Santo Trafficante Jr.
Florida's
Father of Felonies
By early 1953, the Mob war escalating. The
New Year had scarcely faded into memory
when the calm, cool nights of wintertime
tampa brought blood to the Trafficantes.
Santo Trafficante Jr. went to his father-in-law's
house art 2009 10th Avenue in Ybor City at
around 5p.m. on January 3rd. He had dinner
with his wife, daughter and in-laws. At 7:25,
one of Trafficante's bolita operatives, Frank
Ferreri, came by in his 1951 Mercury Sedan.
Trafficante walked out of the house and got
into the waiting car. The men had scarcely
driven down the block when trafficante noticed
another car coming toward them. As the car
came upon the Mercury, a 12-gauge shotgun
peeked through an open window. The first
blasted sounded like an explosion to Ferrier
and Trafficante.
The buckshot flew into the car and hit
Trafficante in the right arm as he ducked and
reached for the handle. He pushed open the
door and fell into the street.
The second shot took a chunk out of the rear
of Ferrier's Mercury before the unknown gun-
men sped off into the night. Trafficante's wife
and kids came rushing out of the house.
They brought Trafficante back into the
house, where a family doctor was called.
By 7:29 the police had been called
about the shooting and arrived at the
scene shortly thereafter, followed by
the press. The phalanx of people at the
scene left no doubt that the gangland
killings were a top priority not only for
law enforcement, but for the newspapers,
as well. Santo Trafficante Jr. went down
to the State Attorney Paul Johnson's
office to give a statement. He told Paul,
"I don't have an enemy in the world. I
think it was a case of mistaken identity."
Back at the scene, local crime
crusader and head of the Hillsborough
Crime Commission, Ralph Mills, was
on the case.
Always quick to give the papers a few
choice quotes, Mills was an ever-present
figure at gangster killings and the result-
ing funerals. While looking over Ferrier's
car, Mills had discovered an interesting
item in the backseat. It was an envelope
containing the massive sum of $1. But
the person it was meant for is what drew
his interest.
The name on the envelope was Taran.
Samual Harry Taran was "reputedly the
jukebox boss of the Mob in Florida. He
[had] been associated there with very
important members of the Capone Mob
as well as hoodlums from other areas."
Taran operated the Taran Distributing
Company on Northwest 36th Street
in Miami, and made frequent trips to
Tampa to expand his novelty empire.
Known to police as a man who would
go to any lengths to get his jukeboxes
and vending machines in a place of
business, Taran felt that no method of
persuasion was wrong.
At the same time Santo Trafficante
Sr. and his sons operated three bars
The Tangerine, Nebraska Bar, and the
Flamingo Bar and Lounge. Getting Taran
to supply machines would not have been
out of the question.
The connection between Taran
and Trafficante might had led to the
downfall of a man many suspected
as having a hand in Trafficante's
shooting, Joe Antinori. Antinori
also owned a juke box company
at the time. There had been rumors
that Antinori was looking to get
revenge on Trafficante he thought
that Trafficante had a hand in
setting up his father's killing back
in 1940. With the connection
between Sam Taran and Trafficante
emerged another possible reason
for the shooting: a business dispute.
Just a few years later, Taran would
be part of the "jukebox wars" in
Miami, where rival jukebox and
novelty company owners starting
gunning after each other for control
of the lucrative rackets on Miami
Beach. The possibility exists that
Antinori could have been trying to
force Taran out of Tampa.
Trafficante Quotes
"I know one place that's absolutely
not bugged: the Holiday Inn on I-95.
That's where the niggers stay and
they don't bug them." - Santo
Trafficante talking to Jimmy Hoffa
"I just hope you keep good records,
because today or tomorrow if I get
charged with a crime, your records
will be my alibi." - Santo Trafficante
to the FBI agents following him."
"Someday you could change your
mind or your son might run for office.
As long as they say things like this,
that there is a Mafia, no Sicilian will
ever have a chance for a high office"
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