Mafia is ‘under the radar’
Hold down regular jobs, Ontario officer testifies
An Ontario detective takes centre stage at Quebec’s inquiry into the construction industry, outlining trends in organized crime that he has seen in his home province. Detective Constable Mike Amato said much of the internal strife between warring families is undetectable by law enforcement agencies, because the Ontario mobsters tend to stay “under the radar.” His testimony often echoed that of Italian mob expert Valentina Tenti, who took the stand at the hearings earlier this week,
A detective from Ontario took centre stage at Quebec’s inquiry into corruption in the construction industry on Thursday, outlining some of the broad trends in organized crime that he has witnessed in his home province.
Det.-Const. Mike Amato of York Regional Police explained to the commissioners that in Ontario, and the Greater Toronto Area in particular, the ’Ndrangheta crime families — originating in Italy’s Calabria region — are the most powerful players. Quebec, in contrast, has mainly been dominated over the last decades by Cosa Nostra (Sicilian) Mob families — namely the Rizzuto clan.
In Toronto, the ’Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra appear to coexist more easily, Amato said, and even assist each other — when it suits them.
“Obviously, at times there’s conflicts,” the 25-year police veteran said. “There’s murder, there’s violence, there’s bombings.”
Much of this internal strife is undetectable by law enforcement agencies, however, because the Ontario mobsters tend to stay “under the radar,” Amato said.
“Every so often, you might see that someone who was walking straight is now walking crooked. … There is violence, but it’s undetected and it’s unknown to us.”
In many ways, Amato’s testimony seemed to echo that of Italian scholar Valentina Tenti, who took the stand earlier in the week and gave the commissioners a crash course in the Italian Mob, as it exists both in Italy and abroad. Amato confirmed Tenti’s assertion that over the years, Mafia organizations around the globe have become increasingly adept at infiltrating the legitimate business market, using restaurants, trucking companies, construction firms and other businesses as fronts for criminal activities behind the scenes.
“They do not operate in the dark, they operate in the light, among us,” Amato said. “You have persons who are accountants, bankers, bus drivers, in all sectors of public life.
“They need these legitimate businesses to launder their criminal profits. … It also allows someone to explain their wealth.”
Like Tenti, Amato also stressed that Mob families are highly adaptable and flexible organizations, restructuring and changing tactics as they move into new regions and as technology improves. The Ontario and Quebec organizations may cooperate when it is advantageous to both parties, he said, as has been the case with certain Internet gambling operations.
“As we evolve as a society, so does organized crime, ”Amato explained. “They’re just sometimes quicker and better at it than we are.”
Amato completed his testimony during the morning session. On Thursday after noon, Justice France Charbonneau was asked by a lawyer representing the Coalition Avenir Québec to consider granting the provincial opposition party “participant” status, which would allow its lawyer to cross-examine witnesses. The Parti Québécois and the city of Montreal, among others, have been granted this status.
After calling a recess, Charbonneau chose instead to grant the CAQ “intervenor” status, meaning the party will not be allowed to question witnesses, but will be given access to documents before they are entered into evidence and can propose questions to the commission’s lawyers.