I'm Just Another Chicken Farmer - Like Himmler

With the end of Prohibition by 1929, bootlegging needed to be replaced as a major form of income. Lucchese was searching for new revenue and he found it in chickens. Long before the rise of Col. Sanders, Lucchese saw opportunities waiting to be exploited.

In the 1930's the chicken business in the New York area earned revenues in excess of 40 million a year. In particular the kosher chicken business was appealing because of the many steps to the final product. If the mob could gain control of one of these steps they would be able to control the industry. Once this action was accomplished the mob could hold the industry for ransom by placing roadblocks at the level of one of the required steps. By doing this he could then control the whole industry, and force it to pay him tribute in order to avoid disruption and consequent cost overruns.

By creating a cartel and fixing prices, Lucchese gained total control over the whole industry, which was notorious for labor turmoil. Stability would ensure, that in turn would guarantee prices and accordingly profits would rise. Effectively consumers, in particular, would pay a "crime tax" for particular goods. This takeover was carried out quietly and little violence was used, with front men providing cover for the real controllers of the industry. A pattern was established that would be carried over to other consumer and service industries. The pattern and process was implanted in the construction, garment, waste removal, restaurant supplies, produce and other industries. The required connection to the business world required to replace bootlegging was put into operation. With few people being aware, Lucchese was able to have a high impact on people in relation to what they wore, what they ate, and how their garbage was taken care of, was being controlled by the mob.

Even Luciano told stories about the willingness of Lucchese to use violence and threats of violence to obtain his objectives. One of the stories involved Lucchese threatening a professional musician with the breaking of his hands if large amounts of cash were not repaid quickly. The look of animal violence displayed by Lucchese's eyes it was clear that violence was only another tool that could be utilized to achieve his ends.

Lucchese was also noted for being one of the first to bring the profits of the drug trade into coffers of the mob. While Luciano, and Costello felt that their organization entering into the drug business would sow the seeds of the commission's destruction, Lucchese along with Genovese led the forces that allowed each of the Families to make their individual decisions related to involvement in the drug trade. Profits were the goal of the Lucchese mob and Tommy cared little who got hurt in his search to increase the profit levels. Lucchese felt that his political connections would provide the protection he needed for the drug trade and for a time he was correct. But after his death the political connections died with him and the heat brought about through the drug trade was too much to bear.

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