by Ray Black
One of the major points under discussion at the meeting was the escalating prices being charged to the Mafia by drug dealers operating outside of the USA. Two mobsters whose names were on the list for discussion were Meyer Lansky and his partner, a man called Santo Sorge.
There are two schools of thought on how the police actually came to raid the meeting at Apalachin. One is that the New York don, Carlo Gambino – who was conspicuous in his absence from the meeting – actually tipped the police off in his own effort to take over the underworld. The other line of thought is that Mayer Lansky, fearful that the Mafia bosses were after his blood, decided to contact his friends within the federal government and told them about the meeting.
For whatever reason, the New York State police, who were curious about the large number of motel bookings, decided to place a stakeout outside the house of Joseph Barbara. The police knew they had to be careful because not only did they have no warrant to search the house, they were also aware that it could be exceedingly dangerous. Instead, they set up a road block on Route 17 and the McFall road, where they had a good view of the front door.
In the drive at the front of the house were almost thirty cars and the police decided to take down the number plates so that they could see to whom they belonged. As the police moved closer, Mrs Barbara yelled from inside the house, ‘There’s the state troopers!’ causing complete panic.
One of the first men to run out of the house was Vito Genovese. The remainder of the visitors fled from the house and its grounds by running through the nearby woods, dumping guns and huge amounts of money as they went.
By 2.30 p.m. twenty-five people had been rounded up out of a possible fifty-nine, who the police believed were attending the meeting. All of those held by the police stuck to the same story – that they had simply come to pay their respects to Barbara who had been sick for some considerable time. Not one of the men wavered from their original story and eventually their convictions were overturned by the US Court of Appeals. Although it is believed that the commission is still in existence in some form, there is evidence that it is nowhere near as powerful as it was in the days of Lucky Luciano.
The Mafia has always been linked with gambling, the numbers game and betting, often bribing police to turn the other way as they reaped large rewards from their illegal casinos. When Nevada made gambling legal in 1931, needless to say mobsters seized the opportunity with both hands. Two of the first gang members to make their mark in Las Vegas, were Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, who offered dodgy loans to prospective developers who were keen to get in on the act. Many of the mobsters were so-called business partners with the casino owners, whether the owners wanted them as partners or not, while others simply skimmed cash after threatening the owners with their lives.
Even today the Mafia is still a symptom of Sicily’s endemic political corruption, a situation which seems to have got worse in recent years. It has deliberately murdered judges, priests and even children in its search for supremacy. In March 2004 a fourteen-year-old Italian girl, Annalisa Durante, died from bullets intended for a Mafia boss. The twenty-year-old Camorra (the Naples version of the Sicilian Mafia) boss, Salvatore Giuliano, used the young girl as a shield when two men rode up on scooters and started firing at him. Annalisa was hit by bullets to her head, allowing Giuliano and his attackers to escape unharmed. She remained in a coma for several days before being announced brain dead – just another tragic victim of Mafia warfare.
The Yakuza
In a country where traditionalism is highly valued, the Yakuza’s marks of individuality show their sheer disregard for conforming to Japanese standards. They have been described as the Japanese version of the Mafia and despite their rather garish appearance they are an organisation that have to be taken seriously. In fact, today, the Yakuza are one of the largest organised crime families in the world. In Japan alone there are more than 110,000 active members, divided into 2,500 families.
Just like the Sicilian Mafia, the Yakuza are divided up into families, but this is where the similarity ends. The Yakuza in their current role was formed in the nineteenth century under the son of a Samurai, Toyama Mitsuru. Mitsuri formed the Genyosha (Dark Ocean) Society and later Mitsuri’s top aide Ryohei Uchida founded the Amur River Society (or the Black Dragons). Just like organised crime in other societies, the Yakuza started to take over control of construction and dockside enterprises. From there they moved into more illicit trades such as prostitution, gambling, distribution of alcohol and drugs and the world of entertainment. As their power increased, the Yakuza formed alliances with other organised crime syndicates including the Chinese Triads, the Sicilian and American Mafia, Colombian drug cartels and other organisations around the world. For the most part the Yakuza are accepted as a fact of life in Japan, and the government and the police tend to turn the back on their activities, including cold blooded killing.
Their origin can be traced as far back as the year 1612 to a band of men known as the kabuki-mono (or the crazy ones). Their unusual appearance and bad behaviour soon got them noticed as they wandered around Japan in large crowds plundering villages and small cities. However, if you asked a Yakuza about his origins, he would deny any connection to the kabuki-mono. They prefer to see themselves as ancestors of the machi-yakko (city servant), because they were seen as heroes for their help against the kabuki-mono, who were known for their ruthless behaviour and terrorising tactics.
The Yakuza, as they are known today, did not form until the middle of the seventeenth century. Their members were made up of bakuto (gamblers) and tekiya (street vendors) and they demanded total loyalty to the organisation even if it meant going against their own families. As the majority of the members had come from similar backgrounds – poverty, crime or simply being a society misfit – the Yakuza became their family. Possibly for the first time in their life they felt secure and safe in the knowledge that they had the full support of the other gang members.
