ies. Comprising the wealthiest and most powerful leaders, the New York Mafia families make up nearly half of the total membership (p. 12).
Of the other cities the Mafia maintains an interest in, only two have been designated "open cities." These are Las Vegas and Miami. Las Vegas, with its casinos, includes a number of families, particularly the Chicago and Kansas City mobs along with New York and Los Angeles. Miami, once a Mafia center, has lost significant control to the violent Latin-American drug groups, particularly the Cubans and Colombians (Harris, 1984, p. 13).
As mentioned, the Mafia's achievements have been due to its ability to corrupt the legal system set up to curtail their activities. Former U.S. Attorney General William French Smith, in addressing the Mafia's number one source of income, heroin importation and distribution, is quoted as saying:
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