Santo Trafficante Sr., a ‘Sicilian of the old school,’ ruled Tampa’s underworld for more than a decade
On August 12, 1954, Tampa, Florida, Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Sr. died from stomach cancer. Laid to rest in a…
The rise of Castro and the fall of the Havana Mob
When Fidel Castro, his brother Raul, Che Guevara and 79 other Cuban rebels piled into the 43-foot yacht Granma on…
‘A good man in a bad business’
The 1930s were a tumultuous time in the Tampa underworld. Dubbed the “Era of Blood” by local journalists, the sound…
Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. died 30 years ago March 17
At 7:25 p.m. on January 3, 1953, Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. had just finished dinner with his wife…
Fidel Castro derailed Mob’s plans in Cuba
This is the first of three blogs on the death of Fidel Castro. Part two looks at Mob ties to…