When Japan began to industrialise, the Yakuza used this to their advantage and started to recruit members within the construction business and from the docks. They also started to infiltrate the political front and cooperated with the authorities to try and avoid any confrontations. When the economic depression came at the end of the twentieth century, it created doubts about the liberalism in the western world, and the Yakuza once again took advantage. They trained their members in warfare, different languages, assassination and blackmail. During this time two prime ministers and two finance ministers were murdered, while several politicians and industrialists were attacked – muscle power courtesy of the Yakuza.
When Japan was occupied by US troops following World War II, the Americans saw the Yakuza as an enormous threat and closely watched their activities. The US army started to ration food, little realising that they were playing right into the Yakuza’s hands. The black market flourished and contributed to the wealth and power of the gangs, and a new type of Yakuza began to develop – the gurentai (or street hustler). The gurentai were mostly involved with the black market and robbery but they were also influenced by the US gangster movies and started to dress like their heroes. They wore black suits, white shirts, sunglasses and started to crop their hair. They also became tougher and more violent and the gun took the place of the sword. Soon honest businessmen were being exposed to violence and as more and as more gangs formed, street violence reached an all time high as they fought for their territories.
The Yakuza clans have a hierarchy structure. The head chief is called the Oyabun (father) and beneath him are the Wakashu (children) and Kyodai (brothers). All members of the clan must obey the Oyabun and in return for their loyalty he will protect them against any danger. The Oyabun’s word is law and everyone, without exception, must obey him. Beneath the Oyabun is also the Saiko-komon (adviser) who has a staff of advocates, accountants, secretaries and advisers. The boss of the Wakashu is the Waka gashira, who is number two in the clan after the Oyabun. He acts as a mediator and ensur
es that all the Oyabun’s orders are carried out.
The Yakuza is entirely made up of men with the exception of the Oyabun’s wife who is called o-neh-san (older sister). In fact the Yakuza do not trust women at all with the exception of the o-neh-san, who they treat with equal respect as the Oyabun. The reason they do not trust women is because they believe they are weak and that women are unable to fight. Fighting is important to the Yakuza as is courage, because they are expected to fight to the death rather than lose a battle. Another reason the Yakuza distrust women is that no one is allowed to talk about the group to outsiders, and they do not believe that a woman is strong enough to remain silent under pressure.
It is normal within Yakuza gangs to have tattoos which normally cover their entire body. Very often it is the clan’s badge and most are elaborate patterns containing dragons, flowers, mountainous landscapes, seascapes and abstract patterns. In fact if seen naked, the Yakuza member almost looks as if he is wearing very decorative underwear. The application of these tattoos is a long and painful procedure often taking as long as 100 hours to complete an entire back. It is not only considered a test of a man’s strength but also to illustrate the man’s affiliation to his clan. For the most part a Yakuza will keep these tattoos concealed under long-sleeved and high-necked shirts. However, they break this rule when playing Oicho-Kabu cards with one another, where they often remove their shirts to reveal their ornate tattoos.
The Yakuza have their own unique way of making an apology when they make a mistake or do something that the Oyabun doesn’t approve of. They call it yubizume, which is the act of cutting off their little finger and then giving it to the person to whom they are apologising. For example, when a younger member of the clan fell in love with the daughter of the Oyabun – which is something that is strictly forbidden – the couple started to meet in secret. They wanted to get married but knew that the Oyabun wouldn’t allow it. Scared that the Oyabun would arrange to have him killed, the couple decided to run away, but they were found after a couple of days and returned to the base. The daughter was simply scolded for her behaviour, but the young man was made to apologise in the Yakuza way. He was given a knife and a piece of white string and the young man knew exactly what was expected of him. Without wavering, he picked up the knife, held one end of the string between his teeth while holding the other with his right hand, and tied it around the little finger of his left hand. After taking a deep breath, he chopped off the tip of his little finger with the knife and then wrapped it in a towel and gave it to the Oyabun. The Oyabun said nothing and took the finger which meant that the young man’s apology had been accepted.
If a Yakuza member is jailed for any reason, this immediately elevates his position within the gang when he is released. Another practice carried out by the Yakuza in prison is pearling or genital beading. This is a form of body modification and involves the insertion of small beads, made from various materials, beneath the skin of the shaft or foreskin of the penis.
Another quite frequent Yakuza ritual is the sharing of sake. This is traditionally to seal the bond of brotherhood between individual Yakuza members or between two different Yakuza groups.
Unlike their counterparts, the Mafia and Chinese Triads, the Yakuza are not a secret organisation. They quite openly have an office with a wooden board on the front door, proudly displaying their group name or emblem. They are proud to be seen in public, often wearing colourful suits so that they stand out from the crowd. Many of their members also develop an arrogant, wide gait as they walk proudly among the less assuming members of the Japanese public.
The Yakuza make their living through illegal businesses including alcohol, drugs, prostitution and loan-sharking, but the majority of their funds come from gambling, usually in the form of card or dice games. Each family of Yakuza have their own gambling room which is usually behind a bar or cafe, and is kept quiet so that the police are not alerted. Each gambler must be a member of the Yakuza and the stakes are extremely high – up to ten thousand dollars just for one play. It is quite common for as much as one million dollars to change hands in any one day. The gamblers are all expected to be professional and are have to remain silent as they enter the gambling den, the only sound is the chink of the money and dice.
