The most famous mafiosi in history. Italian mafia: history of appearance, names and surnames

Number 10 - Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (1928 - 2005)
Vincent Gigante was born in New York in 1928. He was a man with a complex character: he dropped out of school in the ninth grade, after which he began boxing. Won 21 of 25 light heavyweight fights. From the age of 17 he was a member of a criminal gang, and at the age of 25 he was first arrested.
Gigante's first significant case as a member of the Genovese family was an attempted murder of Frank Costello, but he missed. Despite this, his rise in the Genovese family continued until he became first a godfather and, in the early 1980s, a consolire (Italian for advisor).
After mafia boss Tony Salerno was convicted, Gigante became the boss. What made Gigante so famous? After escaping jail time by pretending to be insane in the late 1960s, he continued to act crazy, such as walking the streets of New York City in a bathrobe. It was because of this fact that he received two more nicknames: "Weirdo" and "King of Pajamas." It was only after his conviction for racketeering in 2003 that he admitted that with his mental health Everything is fine.
Gigante died in prison on December 19, 2005 due to heart problems. Because of this and thanks to his lawyers, he was supposed to be released in 2010.
A film about him: Gigante's prototype was used for the television film Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999), episode Law & Order.

Number 9 - Albert Anastasia (1903 - 1957)
Albert Anastasia was born in Italy in 1903 and moved to America as a child. He was sentenced to 18 months for the murder of a longshoreman on the Brooklyn docks (Sing Sing Prison). He was released early due to the mysterious death of a witness. Albert Anastasia (aka "Lord Executioner" and "Mad Hatter") gained fame thanks to numerous murders, after which Joe Masseria's gang hired him. Anastasia was very loyal to Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, so he had no problem betraying Masseria - he was one of the four men sent to kill him in 1931.
In 1944, he became the leader of a group of murderers, which even had its own name Murder, Inc. Although Albert Anastasia was never prosecuted for the murders, his group was linked to 400 to 700 murders. In the 50s, he became the leader of the Luciano family, but soon, in 1957, he was killed at the behest of Carlo Gambino.
Films about him: Albert's character Anastasia was the main character in the film Murder, Inc. (1960), starring Peter Falk and Howard Smith (Anastasia), as well as in the films The Valachi Papers (1972) and Lepke (1975).

Number 8 - Joseph Bonanno (1905 - 2002)
Joe Bananno was born in 1905 and grew up in Sicily and was orphaned at the age of 15. During the fascist regime of Mussolini, when he turned 19, he left Italy and arrived in the United States through Cuba. He soon received the nickname "Joey Bananas" and ended up in the Maranzano family. Before Luciano killed him, Maranzano formed a "Commission" that ruled the Mafia families in his homeland of Italy.
Bonanno amassed capital by running cheese factories, a clothing business, and a funeral business. However, his plans to eliminate the leaders of other families were not destined to come true, since he was kidnapped and forced to retire 19 days later. He was never convicted of any serious offense.
Films about him: There were two films about him: Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage (1993) starring Ben Gazarra and Bonanno: A Godfather's Story ( "Bonanno: The Godfather", 1999) with Martin Landau.

Number 7 - Dutchman Schultz (1902 - 1935)
Arthur Flegenheimer, later known as Dutch Schultz, was born in 1092 in the Bronx. To impress his boss and mentor Marcel Poffo, he organized crap games in his youth. At the age of 17, he spent some time in prison for theft. He soon realized that the only way Making money is bootlegging (selling alcohol during Prohibition).
Wanting to become a member of the emerging syndicate, he made enemies in Luciano and Capone. After he was about to be convicted of another crime in 1933, he left for New Jersey. In 1935, after returning, he was killed by members of Albert Anastasia's group.
Films about him: Dustin Hoffman played a prominent role as Dutch Schultz in Billy Bathgate (1991), but was even better played by Tim Roth in Hoodlum (1997). In addition, we should recall the films Gangster Wars (1981), The Cotton Club (1984) and The Natural (1984).

Number 6 - John Gotti (1940 - 2002)
Among the famous gangsters of New York, John Gotti is especially noteworthy. He was born in 1940 in Brooklyn and was always considered a smart guy. At the age of 16, he joined a street gang called the Fulton Rockaway Boys. He quickly became their leader, in the 60s the gang was engaged in car thefts and petty theft, in the early 70s he became the godfather of the Bergin group - part of the Gambino family. Gotti was very ambitious and soon began to engage in drugs, which were prohibited by family rules.
As a result, Paul Castellano (mafia boss) decided to expel Gotti from the organization. In 1985, Gotti and his henchmen killed Castellano, and Gotti took over the Gambino family. They tried to convict him many times law enforcement agencies New York, but the charges always failed. Due to the fact that he always looked presentable and was loved by the media, he received the nicknames "Elegant Don" and "Teflon Don". He was finally convicted of murder in 1992 and died of cancer in 2002.
Films about him: his character was played by Antonio John Denilson in the television film Getting Gotti ("Getting Gotti", 1994) and Armand Assante in the film Gotti ("Gotti", 1996). Of note are the films Witness to the Mob (1998) with Tom Sizemoor and The Big Heist (2001).

