Santo Trafficante Jr
1961
[Reference:
Dade County OCB file # 1-139]
[NOTE: This entire document
was not transcribed, only the references to Cuba and a
little background for continuity.]
U.S. Treasury Department
Bureau of Narcotics
September 1961
Washington, D.C.
NAME: Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.
ALIASES: Santos TRAFFICANTE; Louis SANTOS; Enrique CHACON;
Samuel BALTO
DESCRIPTION: Born 11-15-14, Tampa, Florida; 5' 10";
180lbs; brown eyes; brown-greying hair; wears glasses.
LOCALITIES FREQUENTED: Resides at
2505 Bristol
Ave., Tampa, Florida; said to maintain a residence at 3010
N. Boulevard
Ave., Tampa, Florida. During the Batista regime he
resided
at Calle 12, No. 20 Vedado, Havana, Cuba; has frequented
Miami, St.
Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida; New York.
FAMILY BACKGROUND:
Father: Santo TRAFFICANTE Sr. born Cianciani, Sicily
on 5-28-1886, son of Alfonso and Mother Lucia (maiden name
unknown).
Mother: Maria Giuseppa CACCIATORE born in Italy (date
and place unknown - believed to be deceased).
Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo
TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April
17, 1938).
Daughters: Mary Josephine
Sarah Ann
Brothers: Frank, Salvatore (Sam), Epifanio and Enrico
(Henry)
Uncle: Joseph M. CACCIATORE (convicted narcotic trafficker)
CRIMINAL HISTORY:
FBI No. 482 531 B; Tampa P.D. # 50366; Sheriff's Office,
Tampa, Florida
# 53561; Sheriff's Office, Clearwater, Florida # 4707; U.S.
Marshal,
Tampa, Florida # 6632.
10-11-46 arrested as Samuel BALTO, #6120, by the Saint
Petersburg, Florida P.D., picked up for investigation,
released.
11-16-53 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr., # 53561 by the
Sheriff's
Office, Tampa, Florida; picked up for
vagrancy-investigation, released.
11-16-53 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr., # 50366 by the
Tampa,
Florida P.D.' picked up for general investigation; released
11-16-53.
5-19-54 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr., # 53561 by the
Sheriff's
Office, Tampa, Florida; arrested for bribery; 9-14-57 not
guilty.
5-20-54 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE, # 4707 by the
Sheriff's Office,
Clearwater, Florida; arrested for bribery; on 9-27-54
sentenced to 5
years in Florida State Prison; on January 23, 1957
conviction was
reversed by State Supreme Court.
6-29-54 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. # 6120 by the St.
Petersburg,
Florida P.D.; arrested for bolita; on November 8, 1954 not
guilty.
3-25-66 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. # 6588; U.S.
Marshal, Tampa,
Florida; conspiracy Wagering Act; 12-12-59 found not guilty.
4-1-55 arrested as Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.; # 6632; U.S.
Marshal, Tampa,
Florida; conspiracy Wagering Act; 12-12-59 found not guilty.
1-3-58 as Santo TRAFFICANTE, # DI NRO 23039, by the
Department of Investigation, Cuban National Police, Havana,
Cuba; inquiry.
BUSINESSES:
Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. openly operated the Sans Souci and the
Casino
International gambling establishments in Cuba during the
rule of
ex-dictator Fulgencio Batista. As a leading member of
the
syndicate, he was the overseer of these two gambling
casinos. It
was suspected that he also had behind-the-scenes interests
in other
syndicate owned Cuban gambling casinos namely, The
Riviera, The
Tropicana, The Sevilla Biltmore, The Capri Hotel Casino and
the Havana
Hilton. He was toppled from control of these casinos
by the
Castro revolution.
He has interests in the Columbia Restaurant and the
Nebraska, Tangerine and Sands Bars, all in Tampa.
Recent, unconfirmed information has it that Santo
TRAFFICANTE Jr.'s is
"absolutely broke" and that he owes money to his
associates. The
alleged debts amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
SUMMARY and BACKGROUND:
In November 1957 Grand Jury subpoenas were issued for
TRAFFICANTE Jr.
and the other Apalachin hoodlums. However, he fled
from his
Florida home to Havana, Cuba to avoid service of subpoena.
