20 Most Notorius Canadian Mafia

20 Most Notorious Canadian Mafia

*Originally published by Brian in February 2023 and updated by Faith in March 2024.

Organized crime has long been a scourge on Canadian society, with the activities of various mafia groups serving as a constant threat to the rule of law and the safety and security of citizens. The activities of these groups, which include drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and other illegal activities, have far-reaching consequences that extend well beyond the realm of criminality.

The Canadian mafias, including the notorious Montreal Mafia and ‘Ndrangheta, have been known to use violence and intimidation to achieve their goals, making them a persistent and dangerous force. Their actions represent a challenge to the values of civil society and the principles of justice, fairness, and equality that underpin Canadian law.

Despite the best efforts of law enforcement agencies, Canadian mafias continue to pose a significant threat to the country’s social and economic fabric. The fight against organized crime requires not only increased law enforcement resources, but also the engagement and collaboration of communities, government, and civil society organizations.

Only by working together can we hope to effectively combat the activities of these criminal enterprises and safeguard the well-being of Canadian citizens. In the article are the 20 most notorious Canadian mafia

1. Commisso ‘ndrina‎

The Commisso ‘ndrina is a powerful clan of the ‘Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. The ‘ndrina is based in Siderno, but also has a branch in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada as part of the Siderno Group.

The Commisso clan is involved in international drug trafficking using family ties in Italy, Canada, the United States and Australia. Cosimo Commisso was sentenced over the vendetta and his cousin Antonio Commisso, also known as l’avvocatu, succeeded him as the acting boss of the clan.

2. Cotroni crime family

The Cotroni crime family, originally Cotrone was an Italian ‘Ndrangheta-type organized crime syndicate (or ‘Ndrina) based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered the family a branch of the Bonanno crime family of New York.

The organization was established in the 1940s by Vincenzo Cotroni, a Calabrian immigrant from Mammola. An internal war broke out between the Calabrian and Sicilian factions of the family in the late 1970s, which resulted in the death of acting captain Paolo Violi and his brothers. This allowed the Sicilian Rizzuto faction, a Mafia crime family to overtake the Cotroni’s Calabrian faction as the preeminent crime family in Montreal. Vincenzo died of cancer in 1984, followed by his brother Frank in 2004.

3. Rizzuto crime family

The Rizzuto crime family is an organized crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, whose criminal activity covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers the family a faction of the Bonanno crime family, while Canadian and most other international law enforcement agencies recognize it as an independent crime family. The Rizzuto family is sometimes referred to as the Sixth Family.

Nicolo Rizzuto, a Sicilian immigrant from Cattolica Eraclea, established the organization in the 1970s as part of the Sicilian faction of the Montreal Cotroni crime family. An internal war broke out by the late 1970s which resulted in the death of acting captain Paolo Violi and his brothers, allowing the Rizzutos to overtake the Cotronis as the preeminent crime family in Montreal.

Nicolo quickly rose through the ranks of organized crime in Montreal, earning the nickname ‘The Canadian Godfather’ and ‘boss of the Mafia in Canada’ from international organized crime expert Antonio Nicaso.

4. Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan

The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan was a Mafia clan of the Cosa Nostra and held a crucial position in the illicit drug trade and money laundering for Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and 1990s. The Italian press baptized the clan as “The Rothschilds of the Mafia” or “The Bankers of Cosa Nostra”.

According to the Italian Antimafia Commission, the Cuntrera-Caruana clan played a central role in international drug trafficking, extending their interests from Italy to Canada and Venezuela. Prominent members of the clan are the brothers Liborio Cuntrera, Pasquale Cuntrera, Gaspare Cuntrera and Paolo Cuntrera. On the Caruana side, there are Giuseppe Caruana, Carmelo Caruana and his son Alfonso Caruana, and Leonardo Caruana.

5. Luppino crime family

The Luppino crime family is also known as the Luppino-Violi crime family. It is a ‘Ndrangheta organized crime family based and founded in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the 1950s by Giacomo Luppino. The Luppino family is one of three centralized Mafia organizations in Hamilton, with the other two being the Musitano crime family and the Papalia crime family. The Luppinos have had strong connections with the Buffalo crime family of Buffalo, New York.

By 2018, the Violis had an increased role in the organization, particularly Domenico and Giuseppe Violi, the sons of Montreal mob boss Paolo Violi who had married into the Luppino family through Giacomo’s daughter. Domenico had reportedly been made the underboss of the Buffalo crime family and one of his duties was to “assume control over the operations of the Luppino-Violi crime family”.

By late 2018, however, both brothers were imprisoned for drug trafficking offences. Brothers Natale and Rocco Luppino are believed to be the leaders of the Hamilton-based organisation. In recent times the Luppino crime family has fallen under the control of the Buffalo crime family and is now believed to be the Buffalo family’s Canadian crew.