Number 5 - Meyer Lansky (1902 - 1983)
Mayer Sachovlyansky was born in 1902 in Russia. At the age of 9 he moved to New York. When they were boys, he met Charles Luciano. Luciano wanted Lansky to give him protection money, but he refused. There was a fight, after which they became bosom friends. After some time, Lansky met Bugsy Seagal. The trio became very friendly. Lansky and Seagal formed the group Bug and Meyer, which later became Murder, Inc.
Initially, Lansky was involved in money and gambling in Florida, New Orleans and Cuba. He was Seagal's investor in the Las Vegas casinos, and even bought an offshore bank in Switzerland in order to launder money. He was a co-founder of the National Crime Syndicate and the Council. However, business is never personal, and he was soon forced to kill Bugsy Seagal because... he stopped giving money to the Syndicate. Although he was involved in gambling rackets around the world, Lansky never spent a day in prison.
Films about him: not only Richard Dreyfuss played well in the HBO film of the same name Lansky (1999), but also Nyman Roth in the film The Godfather Part II (" Godfather 2", 1974), Mark Rydell in Havana (1990), Patrick Dempsey in Mobsters (1991) and Ben Kingsley in Bugsy (1991).

Number 4 - Frank Costello (1891 - 1973)
Francesco Castiglia was born in 1891 in Italy and moved to the United States at the age of 4. At the age of 13, he joined a criminal gang and changed his name to Frank Costello. After serving time in prison, he became best friend Charlie Luciano. They engaged in bootlegging and gambling together. Costello's strength was that he was a liaison between the Mafia and politicians, especially Democratic Party member Tammany Hall in New York, which allowed him to avoid persecution.
After the arrest of Luciano Costello became a man in law. His feud with Vito Genovese led to Genovese attempting to kill Costello in the mid-50s. Frank Costello retired peacefully and died quietly in 1973.
Films about him: the best role was played by James Andronica in the 1981 television project The Gangster Chronicles, as well as Costas Mandylor Mobsters (Gangsters, 1991), Carmine Caridi in the film Bugsy (1991), and Jack Nicholson in film The Departed (2006).

Number 3 - Carlo Gambino (1902 - 1976)
Carlo Gambino grew up in a family that was part of the Italian mafia clan for several centuries. He began killing on demand at the age of 19. As Mussolini was gaining power at this time, Gambino immigrated to America, where his cousin Paul Costellano lived.
After Luciano was extradited in the 40s, Albert Anastasia took his place. However, Gambino believed that this was his time and in 1957 he ordered the death of Anastasia. He appointed himself Boss of the family and held it with an iron fist until his death from natural causes in 1976.
Films about him: Al Ruccio played him excellently in the film Boss of Bosses ("Boss of Bosses", 2001). The image of Gambino could also be seen in such films as Between Love & Honor (1995), Gotti (1996) and Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (Bonanno: The Godfather, 1999).

Number 2 - Charlie "Lucky" Luciano (1897 - 1962)
Salvatore Luciania was born in Sicily in 1897, and nine years later his family moved to New York. After a while, he joined the Five Points gang. For five years, his gang made money mainly from prostitution; Luciano controlled rackets throughout Manhattan. After an unsuccessful attempt on his life in 1929, Luciano decided to create the National Crime Syndicate.
There was no rivalry, and by 1935, "Lucky" Luciano became known as the "Boss of Bosses" - not only in New York, but throughout the country. In 1936 he was sentenced to 30 to 50 years, but was released in 1946 for good behavior on the condition that he leave the country for Italy. He had this strong influence that during World War II the US Navy turned to him for help in landing in Italy. He died in 1962 as a result of a heart attack.
Films about him: Christian Slater played him in Gangsters (1991), Bill Graham in Bugsy (1991) and Anthony LaPaglia in the TV movie Lansky (1999).

Number 1 - Al Capone (1899 - 1947)
If there was ever a gangster who deserved to know Number One, it was Al Capone. Alphonse Capone was born in 1899 in Brooklyn to a family of Italian immigrants. After a while, he joined the Five Points gang and became a bouncer. It was during this time that he earned the nickname "Scarface". In 1919, he moved to Chicago and working for Johnny Torrio, he quickly began to rise in the criminal hierarchy.
It was the time of Prohibition, and Capone was involved in prostitution, gambling and bootlegging. In 1925, when he was 26 years old, Capone became head of the Torrio family and started a family war. Known for his intelligence, as well as his bombast and love of attention, Capone was also famous for his cruelty. It is worth remembering the massacre during the Valentine's Day concert in 1929, in which many heads of criminal gangs were killed. In 1931, a federal agent tax service Eliot Nass arrested him for tax evasion.
Films about him: Many films have been made about Capone, the most famous of which are The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) starring Jason Robards, Capone (1975) with Ben Gazarra and The Untouchables (1987) with Robert De Niro.

