Tampa's Mafia Underground Airline, is a unique true crime novel with each chapter reading like a mini novel. Each chapter is a story in itself. It is about a young, ambitious, Angelo Bedami, head of a crew, whose ancestry stems from Sicily and has taken root in Tampa, Florida. Joe Bedami Sr., More...Angelo s father, a prominent member of the Tampa community, owned at least five legitimate businesses. He paid his taxes, and made employment possible for honest citizens so that they in turn could support their families. He was Angelo s mentor. On the dark side, Joe Bedami Sr., was a made member of the Trafficante family. He was the enforcer. In August of 1968, Joe Bedami Sr. disappeared and was presumed murdered. That s when Angelo took over the responsibilities of supporting his family and true to form he did it by the book, his father's book. Only Angelo s way of earning a living wasn t by enforcing, as was his father's way. Angelo s interest laid in drug smuggling-large scale drug smuggling. Not supplying neighborhoods, but states and countries. Angelo created clandestine airstrips which were referred to as underground terminals throughout the state of Florida. A few of these terminals were located on the ranches of well known members of the community, such as: Kellogg and Kellogg, Johnson and Johnson, and the ranch of the governor at that time, Governor Graham, now State Senator. Planes landing at these terminals ranged from, DC-4s to Cessnas. Once, Angelo actually purchased from General Noriega himself, a Convair paid in cash. Fifty thousand dollars that found its way into Noriaga s cache. Angelo was doing a fine job of supporting his family. Surprisingly he forbade violence. Once a buyer owed him a hundred thousand dollars. When asked by an associate what he was going to do about it , Angelo, said, nothing. He didn t want a scared enemy around who would eventually run to the cops and blow his whole operation. Instead he stole a Convair from this potential rat, had his boys pick up a load in South America and brought back 15 thousand pounds of pot. He figured that covered the hundred thousand dollar loss. Once, two of Angelo s pilots were fished out of the Atlantic ocean after dropping a load of drugs and dumping the plane in the water. As a matter of fact, it was the Convair stolen by Angelo. During interrogation one of the pilots wouldn t talk, the other wouldn t shut up. The one who wouldn t shut up actually had nothing to say. He was in the dark. He didn t know where he took off from, didn t know where he landed to pick up the load, and didn t even know where it was unloaded. Two baffled customs agents were overheard, one saying to the other, who are these guys? Hence, the title.
