One argument in favour of Prohibition was that it would reduce crime levels, so this unexpected rise in gang lords was the first of many nails in Prohibition’s coffin. Gang violence was rife and one particularly brutal encounter – the Valentine’s Day Massacre – helped to turn the tide of public opinion.
On 14th February 1929 members of Al Capone’s South Side gang lined up members and collaborators of the North Side Irish gang (who were led by George ‘Bugs’ Moran) and executed them. Two of Capone’s men, armed with sub-machine guns fired into them and kept firing and kept firing even after they’d all fallen to the ground. They were ripped to shreds. Miraculously one man, named Gusenberg, survived despite having been shot 14 times. Gusenberg still wouldn’t talk. The people of America were realising they had created a monster.
As you can imagine, distilleries and breweries thrived in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. That fact kept border Police much busier than they had the resources for. America has a large coast line, long borders and a vast interior. Finding a new pathway to get round the Feds was not particularly challenging.
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