In January 1958 TRAFFICANTE Jr. was questioned by the Cuban
National
police regarding the highly publicized Apalachin
meeting. When he
had been arrested by New York State Troopers he gave his
name as Louis
SANTOS, Sans Souci nightclub, Havana. However, when
the Cuban
authorities arrested him he denied the use of the name
SANTOS or that
he had attended the Apalachin meeting.
Shortly before TRAFFICANTE Jr. fled from the United States
he was also
being sought by authorities of the New York City Police
Department for
questioning in connection with the recent murder of Albert
ANASTASIA,
commonly referred to as the Chief Executioner for the
infamous Murder
Inc. mob of Brooklyn New York. Reliable information
was received
that the ANASTASIA murder was one of the items on the
agenda of
the criminal meeting at Apalachin.
When TRAFFICANTE Jr. was questioned by the Cubans he
admitted to a
close friendship with ANASTASIA but denied any knowledge of
the
latter's murder.
It is reported that quite recently TRAFFICANTE jr. fell prey
to
manipulation of the "bolita" numbers, published in Cuba, by
Cuban
operatives working for Fidel Castro. The rumor
is that this
operation rendered him "completely broke"
financially. This
remains unverified and there are no outward signs that his
influence in
the national syndicate has diminished to any marked degree.
CHRONOLOGY:
Prior to the Cuban revolution, James LONGO looked after
Santo
TRAFFICANTE Jr.'s gambling interests in Cuba. (LONGO
is currently
a lieutenant and "enforcer" for Santo TRAFFICANTE
Jr.). In
1954 it was also reported that Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.
owned a
drive-in theater on the outskirts of Havana.
On October 25, 1957 the infamous Albert ANASTASIA, chief
executioner of
Murder Inc., was shot to death in a barber chair in the Park
Sheraton
Hotel, NYC. Many theories have been advanced to
explain this
killing. One of these theories is that ANASTASIA was
murdered
because he was trying to declare for himself a larger but
unreasonable
share of the profits realized from the syndicate's gambling
enterprises
in Cuba.
In a letter dated March 27, 1958 Wm. W. Johnston, U.S.
Treasury Representative in charge, Havana, Cuba reported the
following:
1. Shortly after the Apalachin meeting, the Cuban
Bureau of
Investigation fingerprinted and photographed the American
gamblers and
their casino technicians. These photographs and
fingerprints were
then forwarded to Internal Revenue Agent James B. DeLuca for
the
information of the International Operations Division of the
Internal
Revenue Service.
2. Under Cuban law during the Batista regime, a
gambling casino
was not permitted to operate in a hotel establishment unless
the hotel
was valued at least one million dollars. An operating
license
cost from $25,000 to $50,000.
3. Once in operation, the Cuban Treasury Department
collected 20
percent of the proceeds reported. However, due to
pay-offs to
various officials, the actual amount which ended up in the
Treasury
coffers was considerably less. About 70 percent of the
customers
were American tourists, the balance being wealthy Cubans and
Latin
Americans.
4. It was estimated that about 90 percent of the games
in the
casinos were run legitimately. The reason for this was
that the
gamblers considered the setup in Cuba as strictly temporary,
knowing
full well that eventually they would have to return to the
U.S.A.
5. For several years prior to 1955 the only casinos
operating in
Havana, Cuba were the TROPICANA and the Sans Souci.
Both clubs
served drinks and meals which just about covered the
operating
costs. The profits from gambling amounted to
approximately $5,000
a day, after "deductions". The newer casinos averaged
even higher
profits while the profits of the two original casinos
remained more or
less the same.
6. As of 1958 the following were the principal casinos
in Havana, Cuba:
a. The TROPICANA – operated by Wilber Clark and Frank
BISCHOPE. Frank BISCHOFF has been a suspected narcotic
trafficker. His principal assistant in the casino was
one Pierre
CANAVESE who was closely associated with Salvatore LUCANIA
alias Lucky
Luciano, FBN International List No. 198. (CANAVESE had
been
previously deported from the U.S.A. to Italy but he
subsequently
entered Cuba by means of a fraudulent passport).
b. The SANS SOUCI – operated by Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.
