Paul Carbone
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Paul Bonnaventure Carbone (1 February 1894 – 16 December 1943) was a Corsican criminal involved in the Marseille underworld from the 1920s until his death in 1943. He was known as the ''Emperor of Marseille''. Associated with
François Spirito François Spirito, born Lydio Spirito (1898 – 9 October 1967) was an Italian-born French gangster. He was one of the leaders of the French Connection, and inspired the film ''Borsalino (film), Borsalino'', which featured Alain Delon and Jean-Pau ...
, who would become one of the leaders of the
French Connection The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada, sometimes through Cuba. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and ...
, Carbone inspired the film ''
Borsalino Borsalino is the oldest Italian company specializing in the manufacture of luxury hats. Since 1857, the manufacture has been based in Alessandria, Piedmont. The founder, Giuseppe Borsalino, is remembered for creating a particular model of felt ...
'' which featured Alain Delon and
Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...
.


Early life

Paul Carbone was born in the southern Corsican village of Propriano in 1894. He was a descendant of
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's nurse Illeria Carbone. When Carbone was a small child, his family moved to the impoverished Panier suburb of Marseille. He attended school there and was a hard-working pupil. When Carbone was 12 his father died and he left school to support his mother and two younger brothers. He took any job that he could find to bring money into the family. When Carbone was about fifteen he moved to
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
where he started pimping. Much of the money he earned was sent back to his mother in France. His success had angered some rival pimps. In 1913, three pimps kidnapped Carbone and left him buried up to his neck in sand in the desert. He was rescued three days later by François Spirito, who had heard the three pimps boasting about what they had done in a bar. Carbone and Spirito struck up a life-long friendship and business partnership. Spirito was also a pimp and part of a network that brought women from
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
to work in Egyptian
brothels A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub ...
. Once recovered from his ordeal, Carbone wanted to leave Egypt, and persuaded Spirito to go to
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
with him. There the pair got involved in opium smuggling. This lasted for about a year until the outbreak of
WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, when they returned to France to enlist. After being arrested for assault, Carbone was sent to the Bat' d'Af' unit. (The Bat' d'Af' was a French military unit, based in
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
, consisting of men with criminal records or serious disciplinary problems.) Whilst serving on the Western front Carbone met and became friends with
Simon Sabiani Simon Pierre Sabiani (1888 in Casamaccioli, Corsica, France – 1956 in Barcelona, