dog,
and I'm talking to one of his
soldiers, or one of his capos,
or one of his underlings,
depending on what
the specific crime is,
if you can gather evidence
of that violation
that can be used
that can be used
against the top dog.
That's the difference.
Basically,
it was the ultimate gamechanger
Basically,
it was the ultimate gamechanger
as far as targeting organised crime.
KEMP:
For years, The Mafia's leadership
KEMP:
For years, The Mafia's leadership
had been insulated from prosecution.
If they didn't directly
commit a crime,
they weren't culpable.
they weren't culpable.
But with RICO, evidence gathered
from junior mobsters
could incriminate a boss
purely by association.
could incriminate a boss
purely by association.
- You've got to understand,
when you go into an investigation,
you've got to go find it out,
go find sh*t out.
That's what you have to do.
That's what you have to do.
I've been to weddings,
I've been to christenings,
I've been to burials
with the wise-guys.
You're in the lion's den,
You're in the lion's den,
and it's a rush that very few people
have ever experienced.
Undercover is an ultimate
act of betrayal.
Undercover is an ultimate
act of betrayal.
You gain their trust,
you get them to tell you things
they shouldn't tell anybody,
and then you betray them.
and then you betray them.
And if you can't do that, you
shouldn't be an undercover agent.
And I've never betrayed anybody
who didn't commit a serious crime.
who didn't commit a serious crime.
So
- Did you ever feel guilty
about putting anyone away?
- No, never.
KEMP: By the 1990s,
Mike and the FBI had gathered
enough evidence
to incriminate entire wings
enough evidence
to incriminate entire wings
of the American Mob,
including godfathers
like John Gotti.
- It got us extensive
criminal sentences,
- It got us extensive
criminal sentences,
severe financial penalties,
severe financial penalties,
the seizure of assets.
You take their money.
For a lot of them,
that's the biggest b*tch.
They don't mind going to jail,
but when you take their homes,
They don't mind going to jail,
but when you take their homes,
their cars, their money,
what do they have left?
KEMP: And that led to more people
giving up the bosses? Cooperating?
- Cooperating.
giving up the bosses? Cooperating?
- Cooperating.
Yeah.
KEMP: President Reagan
had given the US courts
the power to pass
lengthy sentences for drug crimes.
the power to pass
lengthy sentences for drug crimes.
You could be sent down for 30 years.
In combination
with the RICO Statute,
it took a wrecking ball to The Mob.
- Nobody wants to rot in prison,
- Nobody wants to rot in prison,
and they don't have any money
if they're on the outside.
It got us cooperators.
There's hundreds of mobsters.
Mob bosses have cooperated.
There's hundreds of mobsters.
Mob bosses have cooperated.
KEMP:
The combination of the RICO Act
and lengthy drugs sentences
would change
the American Mob forever.
would change
the American Mob forever.
My first contact out here,
Crazy Sal Polisi,
was arrested on drug charges
and faced years in jail.
was arrested on drug charges
and faced years in jail.
He cooperated and gave evidence
against his former bosses.
against his former bosses.
Anthony Ruggiano Jr.
testified in six mafia trials.
testified in six mafia trials.
Kray contact, George Martorano,
was sentenced
to 32 years for drug offences;
the longest ever custodial sentence
the longest ever custodial sentence
for a non-violent crime.
And Dominick Cicale,
And Dominick Cicale,
mob drug dealer and hitman,
faced a new m*rder trial.
CICALE: I wasn't going to cooperate.
CICALE: I wasn't going to cooperate.
I was taking my lumps,
but finally I'm like:
"You know what?
I'm tired, I'm tired."
The life makes you believe
it's glamorous.
The life makes you believe
it's glamorous.
Hollywood makes you believe
it's glamorous,
when it's the most treacherous,
contradicting life
contradicting life
you would ever get involved in.
And that's when I decided
to cooperate with the government.
I went like this, Ross: "I'm done.
I'm done with the life."
- (heartfelt music)
- (bird chirps)
- (waves crashing)
- (tense, dramatic music)
- (tense, dramatic music)
KEMP: The impact of RICO
on the American Mob
was also felt outside the US.
was also felt outside the US.
The Colombian drug cartels
had lost their trusted partners
and The Mafia's
distribution network.
- So, we had all kinds of drug
squads focused on Colombia,
where the majority of cocaine
was coming from.
- (expl*si*n)
MCGOWAN: Just as we were told
to knock out The Mob,
now we're being told:
"Knock out the traffickers,
now we're being told:
"Knock out the traffickers,
the cartel leaders."
- Right.
- And force them either into jail
or to go elsewhere to do business.
- And force them either into jail
or to go elsewhere to do business.
- And where else did they go?
- As far as I know,
they went to Europe and
they went to your country, the UK.
KEMP: On The Mafia
and Britain next time
KEMP: On The Mafia
and Britain next time
I join the Colombian Army
on an operation
to destroy a cocaine lab
to destroy a cocaine lab
If the locals find that we're here,
the cartels surround the soldiers
and kidnap them.
..and discover how
a Colombian cartel
connected with the Italian Mafia
- My father made some 'business'
with this Italian Mafia.
with this Italian Mafia.
The Cali Cartel and The Mafia?
..to bring cocaine
into Europe and Britain.
How much money do you think
The Cali Cartel made
How much money do you think
The Cali Cartel made
from transporting cocaine to Europe?
- Billions.
- Billions, yeah.
- Do you have any idea how much
of the cocaine that you exported
ended up in the UK?
ended up in the UK?
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01x02 - US
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Ross Kemp investigates Britain's historical connection with the mafia, understanding the background behind the relationship and revealing the truth.
Ross Kemp investigates Britain's historical connection with the mafia, understanding the background behind the relationship and revealing the truth.