As a young
immagrant Luciano led a gang based in Manhattan's Lower Eastside. The members of this gang included Bugs Siegal, Frank Costello, and Vito Genovese. By the mid-twenties Luciano's gang controlled distilleries, trucks bringing booze from Canada, teams of hijackers, and countless speakeasies. His gang prospered financially and began to earn a reputation as a force in
New York. Around this time
Joe Masseria rose to power and needed young soldiers. Lucky and his gang proved to be the perfect choice. They joined Masseria's gang and rose to great power. When the war broke out between Masseria and
Salvatore Maranzano, Lucky saw his chance for power and took it. First he setup Masseria to be killed, then he had Maranzano murdered after the war. Now Lucky was the undisputed leader of the underworld. He made many changes in the way L.C.N. operated. Lucky added the position of Consigliere, he welcomed all ethnic groups as associates, and he created the Commission. Luciano established
Murder Inc., Putting
Albert Anastasia in charge. In 1936 Luciano was sent to prison by Thomas E. Dewey. Lucky was sentenced to 30-35 years for running a massive prostitution ring. This event suprised everyone in the underworld including Anastasia. So in 1942, a few months after WWII began, Anastasia came up with a plan to get Lucky out of jail. The mob made a deal with the Government. Lucky gauranteed the safety of U.S Navy ships while they were docked in New York. In return Luciano would be transfered to a minimum-security prison, where he could freely handle the day to day operations of his crime syndicate. In 1946 Lucky was released from prison and quickly taken to a ship that would permantly deport him to Italy. In Oct. of 1946 Luciano traveled to Cuba to preside over a meeting he had called of all the Bosses. Some of the matters discussed was the division of the casino profits and to establish new routes to facilitate the importation of heroin from Europe to the U.S. Also while in exile Lucky involved
Carlo Gambino in massive heroin smuggling. Gambino would help Luciano import the heroin to New York.
Lucky was making tons of money living in Italy, but in 1959 Fidel Castro dealt Lucky and every mobster who owned a Casino in Havana a deadly blow. When Castro took control of Cuba he proceeded to kick out the Mafia. This cost the Mafia millions of dollars in future profits. A while after Castro's action Lucky suffered his first of many heart attacks. While recovering, Luciano recieved his mothly "tribute" from his associates in the states. The money was a little short. Lucky was angered by this act of disrespect. Lucky then suffered a massive coronary occlusion and was hospitalized. Around this time Lucky learned that Vito Genovese had put out a contract on Lucky from prison.
Lucaino was losing his stature and his funds were rapidly decreasing. In order to raise some money Lucky decided to make a film on his life. The bosses in New York would not approve of the film and told Lucky he couldn't make it. Lucky responded by cutting them off of his heroin. Then the bosses decided that Lucky would have to die, and the approval of the Commision put the nail in the coffin. Lucky's only hope was to deliver to the New York bosses the only copy of the movie script. So Lucky had the producer of the movie bring the script to Naples. Lucky went to the airport, met the producer and on the way back to through the airport, Salvatore "Lucky" Luciano suffered a fatal heart attack.
