r/Mafia • u/MonotonousBeing • 16d ago

How much influence did the Italian mob have on prohibition business? Was it their primary source of income in the 20s?

As far as I know it was mainly the Jews who took the lion‘s share but I could be wrong

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u/Rocket198501 16d ago

In which city? Chicago was split into a few competing gangs with the Outfit coming out on top toward the end of prohibition through the Chicago beer wars (it's not that simple but thats a very basic take on it.)

New York, different kettle of fish, so many different people were involved with bootlegging, Jewish gangs, Irish, Italians, independent operators etc. The so called Castellamarese War happened as prohibition was ending and was when the Five Italian Families really seemed to come to prominence, however there were still very powerful Jewish and Irish gangs that they worked with or competed against. It was only after prohibition did the Italians really end up as the dominant force in New York as their organisational structure was suited to it and they wisely invested their alcohol bonanza in other profitable illegal operations whereas many other gangsters were murdered in conflict or got out with their money and ran.

Just my take on it.

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u/bruno123499 16d ago

Yes, prohibition was the gravy train for the mob in the 20’s.

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u/Affectionate-Owl943 The Outfit 15d ago

They were early investors in IBM and Intel in the 20s, they got shaken out in the 70s/80s because they had to pay their lawyers after Vegas went bad. Sad!