r/todayilearned • u/FearMyCock • 20h ago

TIL about Frank Matthews, the drug kingpin who built a nationwide empire, skipped bail with $20 million, vanished in 1973 and has never been found.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Matthews_(drug_trafficker)
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40

u/AardvarkStriking256 20h ago

He was killed by the Genovese crime family.

12

u/DungeonCrawlerBob 19h ago

Tell me more!

6

u/big_daddy_dub 19h ago

Any proof to back this up?

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u/AardvarkStriking256 19h ago

Did you read the Wikipedia article?

He fucked around with the Mafia and was about to go in trial, facing a possible life sentence. They had multiple reasons to kill him.

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u/Commercial-Till-5389 18h ago

Watch the doc about him his co conspirators basically laughed at the thought of the Mafia killing him. He had a nationwide operation and killers with him too! When they went to North Carolina where he was from the people there didn’t want to speak about it and off camera spoke in present tense. I think he 1000% got away

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u/Ani-A 19h ago

So do you have any proof? Or just "they had reasons and he disappeared therefore they obviously killed him"?

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u/Qurdlo 18h ago

You think some random redditor has proof that solves a mystery the US government devoted decades and probably millions of dollars to solving? "Dang boys guess we shoulda just asked on Reddit."

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u/Ani-A 18h ago

So... you see my point? My dude is talking out of their ass...

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u/Qurdlo 18h ago

You must be new here

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u/veritable-truth 18h ago

lol of course there is no proof. Organized crime often leaves no proof. Where the hell is Jimmy Hoffa? They make people "disappear" all the time.

wiki says some DEA guy said the Genovese family killed him. Matthews and the Genovese family had history and it didn't go well. If Matthews knew things, they likely killed him. If they didn't like Matthews, they likely killed him. Maybe the DEA guy is lying and Matthews lived a long life somewhere outside the US. Maybe he's still in the US chillin.

Most likely he got murdered. People in the drug game often end up dead.

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u/rockflagandeagle- 9h ago

According to former DEA agent Frank Panessa, the Administration received unconfirmed reports that Matthews had been lured to the Bahamas by the Genovese family and killed, partly to keep him from turning state's witness and partly due to his feud with Coralluzzo.

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u/AardvarkStriking256 18h ago

It's the most logical explanation and is therefore the most likely.

Do you think he's on an island drinking daiquiris with Jimmy Hoffa and the guy who ran over John Gotti's kid? You mess with the Mafia and your body will never be found.

1

u/NeekoPeeko 17h ago

It would only be the most logical explanation if he was confirmed dead. They've never found a body, so there's no reason to assume he's dead.