Lesson 1 A Brief History of Organized Crime in Canada PDF

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Wilfrid Laurier University - 2021/2022
CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas and Wiseguys
Chapter 1 / Lecture 1 Notes; quiz preparation...

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CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas, Wiseguys Week 1, Lesson 1

Tasks: ➔ Read Chapter 1 ➔ Lesson 1 Notes ➔ Watch videos ➔ Complete activities, discussion question(s) A Brief History of Organized Crime in Canada First “organized criminals” - Pirates and Privateers off the Atlantic Coast - Criminal gangs of outlaws (formed around Robberies, cattle rustling etc.) - Newly arrived immigrant groups (Irish gangs, Jewish gangs and Italian gangs etc.) that attempted to acquire wealth and follow the so-called “American Dream” Modern organized crime is a direct result of the advent of Prohibition - Prohibition: refers to the prevention by law of the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol - A watershed moment in the evolution of organized crime in North America - Prohibition gave rise to an unprecedented level of organized criminality and corruption, tying American and Canadian Organized Crime (OC) figures and groups - Prohibition ended in 1933; organized crime groups moved into other criminal enterprises such as illegal gambling, labour racketeering and illegal drugs Organized Crime Groups - The most dominant groups are the Italian Mafia (Montreal), Ndrangheta clans (Ontario), the Hells Angels MC, and Chinese criminal networks Volstead Act: enforced the prohibition law Pre-Nineteenth Century: Pirates and Privateers off the Atlantic Coast The first criminal organizations in North America were pirates operating off the Atlantic Coast - Great age of piracy in the Atlantic coincided with the colonization of the New World between the 15th & 18th centuries - Targets: theft of gold & silver from Spanish ships, French barrels of wine, English cargoes of cured fish, & valuable Canadian fur pelts - Early coastal colonies were also raided by pirates - Pirates (worked independently) vs. Privateers (worked for the sovereign or government)

CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas, Wiseguys Week 1, Lesson 1

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Newfoundland: epicentre for early piracy (16th & 17th centuries) Nova Scotia: epicentre for privateering (late 18th/early 19th centuries) Pirate ships required a high level of organization & reflect many modern OC traits - Multiple offenders (large crews & recruitment of sailors) - Division of labour: captain, officers, navigator, prize master, etc. - Continuity/continuing enterprise - Serious illegal acts (theft, extortion, kidnapping) - Use of violence & intimidation - Rules & regulations - Ties to elites for protection

Case Study: Captain Peter Easton (The “Notorious Pyrate”) - Operated from Newfoundland - Criminal pursuits took him to the Caribbean, the Spanish Main, and the English Channel - Commissioned by the Queen - Extortion operation; hallmark of OC groups throughout the 20th century - Considered a folk hero 19th Century: Land Pirates, Thieves, Smugglers, and Counterfeiters - Organized crimes included: - Theft (banks, trains, households, cattle) - Smuggling (cattle, consumer goods, people, opium) - Counterfeiting (currency) - Whiskey trade (e.g., Fort Whoop-Up) - Gambling & sex trade (esp. during construction of national railways) - Drug trade (tariffs on opium led to smuggling & illegal trafficking) - Economic crimes included: - Railroad construction was a magnet for the unscrupulous: stock manipulation, land speculation, appropriation of government funds, price inflation, fraudulent contracts - Politicians benefited from bribes, gift of stock, & blatant conflict of interest - 1883: price-fixing agreements involving fire insurance companies, cotton manufacturers, & wholesale grocers were uncovered. - Gold-mining companies involved in stock manipulation, avoidance of royalty payments, smuggling, & “salting” finds Case Study: The Bre-X Mining Scandal (A Contemporary Example of “Salting”) -

CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas, Wiseguys Week 1, Lesson 1

Late 19th / Early 20th Century: The Genesis of Modern OC - Increased organization of sex trade (“white slave trade”) - Illegal drug trade caused by criminalization of heroin in 1908 & increased demand due to morphine addicted soldiers returning from WWI - Gambling & bookmaking now continental (due to wire service) - Canada part of continental gambling syndicates - First signs of Italian OC in Canada - Secret societies - Black Hand extortion - Unprecedented growth of urban centres in North America - Massive influx of immigrants - Conditions to promote criminality: poverty, racism/discrimination, corruption, numerous vices to satisfy, existing black markets - Early gangs were ethnically homogeneous; membership restricted to similar ethnic origin - What Italian, Jewish, Irish, & Chinese immigrants had in common: - All came from countries where there was a suspicion, mistrust, & antipathy for the state, police, & law enforcement - “Ethnic” immigrants were the poorest of the poor - Lured to North America with promises of riches, & instead were subjected to intense racism & discrimination (no jobs, & relegated to slums) Case Study: The “Real” Gangs of New York Prohibition: 1920 to 1933 - Single most important impetus for modern-day OC in North America - Launched crime towards an unprecedented level of organization, power, wealth, corruption, violence, & sophistication - Local neighbourhood gangs blossomed into citywide groups & then into regional organizations, with international ties - Showed that consensual crimes (supplying the public with outlawed goods & services) was preferable over predatory crimes - Proved the state cannot outlaw people’s vices (instead they are satisfied through black markets) - American Prohibition a catalyst to Canadian OC - Canada was the main supplier of booze to dry America (& helped cement future ties with American OC)

CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas, Wiseguys Week 1, Lesson 1

Case Study: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick produced and directed a landmark documentary entitled Prohibition (2011) - Documentary: - A Nation of Drunkards: - Anti-Saloon League: The 1930s to the 1980s: The Ascendance of the Italian Mafia - Period following the repeal of Prohibition witnessed a meteoric expansion of ItalianAmerican OC in North America - Great Depression: racketeers were the dispensers of dreams & escapism in the form of gambling, drugs, & sex - Charles (Lucky) Luciano: Different parts of New York City & North America parceled out to different Italian crime families - Over the next 40 years, mafia families in New York & Michigan would dominate OC in Ontario & Quebec - Criminal activities: smuggling, heroin trafficking, gambling, bookmaking, extortion, theft, telemarketing fraud, counterfeiting, business & labour racketeering The Trade in “Illegal Drugs” - 1960s - Psychedelic era” promotes illegal drug sales; drug trafficking surpasses gambling as the biggest money-maker in the criminal underworld - Most popular drugs: marijuana, LSD, & heroin - Escalation of the drug trade heralded new lucrative era for criminal entrepreneurs & gangs - 1970s & 1980s Colombian Cocaine “Cartels” - Cocaine becomes drug of choice - Colombia emerges as global centre for cocaine trafficking - Medellin & Cali cartels revolutionize drug trafficking: - Sophisticated, transnational, corporate structure - Vertical integration of the cocaine business - Fluid network, made up of semi-autonomous cells, each of which handled a particular function within the cartel - Canada: cocaine makes billions for mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs, West End Gang, & other domestic wholesalers 1990s & Beyond - Emerging trends in OC in North America - Proliferation of criminal groups that rival Italian OC, such as Outlaw biker gangs & Chinese criminal networks - Mafia-style criminal groups became transnational - Criminal groups become more sophisticated in criminal activities & use of

CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas, Wiseguys Week 1, Lesson 1

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technology Re-emergence of predatory crimes (theft, fraud, racketeering, human trafficking, cyber-crimes) Canada emerges as source country for drugs (synthetic & marijuana), mass marketing fraud, counterfeiting

Conclusion: What Does History Tell Us about Canadian Organized Crime - OC in Canada spans more than 500 years & is a part of some of this country’s historical developments & institutions - OC is not foreign to Canadian culture, but a part of it - OC is historically resilient because it is rooted in the institutions & cultures of the societies it inhabits - OC has a symbiotic relationship with Canada & Canadians: - There is significant demand for outlawed goods & services - Governments create policies that help OC endure - Long-standing social forces—poverty, racism, & inequality— help create the preconditions for (organized) criminality Flashcards: Term

Definition

Bookmaking

Gambling practice of determining odds and receiving and paying off bets on the outcome of sporting events (particularly horse racing), political contests, and other competitions

Contraband

Contraband is defined as goods that are against the law to trade or to be imported or exported

Counterfeiting

To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions

Extortion

The practice of obtaining something, especially $, through force or threats

Black Hand

An Italian extortion racket

French Connection

A scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and was dismantled in the 1970s

Gambling

Gambling (also known as betting) is the wagering of money or something of value(referred to as "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the primary intent of winning money or

CC205 - Gangsters, Goodfellas, Wiseguys Week 1, Lesson 1

material goods Horse-book

The mafia did this

Jolly Roger Mafiosi Migrant Smuggling Opiates Opium Pirates Privateers Prize Masters Prohibition Smuggling White Slave Trade Names & Events: - Sam Bronfman - Canadian businessman and philanthropist - Founded Distillers Corporation Limited - The Markham Gang - Notorious gang in Ontario during the 19th century - Committed crimes of theft - Project Loquace - One of the largest crackdowns on organized crime and the drug trade in Quebec history...