Crime Syndicates

Prohibition can't curb the national taste for alcohol, so its economy is driven underground — and there are hefty profits to be made on this black market. Organized crime syndicates, grow in size, wealth, and power as they figure out how to organize the manufacturing, bottling, transportation, and dispensing of alcohol. Though already involved in considerable illegal ventures, such as prostitution, gambling, and "protection," the financial opportunities that arise from the large national appetite for drink have never before been seen, and organized gang activity increases. Chicago, Miami, Detroit, San Francisco, and New York all have substantial crime syndicates. Competition among the different organizations is fierce, and violence erupts as celebrity gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Al Capone and their operations fight to control territories and markets. From 1920 to 1924, thanks in large part to Prohibition, Italian and Jewish gangs kill off or overpower the Irish gangs, which had made the bulk of their money running numbers. Eventually, the Sicilians will beat out the Neapolitans and Jews and establish the Cosa Nostra — the Mob, or Mafia. American culture is captivated by the cloaked world of organized crime.

Mug Shot, Lucky Luciano Gang, Arrested for Kidnapping Courtesy of NYC Municipal Archives