Background
The majority of underworld crime figures and major incidents can be traced back to the Painters and Dockers Union that existed on Melbourne's waterfront after the Second World War. The Union had a Mafia-like structure, and most criminal activity was centred around control of the Union, and the cut associated with the drugs (primarily heroin and cocaine) that passed through the port. The Melbourne Markets were seen as a natural distribution point for these illegal substances (they were just across the road from the docks area).
By 1990 the local manufacture of amphetamines had increased to the point where the Police described Melbourne as the "amphetamine capital of Australia". As well as drug dealing, criminals received income through protection rackets in King Street nightclubs, as well as in prostitution, illegal gambling, and armed robbery.
Read more about this topic: Melbourne Gangland Killings
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