Worthy of Mention - Benjamin "Bugsy" Segal (1906 - 1947)
Benjamin Segal was born in 1906 in Brooklyn and soon met Meyer Lansky. He received the nickname "Bugsy" due to his unpredictable character. However, by killing people for Charlie Luciano, he made many enemies, and in the late 30s he was forced to flee to Los Angeles, where he met many stars.
Shortly after the passage of gambling laws in Nevada, he "borrowed" millions of dollars from the Syndicate and founded one of the first casino hotels in Las Vegas, the Flamingo. However, the business was not profitable, and soon after it was discovered in 1947 that he was simply stealing money from his friends, he was killed.
Films about him: the best actors who played Capone were Warren Beatty (Bugsy (1991) and Armand Assante The Marrying Man (1991).

Of course, these people were not saints, but we cannot help but admire the influence they had in their time. Now you know who was who in the criminal world. Stay out of trouble, smart guys ;).

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Colombo

The Colombo family is one of the most famous families mafia in New York. At first, the family was called Profacci, not Colombo, but after Joseph Colobmo became capo in 1963, the clan was named after his last name. Joseph was very different from those capos who ruled before him - in principle, there were no others like him after. At first, other mafiosi believed that he was weak and indecisive, but then they realized how wrong they were: Colombo was not only fast and decisive, but also very smart, a real diplomat. So, in order to divert the attention of the authorities from the mafia, he created the Italian-American League, dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Italians living in America. This group became very popular, especially since Colombo managed to attract even Frank Sinatra to the peaceful activities of this group (it really was peaceful, although it covered up the mafia).

True, his brainchild also destroyed its creator - during one of the performances, a certain black man named Jerome Johnson shot Columbo three times in the head. Naturally, Colombo’s bodyguards did not allow the offender to leave, shooting him on the spot. It turned out that Columbo did not die, but his brain functions were irreversibly impaired, reducing him to the level of a plant existence.

Gambino

Gambino is a representative of one of the five most powerful mafia clans in New York. In principle, it was Gambino who ensured that Colombo became a capo, but after the creation of the Italian-American League, he broke off warm relations with him, although he did not start an open war. In any case, Colombo was a protege of Gambino, and the latter did not forgive the death of Colombo to one of the “oppositionists”, who openly rebelled against the most powerful of all the mafiosi of those times. In the end, all resistance was crushed, all dissatisfied were killed, and Gambino became the father of the fathers of the mafia godfathers. He died of natural causes from a heart attack in 1976, and his clan still bears his name.

Capone

Of course, the history of the Mafia cannot fail to mention the name of the powerful Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone, nicknamed "Scarface." Capone received his nickname at the beginning of his career, when he coveted the sister (according to other sources, the wife) of one of the gangsters named Frank Galluccio. In a fight with Galluccio, Capone could not protect himself from a knife blow that cut his face. In 1921, Capone went to Chicago and joined the local gang, in which he began active activities, eventually becoming the unofficial “king” of Chicago. He made the greatest profit from the trade in alcohol, “bootlegging,” at a time when strict Prohibition reigned in the United States. The end of the Capone empire came after the best of the US Tax Police agents, Eddie O'Hair, proved Capone's illegal activities, and after numerous trials he ended up in the notorious Alcatraz. Five years later, he left there weak and sick - untreated syphilis, contracted by Capone during his irrepressible youth, took its toll. Ultimately, the half-mad “king” died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage in January 1947.

Luciano

Charles "Lucky" Luciano is one of the most famous and successful gangsters of the early 20th century. The heyday of Luciano's empire came in 1929, when the entire Italian mafia in the United States was reorganizing. After he became an authority figure, Luciano's enemies tracked him down, took him to an abandoned place, beat him to a pulp, cut him up and left him for dead. However, he survived, which earned him the nickname “Lucky.” Luciano made his greatest profit from drug trafficking. In the end, he had to leave America for Italy, and Luciano chose to go to Sicily, where he reorganized the local mafia, introducing new type management - just like in large corporations. He succeeded, and the empire of “Lucky” covered the entire Mediterranean.

In 1961, the mafioso received an offer from the then famous producer and screenwriter Martin A. Ghosh to make a film based on his life. However, the film did not work out - Luciano had a heart attack at the Naples airport, which killed him. At that time, about 200 mafia clans worked under Luciano in Sicily and Calabria, and 20 thousand people worked for him in Italy alone.

The most legendary and influential mafiosi in history

Currently, there are many different organized crime groups in the world. Each such organization has its own ideological inspirer and leader (boss). It should be noted that some of these bosses of the criminal world created and are still creating entire criminal empires, keeping both ordinary citizens and representatives of the authorities in fear state power. They live by their own laws, and violation of these laws is punishable by death.

