East Harlem Purple Gang
The East Harlem Purple Gang was a gang or organized crime group consisting of Italian-American hit-men and heroin dealers who were semi-independent from the Italian-American Mafia and, according to federal prosecutors, dominated heroin distribution in East Harlem, Italian Harlem, and the Bronx during the 1970s and early 1980s in New York City. Though mostly independent of the Italian-American Mafia and not an official Mafia crew, the gang was originally affiliated with and worked with the Lucchese crime family and later with the Bonanno crime family and Genovese crime family. It developed its "closest ties" with the Genovese family, and its remnants or former members are now part of the Genovese family's 116th Street Crew.
| Founded | Early 1970s |
|---|---|
| Founding location | East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
| Years active | 1970s–1980s |
| Territory | Harlem (especially East Harlem, Italian Harlem, and Pleasant Avenue) and the South Bronx |
| Ethnicity | Italian American |
| Membership (est.) | 30 members and 80 associates |
| Activities | Drug trafficking, murder, contract killing, gun-running, extortion, robbery, bookmaking, kidnapping, racketeering, loansharking |
| Allies | Five Families (especially Genovese crime family and 116th Street Crew), The Council, Cuban Mafia, various Latin American drug trafficking organizations and African American organized crime groups |
| Rivals | At times the Five Families, especially the Bonanno crime family; various street gangs and drug dealers |
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