11 December 1978: Lufthansa heist nets $6m
The Mafia has been active in America since the 19th century. It reached the peak of its power in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, with particular influence in construction, sanitation and transport – all tough manual jobs where the ability of workers to disrupt production was high. At the same time, booming global trade and tourism saw large amounts of money and valuables start to flow through airports, making them tempting targets. In 1978, airport workers Louis Werner and Peter Gruenwald tipped off mobster Jimmy Burke to money coming in from US soldiers in West Germany, delivered by Lufthansa ...
Source: moneyweek.com