The reference and information portal Samogo.Net invites you to learn about the most legendary and influential mafiosi in history.

Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Pablo Escobar

Al Capone (Alphonso Gabriel "Great Al" Capone, 1899 – 1947)
This is the most famous and legendary mafioso of the 20th century. His main activities were bootlegging, gambling and prostitution. He was the organizer of the "Valentine's Day Massacre", during which 7 influential gangsters from a rival gang were shot and killed. He was one of the first gangsters to engage in “racketeering,” as well as money laundering through a network of laundries. This mobster is also known by his nickname "Scarface", which he received for the scar on his left cheek. Al Capone terrified and feared peaceful citizens and the government for quite a long time until he was sent to prison for tax evasion.

Lucky Luciano (Charles "Lucky" Luciano, 1897 – 1962)
Luciano was born in Sicily and moved to America, he became one of the first founders of the underworld (mafia). He received the nickname Lucky, which translates as “Lucky”, after surviving torture by gangsters. Subsequently, Luciano became the boss of the ruthless Cosa Nostra, which exercised total control in all areas of the criminal world.

Pablo Escobar (Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, 1949 – 1993)
This is the most elusive and ruthless Colombian head of the Medellin cocaine cartel. He set up drug supplies all over the world. Drug trafficking was carried out on a global scale using aircraft and submarines. During his career, he was accused of involvement in the murders of more than 1,200 government officials (judges, prosecutors, police officers, presidential candidates, ministers). In 1989, it was estimated that Escobar's fortune was worth more than $15 billion.

John Gotti, Carlo Gambino

John Gotti (John Joseph Gotti, 1940 – 2002)
In 1985, John Gotti took over the Gambino family. Throughout his reign, this family remained one of the most influential. Multiple attempts by the police to accuse Gotti of illegal actions constantly failed, so he managed to avoid deserved punishment for a long time.

Carlo Gambino (Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino, 1902 - 1976)
Gambino managed to capture a number of very profitable areas of activity. After this, the Gambino family became the most powerful criminal community. At its peak, the Gambino clan controlled a number of major American cities, including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

Meir Lansky, Joseph Bonanno

Meir Lansky (Meyer Lansky, 1902 – 1983)
Meir was born in Russian Empire, in Belarus. Having moved to the USA, he created the National Crime Syndicate and also became the founder of the gambling business in the States. Lansky is known as the largest bootlegger of the Prohibition era.

Joseph Bonanno (Joseph Bonanno, 1905 – 2002)
Bonanno organized a criminal community that still continues to operate in the United States. Joseph successfully led the family's criminal activities for 30 years. Subsequently, he voluntarily retired from family affairs and lived in his huge villa. Joseph Bonanno is recognized as the richest mafioso in history.

Alberto Anastasia, Vincent Gigante

Alberto Anastasia (Albert Anastasia, 1902 – 1957)
Albert Anastasia headed the Gambino family and had the nickname “Chief Executioner” because he was involved in 700 murders. Alberto's close friend and mentor was Lucky Luciano. Anastasia specialized in contract killings of bosses of other families.

Vincent Gigante (Vincent Gigante, 1928 – 2005)
Since 1981, Vincent led the Genovese family. He received the nickname "Crazy Boss" for inappropriate behavior. This behavior, as well as certificates of insanity, allowed Gigante to avoid real life for 7 years. prison term. At the same time, Vincent controlled the criminal activities of all largest cities USA.

Since the release of the first list richest people world in 1982, Forbes magazine includes drug lords and gangsters - since organized crime is part of the world economy, these incomes need to be counted. For example, according to The Guardian, the Calabrian mafia 'Ndrangheta became richer in 2013 than Deutsche Bank and McDonald's combined - by €53 billion.

Below are the odious figures of the underworld who made millions and billions - Pablo Escobar, "Shorty", Al Capone, Tony Salerno and others.

John Gotti

New York boss of the Gambino clan John Gotti received two nicknames from the press. “Teflon Don” - for being invulnerable to justice for a long time. And also “Don the Dapper” - for expensive custom suits (Brioni for $2000 and hand-painted silk scarves for $400), careful hairstyle, black Mercedes 450 SL and lavish parties.

Growing up in the South Bronx, Gotti joined the Gambino clan in the 1950s, one of the powerful syndicates involved in gambling, extortion, loan sharking and drugs. The US government suspected that on his way to becoming head of the Gambinos, Gotti eliminated his predecessor Paul Castellano in 1985. An FBI agent who worked on the Gotti case said that "he was the first media don, never trying to hide the fact that he was a superboss." And his large lifestyle and external gloss always provided food for articles in the tabloids.

According to the New York Times, Gotti received between $10 and $12 million in annual income, and the Gambino clan earned more than $500 million a year in the 1980s. Justice did not reach Gotti until 1992, and 10 years later he died in prison.

