| Frank Petrula |
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| Frank Petrula, the son of Ukrainian immigrants, was a high-ranking associate of the leaders of the Montreal Mafia. While also associated to the Cotroni brothers, Petrula was particularly close to Luigi Greco, the tough Sicilian who served as Vic “The Egg” Cotroni’s second-in-command for many years.
Petrula and Greco got their start in the underworld as bodyguards for gambling kingpin Harry Davis. After Davis was killed in 1946, the two took over several of his operations and joined forces with the fearsome Cotroni mob. Petrula was soon a top hoodlum in the mob and close to its leaders. He became partners in the Alpha Investment Corporation with Luigi Greco, Carmine Galante, Vic Cotroni, Max Shapiro and Harry Ship. The U.S. Bureau of Narcotics claim that Petrula and Greco travelled to Italy to meet with legendary mob boss Charlie “Lucky” Luciano in 1954. The trio apparently completed a drug transaction and the two Canadians supposedly returned to Montreal with a significant heroin shipment. The U.S. authorities passed along this crucial information to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who raided Petrula’s lavish Beaconsfield home. No drugs were found, but the visit was still well worth it for police. |
| In a safe hidden behind tiles in the upstairs bathroom, police found $18,000 in cash and several loose sheets of paper. In reading the documents, police learned that the Montreal mob had paid more than $100,000 to politicians and journalists in an attempt to defeat candidate Jean Drapeau in the municipal elections. The papers also included a veritable telephone book of the who’s who of the Mafia, including Carmine Galante, Vic Cotroni, Luigi Greco, Irving Ellis, Jimmy Orlando, and Vincenzo Soccio.
The discovery of the incriminating notes was a severe black eye for Pretula. His underworld associates were furious with his carelessness. And things only got worse for Pretula, who was accused in March 1956 of defrauding the federal government of more than $220,000 in taxes. The following year, Pretula was accused of giving false information in his income tax declarations. In June, 1958, as his tax case was supposed to kick off, Petrula vanished and was never seen again. Rumours soon spread that Petrula had been killed and his body weighed down and dumped in a lake in the Laurentians region, north of Montreal. |