Race Murders and Narcotics Trafficking The Mafia In Sullivan County, New York

The Mafia began making inroads into Sullivan County via paper unions that threatened the livelihoods of legitimate Teamsters unions. Later the son of Colombo syndicate boss Joseph Colombo Sr., teamed with an entrepreneur to enter the vending machine business. They began introducing cigarette machines into bars and other establishments. The expansion of the Orange County airport brought Mafia associates into this region of the mid-Hudson Valley. Along with union racketeering and vending machines, the Mafia made its presence felt with a string of gangland murders in 1972.