Agueci brothers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alberto (Italian: [alˈbɛrto]; 1922–November 1961) and Vito Agueci (Italian: [ˈviːto aˈɡwɛːtʃi]), also known as the Agueci brothers, were Sicilian mafiosi who were involved in the French Connection heroin smuggling ring from Europe into the United States and Canada during the late 1950s and early 1960s, closely connected to Hamilton, Ontario mobster Johnny Papalia and the Buffalo crime family.

Alberto, born in 1922 in Trapani, Sicily, Italy, immigrated to Canada in 1950 after he was turned away from the United States, settling in Windsor, Ontario where he worked in construction, soon after resettling in Toronto as co-owner of a bakery. In the late 1950s he moved to Hamilton where the two brothers became involved in the French Connection with Johnny Papalia, as well as Papalia's vending machine businesses with Alberto.[1] With the help of Salvatore Valenti in Sicily, much of the heroin would come over through Sicilian immigrants in their suitcases as they embarked for the New York City pier.[1] In October 1960, smugglers Salvatore Rinaldo and Matteo Palmeri were arrested as they picked up a trunk of heroin, turning informant.[1] This led to the indictment of 20 men, including the Agueci brothers and Papalia on May 22, 1961.[1] Alberto was arrested on May 5, 1961 after Toronto police found him carrying two capsules of heroin.[1] By September 1961, Alberto was extradited and awaiting trial in New York. After paying tributes to Buffalo crime family boss Stefano Magaddino on profits coming in from the heroin ring, when Alberto was in jail, he expected Magaddino to raise his bail money, but when Magaddino did not, his anger grew and threatened to inform to the police.[1] Alberto finally made bail by selling his home and borrowing money from a friend.[1]

On October 8, 1961, Alberto left his wife Vita and his daughters in Toronto for a court appearance in New York.[1] His charred body was found in a cornfield in Penfield, New York by hunters, on November 23, 1961.[1] A subsequent investigation found that over a period of several days that several of his teeth were knocked out, ribs broken, skull fractured, genitals missing, trussed with barbed wire, strangled and burned; it was determined by the medical examiner that he had been dead for two weeks, where animals had consumed large parts of his flesh.[1][2][3] No charges were ever laid relating to Alberto's torture-murder, however it is believed Magaddino ordered his murder due to his instability.[1] The court found that Alberto violated the conditions of his bail and refused to return the $20,000 to his family, leaving his wife and daughters destitute.[1]

On December 27, 1962, Vito was sentenced to 15 years in prison for narcotics charges.[1]

Further reading[]

  • Humphreys, Adrian. The Enforcer:Johnny Pops Papalia, A Life and Death in the Mafia. Toronto, Canada: Harper Collins, 1999. ISBN 0-00-200016-4
  • Lamothe, Lee. & Nicaso, antonio. Bloodlines:Project Omertà and the Fall of the Mafia's Royal Family. Toronto, Canada: Harper Collins, 2001. ISBN 0-00-638524-9
  • Edwards, Peter. & Nicaso, Antonio. Deadly Silence:Canadian Mafia Murders. Toronto, Canada: MacMillan, 1993. ISBN 0-7715-9017-2
  • Dubro, James. Mob Rule:Inside the Canadian Mafia. Toronto, Canada: Totem Books, 1985. ISBN 0-00-217657-2
  • Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
  • Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Humphreys, Adrian (1999). The Enforcer:Johnny Pops Papalia, A Life and Death in the Mafia. Toronto: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-200016-4.
  2. ^ "ORGANIZED CRIME'S GRIP ON ONTARIO". macleans.ca. 21 September 1963.
  3. ^ "CRIME HUNTER: Buffalo blues — last rites for the mob in Queen City". torontosun.com. 5 May 2018.
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