One of
Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.'s principal assistants in the
operation of this
club was one Sid JACOBS alias Syd Mathews.
c. The RIVIERA CASINO – operated by Meyer LANSKIN FBN
International List No. 169, Frank ERICKSON, Giordano
CELLINI, Ed
LEVINSON and one "Disty" PETERS. The RIVIERA CASINO
was one of
the more honest gambling casinos in Havana. Meyer
LANSKY and
Frank ERICKSON were suspected of being the real owners of
the
club. Frank ERICKSON represented racketeer Frank
COSTELLO'S
interests.
d. CASINO INTERNATIONAL – Hotel Nacional, operated by
Wilbur
CLARK. His principal assistants in the operation of
this club
were Edward GOFFREDO CELLINY and Merle JACOBS. As far
as could be
ascertained, CLARK, CELLINI, and JACOBS do not have any
criminal
records.
e. The SEVILLA BILTMORE, operated by Amletto BATTISTI,
a Cuban
citizen of Italian extraction. BATTISTI was kingpin of
the
"bolita" racket (lottery). He was the owner of the
Sevilla
Biltmore Hotel which he had leased to a Chicago
concern. BATTISTI
also owned and operated a bank in the hotel.
f. CAPRI HOTEL CASINO – operated by Nicholas Di
COSTANZO
and Charles TURIN believed to be identical with racketeer
Charles
TOURAINE [Tourine] alias Charley Blade. It was
believed that
George RAFZ, the movie star, owned a considerable interest
in this club.
g. NATIONAL CASINO – operated by Jack LANSKY brother
of notorious
racketeer Meyer LANSKY, FBN International List No.
169. Jack and
Meyer LANSKY owned the major portion of this casino and had
in their
employ a number of technicians from Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was
said that this casino was run strictly "on the level"
because the
habitues were the "boys" who demanded a square game when
they felt like
gambling.
h. HAVANA HILTON CASINO – Operated by Clifford JONES
of Las
Vegas, Nevada, Senator Kenneth JOHNSON of Nevada and one
Sidney ARCB of
New York Two wealthy Cuban industrialists, Ramon MANDOZA and
Marcos
MENDOZA had substantial interests in this club. Santo
TRAFFICANTE
Jr. and Joseph SILESI alias Joe Rivers, of New York, N.Y.,
were rumored
to have had a piece in this casino. However, this was
not
verified.
Information received in 1958 from a confidential, reliable
source stated the following concerning Santo TRAFFICANTE
Jr.:
1. After the death of his father on August 11, 1954,
he dominated the Italian racketeers in Tampa, Florida.
2. He was the leader of the Mafia in Cuba.
3. He had an interest in the Hotel Commodore Casino,
Cuba. (city unknown)
4. He participated in the organizing of a commercial
enterprise
in Cuba called the "International Amusements
Corporation". He was
named agent for this corporation and it was his function to
hire
entertainers; musicians and personnel employed in shows
presented in
the various casinos.
5. He maintained a luxurious residence in Tampa,
Florida but had
"resident" status in Cuba where he resided at Calle 12, No.
20 Vadado,
Havana.
6. He cultivated a friendship with Albert
ANASTASIA. He
visited ANASTASIA in NYC in October 1957, just before
ANASTASIA was
shot and killed.
In June, 1959 Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Narcotics
Charles
Siragusa, then Field Supervisor, reported the following
information on
Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. not already included in the body
of this
Summary Report:
3. On January 23, 1958 the Department of
Investigation, Havana,
Cuba notified the Bureau of Narcotics that Santo TRAFFICANTE
Jr. was
registered in their Alien Office under No. 93461. He
arrived
there as a tourist on December 26, 1955. On March 12,
1957 he
requested the Cuban Immigration Department to change his
status from
tourist to resident and on October 3, 1957 a resolution to
that effect
was adopted.
