"Mexican cartels are just simply brutal. From 2002 to 2005, Garcia embedded himself inside the Gambino crime family as "Jack Falcone." New York's five Italian Mafia families - the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno - follow a strict chain of command: boss, underboss, consigliere, captains, soldiers, associates. Garcia became the driver and close confidant of Gambino captain Greg DePalma."
"Garcia created a Sicilian backstory and went through an informal "mob school," learning how to pronounce Italian food correctly and practicing in Little Italy. He even went to a cemetery and identified a deceased Mr. and Mrs. Falcone to use as his "parents" if anyone asked to visit their graves."
"His cartel investigations focused on narcotics trafficking and large-scale drug transactions, where he often posed as an importer or trafficker. His credibility was more about what he could do than about cultural immersion or backstory development."
Joaquin Garcia spent 24 of his 26 FBI years working undercover, conducting over 100 investigations into the Italian Mafia, Mexican and Colombian cartels, Russian and Asian organized crime groups, police corruption, jury bribery, murder-for-hire operations, and narcotics trafficking. His Mafia work from 2002 to 2005 involved embedding in the Gambino crime family as "Jack Falcone," requiring cultural immersion including creating a Sicilian backstory and learning Italian customs. His cartel investigations differed significantly, focusing on narcotics trafficking where he posed as an importer or trafficker. Despite extensive experience with multiple criminal organizations, Garcia identifies Mexican cartels as the most fearsome, citing their exceptional brutality compared to other groups.
Read at Business Insider
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