Targeting the Mafia: FBN, Organized Crime, and Drugs

In the first half of the 20th century, the Mafia as a criminal organization was not yet into drugs. Following the end of World War II, Mafia members in New York City joined the heroin trade, eventually doing business with European drug sources from the infamous “Unione Corse” and “French Connection.” Narcotic Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) kept close tabs on them and regularly compiled intelligence reports that helped produce numerous arrests and convictions. In later years, this extensive intelligence on these old Mafia family ties and associations proved invaluable. Former FBN Narcotic Agent and Retired DEA Assistant Administrator for Operations John J. Coleman, Ph.D., discusses FBN, organized crime, and drugs in the 1960s.