4. In 1948 and 1949 the Federal Bureau of Narcotics
conducted a
joint investigation with U.S. Customs officers and local
police at New
York City against a group of Cubans operating in New York
City.
These Cubans were engaged in smuggling large quantities of
Peruvian
cocaine to the United States, via Cuba. George Zarate
was one of
the principal defendants.
6. During the period when ZARATE was in Havana,
and
specifically on October 8, 1953, the Cuban police observed
him in the
company of Santo TRAFFICANTE, Jr. at the President
Hotel. It was
reported to us at that time that ZARATE was still engaged in
the
narcotic traffic, acting as intermediary between Peruvian
sources of
supply for illicit cocaine and American gangster customers
such at
Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.
7. Another incident occurred on February 21, 1956 when
a
civic-minded citizen advised our Miami office that
TRAFFICANTE Jr. and
Norman ROTHMAN, who were operating a gambling casino at
Havana, were
also engaged in the smuggling of cocaine from Cuba to the
United States.
13. Racketeer Jack LANSKY managed the National Casino,
Havana,
Cuba and shared ownership with his brother Meyer and with
Santo
TRAFFICANTE Jr.
14. The syndicate operated the major gambling casinos
in Cuba but
we believe that Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. was the mastermind and
overseer
(or one of them) of all these casinos.
In a memorandum dated July 21, 1961 Narcotic Agent Eugene
Marshall
stated that Fidel CASTRO has operatives in Tampa and Miami
making heavy
bolita bets with Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.'s organization.
The bolita
numbers are taken from the last three digits of the lottery
drawing in
Cuba every Saturday. The bolita gamblers or players
have the
opportunity to play single, double or triple numbers for the
entire
week. The payoffs are in odds similar to the usual
numbers
racket. Agent Marshall's source stated that Fidel
CASTRO, for
some reason unknown to source, hates Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr.
and his
organization. CASTRO'S operatives note the numbers
which get the
heaviest play in the Miami and Tampa areas. The
operatives
themselves play this heavily betted number. Prior to
the drawing
each Saturday, these operatives communicate with Cuba and
advise which
number received the heaviest play. The Cuban lottery
officials
then rig the drawing in such a way to make certain that
these numbers
appear, thereby forcing the TRAFFICANTE bolita operations to
make
tremendous pay-offs. This has not been verified.
If this is
true, there is the possibility that TRAFFICANTE Jr. will
again be
active in the illicit narcotic traffic.
On August 21, 1961 Narcotic Agent Oscar Leon Davis Submitted
a
memorandum wherein he reported the following relative to
Santo
TRAFFICANTE Jr.:
1. According to a clipping in the Miami News dated
June 8, 1959
the Government of Cuba approved the expulsion of Santo
TRAFFICANTE Jr.
as an undesirable alien.
4. While Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. was at SCALIA'S store,
755 W.
Flagler Street on several occasions one Oscar ECHEMENDIA
would meet
TRAFFICANTE there. Oscar ECHEMENDIA was a part owner
in the
TROPICANA NIGHT CLUB in Havana, Cuba along with one Martin
FOX and one
Pedro ZAMORA. Oscar ECHEMENDIA is now considered to be
one of the
biggest bolita men in Dade County, Florida.
6. There are unconfirmed rumors in the Cuban refugee
population
in Miami, Florida that when Fidel CASTRO ran the American
racketeers
out of Cuba and seized the casinos he kept Santo TRAFFICANTE
Jr.
In jail to make it appear that he had a personal dislike for
TRAFFICANTE when, in fact, TRAFFICANTE is an agent of
CASTRO.
TRAFFICANTE is allegedly CASTRO'S outlet for illegal
contraband into
this country. However, other sources of information
indicate that
CASTRO and his close associates at the present time have a
great
personal dislike for TRAFFICANTE. The validity of
either is
unknown.
As matters stand, the allegations as to Santo TRAFFICANTE
Jr.'s status
with Fidel CASTRO are varied, conflicting and, of course,
unconfirmed.
End of Page
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1998-2014 Cuban Information Archives. All Rights
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