EPISODE · Sep 7, 2026 · 15 MIN
From Tommy Guns to Wiretaps: The Technological Arms Race in Organized Crime
from A History of the American Mafia Podcast: Organized Crime, Mob Families, Bosses, Gangsters, Prohibition, Criminal Trials, and the Rise of La Cosa Nostra · host Podily & Josh Linsk
This episode charts the dramatic shift from the brutal street violence of the 1929 Chicago massacre, where Tommy guns turned neighborhoods into battlegrounds, to the quiet infiltration of Mafia families through FBI wiretaps that exposed hidden meetings and financial webs. It examines how weaponry and later surveillance technologies altered gang strategy, law‑enforcement tactics, and the very structure of La Cosa Nostra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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From Tommy Guns to Wiretaps: The Technological Arms Race in Organized Crime
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