Papalia crime family
| Founded by | Antonio Papalia |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Years active | ca. early 1940s–? |
| Territory | Various neighborhoods over Hamilton and Toronto; in Delianuova and Platì, Calabria and Buccinasco, Milan |
| Ethnicity | Made men are Italian, Italian-Canadian. |
| Membership (est.) | Unknown |
| Criminal activities | Racketeering, loan sharking, money laundering, gambling, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud and prostitution |
| Allies | Buffalo crime family, Barbaro 'ndrina |
| Rivals | Musitano crime family and various gangs in Hamilton |
The Papalia crime family is a 'Ndrangheta organization based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as well as Platì in Southern Italy and Buccinasco in Northern Italy. The Papalia clan that operate in Italy have alliances with the Barbaro 'ndrina, while the Papalia clan in Canada is one of three centralized Mafia organizations in Hamilton 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.
Antonio Papalia was a bootlegger with early Picciotteria values, who immigrated from Delianuova, Calabria, Italy to Canada in 1912. His father became associated with Calabrian compatriot and notorious bootlegger Rocco Perri. However, he was suspected in playing a role in the murder of Perri's wife Bessie Starkman in 1930. It is also believed Antonio and his son Johnny Papalia, along with Stefano Magaddino of Buffalo played a role in Perri's disappearance in 1944 after Perri left members of his Mafia crew "slighted", though both cases remain unsolved. Antonio's wife, Maria Rosa Italiano also came from a Mafia family, the Italiano clan, who also participated in Perri's gang.
In the early 1960s Johnny Papalia became boss of the family and played a large role in the French Connection, a smuggling operation that supplied over 80 percent of America’s heroin market between the 1960s and 1970s – developing strong connections with the Buffalo crime family. Johnny was extradited to the United States for trial in 1962 for his role in the French Connection heroin smuggling ring, found guilty and sentenced to 10 years. In 1968, after serving less than half the sentence, he was released from a United States prison and sent back to Canada.
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