Mobsters and drug traffickers meet in Beverly Hills
Remember “Beverly Hills Cop?” Try Beverly Hills capo.
Some of the biggest drug traffickers from New York — many of them linked to the Mafia — are flocking to Beverly Hills to meet suppliers, transact illicit deals and spend their dirty dollars amid the palm-lined streets and shimmering pools of the wealthy mecca, according to law-enforcement sources.
“They seem to like the glamour of that life — the hobnobbing with celebrities and high-profile people,” one official told The Post, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Narco chieftains are turning up at some of the best addresses in town, including the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton, where generations of Hollywood stars and studio moguls have played, parlayed and tanned.
Why do they flock to Beverly Hills? For the same reason as any other jet-setter, sources explain.
“Some of these guys — especially at the high end — have a lot of cash. They like to stay in nice venues and enjoy quality restaurants,” said DEA agent José Martinez.
Beverly Hills also makes good geographic sense, narcotics investigators agree.
Most of the cocaine sold by New York drug dealers is smuggled from South America across the border by Mexican cartels — and LA is where the deals are often struck.
One alleged mob-linked money launderer boarded a private jet at Teterboro Airport with a suitcase stuffed with $800,000 — some of it proceeds from Bonanno crime-family marijuana sales.
He checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he delivered cash to a Mafia associate, according a report filed by Brooklyn Assistant US Attorney Steven Tiscione.
In an unrelated case, a top lieutenant for another New York drug-trafficking organization checked into the Beverly Hilton and later received a package there containing $500,000 in drug cash.
But it’s not New York’s street-corner drug dealers who come to Beverly Hills.
“You’re looking at the command and control — the executive level of the drug enterprise, the CEOs,” the DEA’s Martinez said.
And narco bigwigs who like a bit of bling blend right in.
“Lavish and luxurious living doesn’t put the spotlight on you. It’s hard to stand out in Beverly Hills,” said NYPD Lt. Mark Rosen.
Some of the biggest drug traffickers from New York — many of them linked to the Mafia — are flocking to Beverly Hills to meet suppliers, transact illicit deals and spend their dirty dollars amid the palm-lined streets and shimmering pools of the wealthy mecca, according to law-enforcement sources.
“They seem to like the glamour of that life — the hobnobbing with celebrities and high-profile people,” one official told The Post, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Narco chieftains are turning up at some of the best addresses in town, including the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hilton, where generations of Hollywood stars and studio moguls have played, parlayed and tanned.
Why do they flock to Beverly Hills? For the same reason as any other jet-setter, sources explain.
“Some of these guys — especially at the high end — have a lot of cash. They like to stay in nice venues and enjoy quality restaurants,” said DEA agent José Martinez.
Beverly Hills also makes good geographic sense, narcotics investigators agree.
Most of the cocaine sold by New York drug dealers is smuggled from South America across the border by Mexican cartels — and LA is where the deals are often struck.
One alleged mob-linked money launderer boarded a private jet at Teterboro Airport with a suitcase stuffed with $800,000 — some of it proceeds from Bonanno crime-family marijuana sales.
He checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he delivered cash to a Mafia associate, according a report filed by Brooklyn Assistant US Attorney Steven Tiscione.
In an unrelated case, a top lieutenant for another New York drug-trafficking organization checked into the Beverly Hilton and later received a package there containing $500,000 in drug cash.
But it’s not New York’s street-corner drug dealers who come to Beverly Hills.
“You’re looking at the command and control — the executive level of the drug enterprise, the CEOs,” the DEA’s Martinez said.
And narco bigwigs who like a bit of bling blend right in.
“Lavish and luxurious living doesn’t put the spotlight on you. It’s hard to stand out in Beverly Hills,” said NYPD Lt. Mark Rosen.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nyc_mob_is_beverly_hillbullies_7GOLwjSuUifDXacDKx7Q2K
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