6. Buffalo crime family

The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family, Buffalo Mafia, The Arm, the New York State crime family, the Upstate New York Mafia, and the Todaro crime family, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Buffalo, New York. Criminal investigators claim that the family operates throughout Western New York, Erie, Pennsylvania, and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The Buffalo family is purported to hold strong connections with the Hamilton-based Luppino and Papalia families. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the current boss of the Buffalo crime family is Joseph A. “Big Joe” Todaro Jr., having assumed the role after his father, Joseph E. “Lead Pipe Joe” Todaro Sr., retired.

7. Papalia crime family

The Papalia crime family also known as Papalia ‘ndrina, is a ‘Ndrangheta organized crime family based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as well as Platì in Southern Italy and Buccinasco in Northern Italy. Another branch of the family is based in Griffith in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Antonio Papalia founded the Papalia family in Canada in the 1940s, and is one of three centralized Mafia organizations in Hamilton, with the other two being the Musitano crime family and the Luppino crime family. The Papalias had strong connections with the Buffalo crime family of Buffalo, New York under long-reigning boss Johnny Papalia, who was often called “Pops” or “The Enforcer”.

In Italy, the Papalia family is a sort of branch within the Barbaro ‘ndrina, operating in Lombardy, and having its stronghold in the city of Buccinasco. The branch was founded and headed by the children of Giuseppe Papalia and Serafina Barbaro.

8. Musitano crime family

The Musitano crime family is a ‘Ndrangheta organized crime family based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as well as Platì in Southern Italy and Buccinasco and Bareggio in Northern Italy. The Musitano family was founded by Angelo Musitano in Canada in the 1940s, and was one of three centralized Mafia organizations in Hamilton, with the other two being the Luppino crime family and the Papalia crime family.

Unlike the other two Hamilton families, the Musitanos did not form a strong alliance with the Buffalo crime family, staying closer to their ‘Ndrangheta cell. The killings of Johnny Papalia and his lieutenant Carmen Barillaro in 1997, ordered by brothers Angelo and Pat Musitano, had effectively wiped out the family’s remaining leaders in Canada.

One news report stated that the events of 1997 “decapitated the Papalia family.” The brothers were arrested and sentenced in 2000 and then released in 2006. A power struggle within the Hamilton mafia had been the result of several attempts made on Pat’s life in the 2010s; Angelo was killed in 2017 and, finally, Pat was killed in 2020.

9. Siderno Group

The Siderno Group is a criminal association in Canada, Australia and Italy related to the ‘Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria. The association is labelled the “Siderno Group” because its members primarily came from the town of Siderno on the Ionian coast in Calabria and migrated to Canada and Australia in the 1950s.

The Siderno crime group operates throughout Canada, the United States, Australia and Europe and is composed of a group of families who are related by blood or marriage. Siderno is home to one of the ‘Ndrangheta’s biggest and most important clans, the Commisso ‘ndrina, involved in the global cocaine business and money laundering.

The group has moved narcotics over three continents. They had contacts in Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile and Peru, and had permanent representation in Colombia for drugs and in Costa Rica and Panama for money laundering. Its key man in Colombia, Roberto Pannunzi, was arrested in Medellin, Colombia in 1994. In the past, he had been in charge of heroin shipments from Turkey through Italy to the United States.

10. Sixth Family

A Sixth Family is a crime family or criminal organization, usually an Italian-American or Italian-Canadian crime group, that has become powerful or notable enough to rise to a level comparable to that of the Five Families of the New York City Italian-American Mafia. A criminal organization deemed a “Sixth Family” may rival the Five Families or may work closely enough with the Five Families that it appears to be a peer or near coequal of the families.

11  Luppino-Violi Alliance

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Violi crime family of Montreal and the Luppino crime family of Hamilton formed the formidable Luppino-Violi Alliance. Giacomo Luppino and Vincenzo Violi established the partnership to pool their resources and abilities in a variety of illegal enterprises, including money laundering, extortion, drug trafficking, and illicit gaming in Ontario and Quebec. The two families were able to increase their grip over territory and criminal networks by banding together. Their competitors, the Rizzuto family in Montreal and the Musitano family in Hamilton were seriously threatened by the collaboration. However, the alliance did not last long as they split in the early 200s due to internal conflicts.

12 The Calabrese family

The organised crime group based in Toronto is famed around the Italian-Canadian community and even has ties with the ‘Ndrangheta, which is a crime family that is based in Italy. The Calabrese family has a hand in several illegal activities like loan sharking, drug trafficking and extortion. The group also has connections outside the country and that means that they partake in transnational criminal enterprises. Over the years, there have been efforts by law enforcement officers to dismantle their operations through crackdowns but their connections and deep roots mean that they always come back. Their connection and activities contribute heavily to the reputation the Canadian Organized Crime.

