Crime fai A couple of weeks ago in this space, I told you the story of the arrest and conviction of the top echelon of the largest drug dealers in the world, the Cuntrera-Caruana crime family in Toronto. At the time of that writing I wanted to celebrate what appeared to be a victory in the fight against organized crime. But alas, the informa- tion published in media reports of the plea bargain deal fell far short of telling the whole story. The Cuntrera-Cartana crime family was headed by Alfonso Caruana, his brother Gerlando, and Augostino Cuntrers, boyhood friends and the inheritors of their fathers’ crime syndicate built in the sraall rown of Siculiana in Sicily. The current vestige of fa famiglia arose from the ashes of a car bombing in Ciaculli, in 1963, which claimed the lives of seven police officers. That's the genesis of these type of people — cop killers. Granted, the intended target was some Matiosi nobody named Salvatore Greco. The cops were an unfortunate byproduct of that hit. The Italian government had decided that the murders sere more than they could take. They ordered a purge of the known Mafia-types in the area, which drove the thugs to join relations elsewhere. Since the *50s, Pasquale and Liborio Cuntrera and their pal Leonardo Caruana had fled Italian justice and became Canadian citizens despite their outstanding indictments on double homi- cide charges. Nice to know little has changed with anoth- er Liberal government 45 years later. Other parts of the farnily, maltrox _ crime and punishment specitically Alfonso, his brother Gerlando and Augostino Cunvera, set their sights on Venezuela. From there they set up their crimi- nal empire. After making family alliances, through marriage, with Pablo Escobar, the sup- ply line for the world’s biggest cocaine ring was forged and with it, the Cali Cartel. The families solidified their power and their net- works by inter-marrying and assuring a long line ef loyalty. From Venezuela, the Cunirera-Caruanas controiled much of the estimated $1 bil- lios-plus cocaine trade ema- nating out of South America. They had the established innet- works and the Colombians had the coke. It was a mar- riage made in heaven. In the interim, the Cuntrera-Caruana family, under the leadership of Alfonso, had firmiy estab- lished a foothold in Canada. Alfonso moved to Canada, following the murder of Mafia capa, Paolo Violi, into a quiet suburb of Toronto, where he was to later claim he was a simple car-wash attendant. In reality, he con- trolled the largest drug deal- ing network in the world. Italian newspapers described the Cuntrera- Caruana organization as the “Rothschilds of the Mafia.” Some car wash attendant. It should also be noted that the Italian government had been trying to get Caruana extra- dited for years, but met with little co-operation from our government. It was in this atmosphere, that they were considered untouchable by much of the world’s law enforcement. Then the Mounties in Montreal got a break in an investigation into a courier that was to launch Project Omerta — an international investigation into the top lev- els of the Rothschilds of the Mafia. By mid-July 1998, follow- ing the seizure of 200 kilos of pure cocaine in Houston, Texas, warrants were issued for the main players, includ- ing Alfonso Caruana and his brother, Gerlando, the num- ber pvo man in the family. Unfortunately, police did- n't get Augustino Cuntrera. Nor did they get a significant stash of cocaine at his coffee company in Montreal, said to be as much as four times the amount seized in Texas. Burt, still, the news was good. Last month, after the plea-bargained sentences were announced, claims were made that the organization had been destroyed and the heads were effectively out of com- mission for a very long time. The reality seems some- what different. Gerlande Caruana, the second in command of the family, was on parole at the time of his arrest in 1998. He'd been sentenced to 20 years for the same offences in 1986. He was granted parole in the fall of 1996. The full term of the sentence expires in the year 2006. Sources tell me that after three months of negetiaton to arrive at the plea b-~ in, Gerlando Caruana s-.,.. .1veni a deal for an 18-year sen- tence, the same as his brother Alfonso. The convictions were reg- istered on charges of conspir- acy to import cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. The sentences were Amana art tbs erin eRePnet ae chara A a NE AVRO Y Vv far from deat to run concurrently. Unfortunately, the judge was never asked to stipulate the sentences were to run consec- Utive to or as “stand alone” to the 1986 conviction. In other words, because of the judicial omission, he was legally eligible for parole a year and a half before he was arrested on the new charges. Since the convictions, the media in Toronto and Montreal have been serving up the pablum spoon-fed to them by spin doctors, saying the Cuntrera-Caruana family has been dealt a death blow, 80 to speak. Well, it hasn't. One police officer specifically said to me “that’s hogwash.” The family is now being run by Augustino Cuntrera and has barely missed a beat. The Rothschilds of the Mafia are still in business and would rank in the Fortune 500 were they legit. Gerlando Caruana, who may be considered eligi- ble for parole by Corrections Canada, is still in custody largely because he hasn't asked for a parole hearing. Yer. It is believed he'll wait six months or a year, $0 as not to attract unfavourable public attention on the sentence he received, not what was announced publicly. When he gets out, he'll take controt of the family trom Augustino, the caretaker “Don.” ‘The investigation to take these guys down cost over $8 million. The police did their job against huge odds and in the face of international naysayers, The Crown put the case together property and forced plea bargains saving the huge cost ofa trial. So what the hell happened? Is it any wonder Antonio Nicasio, author of nine books on the Mafia, called Canada a “laboratory for organized crime.” — lknight@direct.ca eat perenne neeeernanantee aaa ania aad Junking garbage cans irks resident Dear Editor: : Re: Banning of the _ Rubbermaid 221 -litre wheeled garbage. cams.. : What ara I supposed to do with the two that I now have? If North Vancouver District is banning them outright then J should be offered a free replacement or at least some sort of compensation/trade-in? If the Workers Compensation ‘Board or these so-called sanita- tion engineers find them too ‘Tyler Smith Offers Internet prices to the ublic. Buy or Lease s rade-ins accepte i: 644-4548 heavy, would they be able to lift them if they + ‘ere only half full with a weight restriction? I don’t see how they can be banned and still be for sale at places like the Superstore with- out warning labels attached stating “please buy me but your age person may not be able ee me and will leave your garbage until you use one that's not so heavy.” The $145 Schaefer cart is a far cry from the $16 1 paid for Country Furniture © Harvest Tables * Antique Skis & Sleds *Dreseers © Jelly Cupboarde © Coffee Tables 9 Sideboards ¢ And much more! A goad selection of Antique Blanket Boxes in stock, starting at $395." Authentic Canadian Country Furniture j the Urban Settler Antique Compan 67 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver 988-3410 jf Tues-Sat 10:30-5:30pm ¢ or by appointment 4 www.urbansettler.com the comparable ones I have. How much of the $145 does the district get? What is the actual cost the district pays for a Schaefer cart? Jack Deng jdsk@smartt.com Wednesday, March 22, 2000 — Nor-h Shore News - 7 ["wure oof m : td Vv cod weery s Oil, Lube & Fitter ty sareyy =. 21 pt. Safety check, 15 minutes - FAST! f All service: Includes up to 5 itres of 1Ow30 Quakerstate 1362 Marine Drive 980-9711 ors 8:00amn-6:00pm, Sun. 9:00amn-S:00prm Expires Mar. 29/2000 S$.LAURSEN | & SON draperies & blinds Itd. Serving the Lower Maintand for over 28 years “3 eA wwessldrapesandblinds.com : Custom Rods, Upholstery & Bedspreads ‘cls about er Senior Discound me For Free Estimate call 922-4975 or 987-2966 Drapery Labour $16.95 pet panel lined. 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