Summary of Prohibition and Organized Crime

Prohibition and Organized Crime

During Prohibition, many breweries closed, leading to the rise of illegal alcohol practices such as "rum running" and home distilling. Mob-owned bars, known as "speakeasies," proliferated, selling illegal beer and often dangerous liquor. The period saw ethnic gangs (Italians, Irish, Jews, Poles) collaborating and competing violently, with over 1,000 mob-related deaths in New York alone.

Bootlegging Operations

Bootleggers operated nationwide, with significant activities in cities like Boston, St. Louis, Miami, Seattle, and San Francisco. Notable gangs included the Purple Gang in Detroit and Moe Dalitz's Mayfield Road Gang in Cleveland, who smuggled liquor across state lines. Chicago and New York became key centers for organized crime due to high immigrant populations.

Rise of the Five Families

The notorious Italian-American "Five Families" of New York (Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonnano, and Colombo) emerged from the wealth generated during Prohibition. Charles "Lucky" Luciano became a pivotal figure in organized crime, working for Arnold Rothstein and gaining significant power and wealth while becoming a top bootlegger by the mid-1920s.