13 Black Mafia

This organised crime syndicate is popularly known as BM or the Montreal Black Mafia. The group has people of Haitian descent and they dabble in several illegal things like violent crimes, extortion and drug trafficking. They gained popularity when they started dealing with drugs like cocaine and also being involved in violent conflicts with neighbouring gangs. The Black Mafia has persisted in some neighbourhoods despite efforts by law enforcement to dissolve the criminal syndicate. Its members frequently work in highly organised groups, protecting their interests and growing their illegal businesses by violence and intimidation.

14 The Dubois Brothers

The organised crime group that is led by the Dubois siblings operates primarily in Montreal, Quebec. Like many other organised crime groups, the criminal syndicate is involved in drug trafficking, extortion and contract killing. The group which is known for its intimidation tactics and violence have a chilling reputation in Montreal’s underworld scene. The brothers often eliminate their rivals in order to maintain their dominance in the underworld, which makes them a dangerous group. Efforts by law enforcement authorities are in place to try and dismantle the group and bring the perpetrators to justice.

15 The Lacroix Brothers

The Lacroix Brothers were a Montreal, Quebec-based criminal gang well-known for their involvement in a wide range of illegal operations. The Lacroix siblings served as the group’s leader, and they were mostly involved in organised crime activities such as drug trafficking and extortion in the Montreal region.

The criminal syndicate rose to prominence in the criminal underground because of their brutality and readiness to use violence to achieve their goals. They also had a reputation for getting into fights with other gangs and engaging in turf wars for control of profitable drug markets. For a considerable amount of time, the Lacroix Brothers remained a prominent presence in Montreal despite attempts by law officials to shut down their operations.

16 Violi Crime Family

This organised crime group is a Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta that operates in Montreal, Quebec. Established by Vincenzo  Violi in the 1950s, the crime family has tried their hand at different illegal activities that include labour racketeering, drug trafficking, and loan sharking. Furthermore, the crime family have been key players in the underworld criminal scene in that during the Mafia wars that happened in Montreal in the 1970s up to the 1990s, they were the leading force against rival crime families like the Rizzuto and Cotroni families. Law enforcement authorities have managed to indict some senior members of the group like Francesco Arcadi for racketeering but they are still operational because of the close ties they have with other ‘Ndrangheta families.

17 Girodano crime family

This is another Italian-Canadian crime family that is based in Ontario, Toronto. The group which was founded and led by Giacomo Giordano is known for extortion, drug trafficking as well as infiltration of construction companies and labour unions. The Giordano clan was involved in a bloody power struggle in the 1990s and 2000s over control of multiple rackets in the Greater Toronto Area, including rival mobsters such as the Musitano crime family of Hamilton. During this period, a number of well-known killings took place.

Numerous high-ranking Giordano family members were arrested and found guilty on charges including racketeering, drug trafficking, and extortion as a result of law enforcement operations including Project OOakville and Project Kryptic, which targeted the Giordano family. It is still thought that the family conducts illegal activities in Ontario.

18 Lamanna Crime Family

The crime family which is part of the ‘Ndrngheta crime family primarily operates in Woodbridge, Ontario. The criminal syndicate is one of the most influential crime organisations in North America and it is known for being involved in nefarious activities like money laundering, extortion and drug trafficking. Details on their structure and administration are not well known because threats from law enforcement authorities have made it hard for them to operate openly and thus concrete details on their operations are not known. 

19 Hells Angels Motorcycle Club

The famous outlaw motorcycle club is one of the notorious Canadian Mafia. With chapters across Canada, the group has been involved in criminal activities for the past decades. The club was originally started in Quebec in 1977 and it has grown to several chapters across the country. They mainly deal with weapon trafficking, Prostitution rings, money laundering, drug trafficking and illegal gambling. Also, the motorcycle club is known for being involved in conflicts with neighbouring clubs like Bandidos and Rock Machine over territories where they distribute drugs. Law enforcement has amped efforts to dismantle the group as it views them as a big threat to in organised crime groups.

20 The Bacon Brothers

The criminal syndicate that is based in British Columbia is famed for its involvement in organised crime in the Vancouver area. The group, which gained popularity in the early 200s, was formed by Jamie Jonathan and Jarrod Bacon and they mainly dealt with extortion, drug trafficking and violent criminal activities. Numerous killings and fatalities occurred in the Greater Vancouver area as a result of The Bacon Brothers getting entangled in a bloody gang war with other gangs, most notably the United Nations Gang and the Red Scorpions. Their run-ins with the law resulted in extensive media coverage and close examination by the authorities. Due to the violent altercations and illegal actions of the Bacon Brothers, the authorities launched a crackdown, which resulted in the arrest and conviction of numerous important members.