Shinobu Tsukasa

74-year-old Shinobu Tsukasa leads a yakuza clan called the Yamaguchi-gumi. Fortune listed the Yamaguchi-gumi as one of the five most powerful mafia groups in the world, with annual profits of $6.6 billion. Yamaguchi was founded in the port city of Kobe more than 100 years ago and has 23,400 members. Most income comes from selling drugs, as well as gambling and extortion.

Shinobu Tsukasa is the sixth leader of the clan in history. In the 1970s he was sentenced to 13 years for murder samurai sword. In 2005 he was jailed for 6 years for possession firearms. In 2015, a split occurred in the Yamaguchi-gumi. According to Tokyo Reporter, most of the group remained with Tsukasa, and 3,000 members formed a new clan led by Kunio Inoue.

Michael Franzese

On Fortune's list of the 50 Most Powerful Mafia Bosses, Michael Franzese was ranked 18th. Franzese, nicknamed “Don Yuppie,” is the son of a bank robber who formed a cartel that was involved in the release of B-movies, the illegal sale of gasoline, scams involving the repair and sale of cars, and fraudulent loans.

Michael Franzese received between $1 and $2 million in income per week. In 1985, the US government charged him with fraud, stripped him of $4.8 million in assets and ordered him to repay $10 million for illegally selling gasoline through shell companies. After eight years in prison and a $15 million settlement, Frances moved to California and decided to capitalize on his criminal past. He has written two books - an autobiography, Blood Covenant, and a business advice book, I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, as well as sold the rights to a miniseries about his life to CBS. Now the former gangster lives in a $2.7 million house, drives a Porsche, gives interviews to Vanity Fair and gives lectures at universities.

Anthony Salerno

In 1986, Fortune magazine published a list of the "50 Most Powerful Mafia Bosses." The editor-in-chief explained the appearance of the material by saying that “organized crime is a powerful economic factor.” Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno also made the list. Led by a gangster, the Genovese clan (300 people) was involved in racketeering and drugs in New York. According to The New York Times, the clan's influence extended to Cleveland, Nevada and Miami, and its interests also included construction, loan sharking and casinos. Since the 1960s, the clan has earned $50 million a year. Between 1981 and 1985, Salerno imposed a two percent Mafia tax in New York on all contractors pouring concrete for buildings costing more than $2 million. Salerno's real wealth may have been $1 billion.

In 1988, the gangster was sentenced to 70 years for racketeering and concealing illegal income of $10 million a year (the declaration indicated only $40,000 a year). Four years later, at the age of 80, he died in prison.

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar

The income of India's most wanted criminal is estimated by Business Insider at $6.7 billion. Forbes included Kaskar in the lists of the most influential people in the world in 2009, 2010 and 2011 (50th, 63rd and 57th place, respectively). His crime syndicate, D-Company, is blamed for the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and has also been involved in drug and arms smuggling. The US government believes that Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar has ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. According to one version, Kaskar is hiding in Pakistan.

Al Capone

Capone - the most famous American gangster. A character named Al Capone appears in 77 Mafia films.

At the time of his death in 1947, his fortune was estimated at $1.3 billion. Capone operated in various criminal spheres - bootlegging, racketeering, murder. In 1929, the American government declared him "Enemy No. 1." Prosecutors repeatedly sentenced Capone to prison, but he was released several months later. As a result, in 1931, Capone was only sentenced for tax evasion - for 11 years. He was to spend most of his sentence in Alcatraz.

In 1939, Capone was released, but his health was poor - he suffered from syphilis and dementia.

In 2012, Forbes conducted an analysis of Capone's former properties. The Chicago four-bedroom house he bought with his first earnings was valued at $450,000, and the Miami Beach mansion where he died in 1947 was valued at $9.95 million.

Griselda Blanco

The Western press called Colombian Griselda Blanco the “Godmother of Cocaine.” Blanco was a key figure in the Miami cocaine trade in the 1970s and 1980s. Even in the male drug business, she had a reputation as a ruthless operator. According to Business Insider, her fortune was approaching $2 billion, however, she was far from the income of Exobar.

A three-time widow whose spouses were rumored to have died at her hands, she named one of her sons Michael Corleone. Its distribution network made tens of millions of dollars and transported about 1,500 kilograms of cocaine a month, according to The Guardian. Before his arrest in 1985 in California, " Godmother" appeared on the list of the most dangerous drug traffickers along with Escobar and the Ochoa brothers. She was charged with 40 to 200 murders in Florida, but death penalty the woman escaped due to a technical error in court: the officer who testified against her was discredited because he had a telephone sex conversation with the secretary in the prosecutor’s office, the Guardian wrote. Blanco was imprisoned in federal prison and deported to Colombia in 2004, where she was shot and killed by a motorcycle killer eight years later.

