American Notes DRUGS

Italian Fugitive Emanuele Adamita embraced the undercover federal agent and told him he was "family." The agent kissed Adamita on the lips and told him, "You're under arrest." That dramatic bust in a Manhattan motel last week was part of a roundup of more than 100 people suspected of belonging to a Sicilian Mafia heroin and cocaine ring. Dozens of other suspects face charges in locales extending from Cleveland to Puerto Rico, as part of the biggest drug case ever developed by the U.S. and Italy.

In an elaborate scheme, the Mafia used South American cocaine to buy heroin in Italy for resale in U.S. markets. Rather than seize individual drug couriers, DEA agents followed them to ferret out their network. The new scheme seemed to produce results, although some of the friendships formed along the way were obviously short-lived.