Prostitution is big business for the Yakuza, preferring to hire girls that are under eighteen years of age. There are various methods of making money from prostitution, but the most popular is the ‘date club’. These clubs can turn over millions of dollars each month, and the membership fee is high – one thousand dollars. The majority of the members are rich, middle-aged men such as lawyers, doctors and company directors who can afford to enjoy the pleasures the young girls have to offer. The men are shown pictures of the girls and then the club will arrange a date. The men pay a fee and all expenses – to have sex with their escort costs an extra one thousand dollars. When the date is over the customer is expected to call the club and tell them whether they liked their date and this way the girls move up the ‘professional’ ladder. Although the hiring of high school students is strictly forbidden, many are willing to work as prostitutes because they can earn so much money and for the Yakuza they are a rich source of young, nubile girls.
The majority of the money made by the Yakuza is spent on buying weapons. Although it is illegal to carry a weapon in Japan without a permit, the Yakuza do not respect the law and many innocent people become the victims of their violent street battles, when one group clashes with another. Each group will fight to the death to protect their territory regardless of who gets in their way and for this reason it is easy to see why the Yakuza are so feared and hated by the Japanese public. Even today this continues to be one of the biggest social problems in Japan.
The Triads
One of the most impenetrable of criminal organisations in the world today are the Triads of Hong Kong and Taiwan. They are best known for their involvement in the big business of drugs at every level, from the buying of the poppies, manufacturing opium and heroin, smuggling and finally dealing. However, their activities do not end there as they are also famous for being involved in contract killings, money laundering, extortion, all forms of racketeering and murder.
The Triads are believed to have been started as a resistance movement to the Manchu emperors of the Qinq Dynasty. The Manchu originated from a country north of China (Manchuria) and were looked upon as foreign rulers who had taken Peking (China’s northern capital) by force. Their dynasty was established around 1674 and, in the thirteenth year of their rule, Emperor Kiang Hsi decided to recruit a band of fighting monks (Siu Lam) to try and defeat a rebellion taking place in Fukien. In return for their loyalty, the monks were offered a certain amount of imperial power. However, the monks themselves were then seen as a threat to the court and the emperor sent an army to suppress them.
Although the original numbers have not been recorded it is believed around eighteen monks survived the attack, five of whom set up separate monasteries. The monasteries were in fact secret societies – Tian Di Hui (Heaven and Earth Society) – who were dedicated to overthrowing the Manchu dynasty and restoring the previous Ming dynasty to power. Eventually the Manchus were overthrown in 1911, but sadly there were no Mings left to restore the dynasty to its former glory.
Over the centuries, what are today known as the Triads, developed from a patriotic society into a criminal organisation. Unable to revert back to a normal life after the years of fighting and extreme violence, many of the rebels got together and formed a cult which became known as the Triads. Having now lost the support of the public following the collapse of the empire, members of this newly formed gang resorted to extorting money by any means possible.
When China was invaded by the Japanese during World War II, the Triads offered their help and they started running criminal enterprises for the Japanese in Hong Kong. The gangs were united under an association called the Hing Ah Kee Kwan (Asia Flourishing Organisation) and were paid through a company called Lee Yuen.
These gangsters were used to help keep the residents of Hong Kong under control and also to suppress any anti-Japanese activity.
After World War II, when the Communist Party of China took power, mainland China came under strict law enforcement and consequently organised crime started to diminish. Triad members decided to migrate south to the then-British colony of Hong Kong and it is estimated that by 1947, there were 300,000 Triad members in Hong Kong alone.
The nine main Triad gangs were – Wo, Rung, Tung, Chuen, Shing, Fuk Yee Hing, Yee On, 14K and Luen – each having its own headquarters and its own splinter groups. However, in 1956 there was a major riot in Kowloon which was exploited by the Triads. The colonial government passed strict regulations to suppress the gangsters and 10,000 suspected Triad mobsters were arrested. For a while the Triads went underground with very little action, but the cultural revolution in China brought them back to the surface.
The Triads of Hong Kong are a very powerful organisation, with their own international drug syndicates and armed forces. Although the Triads do work under a system of hierarchy, where a father-figure controls all the other members, the Hong Kong Triads are generally composed of several independent groups. The actual power of the Triads seems to be at the lower level of the hierarchy ladder, with an ‘official’ (Red Pole) leading a group of fifteen or more active ‘soldiers’. As in other criminal organisations these groups fight for supremacy and territory nearly always resulting in bloodshed. The Triads also use a form of numeric code to differentiate between the ranks within a gang. The Triad structure is broken down into ranks as follows: the Boss (Mountain Master) is the highest authority, under him is the Vanguard, the Deputy and the Ceremony Master, under these three come the Advisor, The Fighters and the Liaison Officer and then at the bottom of the hierarchy come the Ordinary Members and the Temporary Members. All the members live by thirty-six traditional Triad oaths whereby they swear allegiance to the organisation.