Khun Sa

Khun Sa, the “Opium King,” was estimated by Business Insider to be worth $5 billion. Born Chang Shifu, the son of a Chinese man and a Shan woman, in the 1960s he changed his name to the pseudonym Khun Sa, which means “Prosperous Prince.” During these years, he led the Burmese army, which was engaged in the cultivation of opium in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, which included 20,000 men. In the 1970s and 80s, the Sa army controlled the Thai-Burmese border and was responsible for 45% of the pure heroin entering the US, earning it the title of "the best in the business" by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (The Economist).

The US government placed a $2 million bounty on the head of the “Opium King.” By the 1990s, the DEA was able to destroy Sa’s trading chain, he moved to Yangon and retired. Currently, opium production in the Golden Triangle has fallen to 5% of the global figure (in 1975 it was 70%).

There are different versions about whether the drug lord saved billions before his death in 2007 - from “lived in luxury”, but “was content with a modest pension.”

Morris Dalitz

Moritz (Moe) Dalitz was one of such legendary gangsters as Al Capone and Bugzy Siegel. During the Prohibition era, he was involved in bootlegging, and later in the gambling business and real estate. In 1982, Dalitz appeared on the first Forbes list of the richest, along with artist Yoko Ono, actor Bob Hope and mafia accountant Meyer Lansky. Dalitz's fortune was estimated at $110 million, but how much he actually earned remains a question.

Dalitz received a significant share of his wealth from the first Las Vegas casinos. In 1949, he co-founded the Desert Inn and Stardust Hotel casinos. In the 1950s, he took part in the emergence of the Paradise Development Company, which built a university and convention center in Las Vegas. In the 1960s, he invested in the $100 million La Costa Resort complex near San Diego, after which he sued Penthouse magazine for $640 million, which wrote that the construction was financed by the mafia. Unlike many of his colleagues with a criminal past, Dalitz lived to old age and in recent years was involved in charity work.

Rafael Caro Quintero and Amado Carrillo Fuentes

Before the star of the drug lord "Shorty" rose in Mexico, two names thundered there - Rafael Caro Quintero (pictured) and Carrillo Fuentes. The head of the Guadalajara cartel, Rafael Quintero, owned a marijuana plantation called Rancho Bufalo. During a police raid in 1984, about 6,000 tons of marijuana were seized at the ranch, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, cost Quintero between $3.2 and $8 billion. The Guadalajara cartel earned $5 billion a year. There were rumors in the Mexican press that Quintero, following Escobar, offered to pay Mexico's foreign debt in exchange for his freedom. The drug lord was sentenced to 40 years in a Mexican prison in 1989, but was released 28 years later.

The second Mexican drug lord is Carrillo Fuentes, head of the Juarez cartel. The Washington Post estimated his fortune at $25 billion. It is believed that his wealth allowed him long years avoid justice. Fuentes received the nickname "Lord of the Skies" for his extensive fleet (22 aircraft) for transporting cocaine to the United States. Fuentes died in 1997 during plastic surgery to change his appearance.

Pablo Escobar

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar became the first criminal to appear on the Forbes 100 International Billionaires list in 1987 with an income of $3 billion. He dropped out only after his death in 1993. The Medellin cartel, led by Escobar, had revenues of $7 billion from 1981 to 1986, with the drug lord taking 40% for himself. The cartel received its main wealth from smuggling cocaine into the United States (about 15 tons daily); in the late 1980s, it owned 80% of the entire cocaine market in the world. According to Business Insider, Escobar earned $420 million a week; according to other sources, his fortune totaled more than $30 billion.

Every year, the king of cocaine lost about $2.1 billion (10% of revenue) as the money was haphazardly stored in warehouses and abandoned farms, destroyed by mold and rodents. Every month he spent $2,500 on rubber bands to hold bills together. Once Escobar burned $2 million to warm his daughter: the family was then hiding in the mountains, and there was nothing to light a fire with. In 1984, the cartel offered to pay Colombia's national debt in exchange for immunity. The Drug Enforcement Administration placed a reward of $11 million on Escobar's head. In 1991, the drug lord made a deal with the Colombian government to build his own La Catedral prison (with a football field and guards chosen by him), which the authorities could not approach closer than 5 km.

The life of the drug lord was so colorful that Netflix released the series “Narcos” dedicated to him in 2015.

Brothers Ochoa and Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha

In 1987, along with Escobar, the co-founders of the Medellin cartel, Jorge Luis Ochoa-Vazquez (with an income of $2 billion) and his brothers Juan David and Fabio, who received 30% of the cartel's revenue, were included in the Forbes list of the richest. The Ochoa brothers remained on the Forbes list for another 6 years until they surrendered to the authorities.

The drug lord Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, who lived at the same time, worked both with the Medellin cartel and independently (for example, transporting cocaine from Bogota to the United States disguised as flower deliveries) was also a billionaire. In 1988, Forbes estimated his fortune at $1.3 billion. Gacha remained on the list for two years until he was shot dead by Colombian police.

Joaquin Guzman Loera

In 2009, Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, nicknamed “Shorty,” was included in the Forbes list of the richest people on the planet with a fortune of $1 billion. In 2012 and 2013, he ranked 63rd and 67th among the most influential people in the world. Strategic Forecasting Inc. and even estimated his wealth at $12 billion. The Sinaloa Cartel under the leadership of Loehr was responsible for 25% of illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States and received revenue of $3 billion. The New York Times, citing data from the Drug Enforcement Administration, writes that the cartel sold more cocaine than Escobar at the peak of his career.

“Shorty” started his business in the early 1990s, transporting cocaine, including in cans of chili peppers (in 1993, Mexican authorities confiscated such a 7-ton cargo). He was declared "Mexico's most wanted man" with a $7 million reward for his capture: $5 million from the United States and another $2 million from Mexico. He was first arrested in 1993, but escaped from prison in 2001. IN last time Mexican intelligence agencies captured Loera in Sinaloa in January 2016. The drug lord was killed by vanity. He was going to make a biographical film about himself and was conducting a casting. In addition, actor Sean Penn flew to "Shorty" for an interview. It is believed that the authorities were able to track the movements of the criminal due to this.

The American gangster is as iconic an image as the cowboy. And although it is not a woman’s business to organize crimes, there are many representatives of the fair sex in history who have proven the opposite with their lives. John Dillinger, Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel are household names. But have you ever heard of Stephanie St. Clair or Marie Baker from the Pants Gang? No?! So it's time to meet them?

1. Bonnie Parker

Without a doubt, the most famous female gangster in the United States of America, Parker became part of the iconic crime duo Bonnie and Clyde. Both were notorious bank robbers; their criminal activities occurred in the early 1930s - the “era of enemies of the state.”

Parker was born in Rowena, Texas, where she was known as an intelligent and open girl. She met Clyde Barrow in 1930. They quickly got along with each other, despite the fact that Parker was already married. The legend of Bonnie and Clyde arose not only from the robberies and murders they committed, but also in part from a photo shoot they took near Joplin, Missouri, where the couple was on the run from the law. These photographs still inspire writers and filmmakers to create interpretations of their lives and deaths. Bonnie and Clyde died in a horrific shootout with police in 1934. She was 23, he was 25.

2. Stephanie St. Clair

In Manhattan she was called "Queenie" and in Harlem she was known as Madame St. Clair. St. Clair, an African-American, emigrated from France to the United States in 1912. Ten years later, she opened her own business, the Numbers Game (a type of underground lottery), and became a fierce advocate for her district. She testified against corrupt cops who collected payments from the protection of businesses, for which they were fired from the police force. In addition, she prevented the mafiosi from the business part of the city from seizing power in her area, who, after the end of Prohibition, decided to take over the residential areas as a new source of income.

Thanks to his main enforcer (note: gang member whose function is to enforce demands or carry out sentences) Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson and Madame St. Clair's marriage to Lucky Luciano managed to oust Dutch Schultz from Harlem. She was triumphant when she learned that Schultz was dying in the hospital from gunshot wound, and decided to send him a note in which the famous saying was written: “What goes around comes around.” When St. Clair retired, her place was taken by “Bumpy,” who later became known as the “Godfather of Harlem.”

3. Opal "Mc-Truck" Long

Opal Long, believed to have been born in Texas, was nicknamed "McTruck" (note: heavy duty truck manufactured by the American company Mack Trucks) because of their large sizes(although, of course, no one called her that to her face). She was a member of John Dillinger's gang, joined by her husband Russell Clark. Naturally caring, Long, who preferred to be called Bernice Clark, happily cooked and cleaned the house where her husband's accomplices, whom she believed, were hiding family of origin.

Everything went wrong when her husband was arrested in Tucson, Arizona on January 25, 1934. She first attacked the police officers who took part in the arrest, and later begged Dillinger to lend her money in order to hire Russell a good lawyer. For this reason, Opal was asked to leave the gang. In the summer of that year she went to prison. Long never held a grudge against those who once replaced her family. In November 1934, she received parole. Opal lived out her days in Chicago.

4. Helen Gillies

At sixteen, Helen Wawrzyniak made the fateful decision to marry Lester Gillis, the man who became known as Baby Nelson. By the age of twenty, she gave birth to two children and, thanks to her husband, was included in the list of enemies of the state who were ordered “not to be taken alive.” Helen herself considered herself an accomplice, and not a member of an organized crime group, however, as it turned out, she was directly involved (along with her husband and his friend John Paul Chase) in a brutal shootout with the cops that took place in the small town of Barrington (Illinois). November 27, 1934 and resulted in the deaths of two police officers and Baby Nelson.

Gillis earned an "honorable" place on the list of enemies of the state by saving her dying husband from police pursuit. She gave up on Thanksgiving. Angry at Chase over Nelson's death, Helen testified against him, thereby securing his life sentence. She died in the late 1980s and was buried next to her beloved husband, Baby Nelson, in Chicago's St. Joseph's Cemetery.

5. Mother Barker

Arizona Donnie Barker (aka Kate Barker) was known as a merciless woman. At nineteen, Arizona Clark married George Barker; they had four sons: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur and Fred. But the Barkers were no ordinary family; in 1910 they began to engage in highway robbery.

Their criminal activities could not fail to attract the attention of the press and the general public in the Midwest. Fate stopped being kind to the Barkers in 1927, when Herman committed suicide to avoid arrest. Soon after, Lloyd, Arthur and Fred were imprisoned. The last of them was released in 1931, and he and his mother continued to commit crimes, which led to tragic consequences.

Arizona and Fred were killed on January 8, 1935, when the FBI stormed their hideout near Lake Weir, Florida. After Barker's death, real debate arose regarding her place in the criminal gang. People who maintained close relationships with the family claimed that she played no active role in the criminal affairs of her sons, but John Edgar Hoover, who served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1924 to 1972, spoke of her as the most vicious, dangerous and a resourceful representative of the criminal world of the last decade.

6. Pearl Elliott

Pearl had close ties to John Dillinger and Harry Pierponton, however, she was not a dependent or accomplice of anyone. Elliott ran a brothel in the small town of Kokomo (Indiana); the establishment was under the protection of the local police, who, upon a signal from the owner, immediately came to her aid if any client began to behave inappropriately.

The Pearl brothel was also where the Pierponton gang hid out after a bank robbery in 1925. In 1933, for her connections with Dillinger, Elliott was placed on the list of enemies of the state who were ordered to be “shoot to kill.” She died at the age of 47 from a serious illness - presumably cancer.

7. Leader of the “Pants” gang – Marie Baker

The name of the lawbreaker is Marie Baker, an attractive brunette with brown eyes and the habit of carrying two pistols at all times, made headlines in 1933 after a series of store robberies committed by the "Panties" gang, so named because of the strange demands that its leader made of his victim-sellers. When there were no customers left in the store, Baker took the weapon out of her pocket and commanded: “Take off your pants!”, after which she burst into loud laughter.

As the Miami News wrote, Marie was killed by vanity. When Baker was busy robbing a butcher's shop, her owner took advantage of the opportunity to escape the criminal's grasp. She was soon arrested. It was later revealed that her name was actually Rose Durante. She served three years in prison; After her release, no one heard from her again.

8. Virginia Hill

Known as the "Flamingo" and "Queen of the Gangster World," Virginia Hill was the mistress of famed Brooklyn gangster Bugsy Siegel. She came from a poor family, telling everyone that she didn't get her first pair of shoes until she was seventeen. At a young age, Virginia left the small town in Georgia where she grew up and went to conquer Chicago. Nothing worked out for her here. Not for a long time Having worked as a courier for the transportation of “black cash” in Al Capone’s gang, Hill went to Los Angeles to reveal her acting talent. Here she met Bugsy Siegel, who became her lover. He later opened a hotel in Las Vegas, which he named after Virginia, the Flamingo. On June 20, 1947, Bugsy was killed in his home in Hollywood, where he lived with Hill.

Virginia, by a lucky coincidence, was away at the time. She later claimed: “He loved his hotel in Las Vegas more than me. I didn’t even suspect that he was involved in all these dirty deeds. I don’t know why he was killed.” In 1961, Hill was found dead at a ski resort in Austria. She is believed to have died from an overdose of sleeping pills, although many believe it was a premeditated murder.

9. Arlene Brickman

Arlene Brickman was born in 1933 into a Jewish family living in East Harlem. Since childhood, the girl idealized Virginia Hill’s lifestyle and decided to follow in her footsteps. She sold drugs, worked as a pawnbroker and a bet collector in an illegal lottery. Jewish origin did not allow Arlene to advance in her criminal career, and she did not particularly strive for this, since she already had enough money and power.

Years later, after her daughter was threatened by money lenders, Brickman became an informant. With her denunciations and espionage, she helped put extortionist Anthony Scarpati and several of his accomplices behind bars.

10. Evelyn "Billy" Frechette

Evelyn Frechette was the devoted lover of the famous criminal John Dillinger. She came from a mixed family (her descendants were considered French and American Indian from the Menominee tribe), attended Catholic school and received a fairly good education. For a long time, the girl could not find a job in her hometown, so she decided to leave for Chicago. Immediately after her first husband was sent to prison for robbing a post office, Frechette met Dillinger and joined his gang. The couple survived several horrific shootings.

In 1934, Evelyn was arrested and tried for harboring a fugitive. She was given two years. When she left prison, Dillinger was no longer alive. In 1936, Frechette decided to give up her criminal past and went on a lecture tour across the United States, which was called “Crime Is Never Justified.” She died of cancer at the age of 33.

Rosemarina - based on material from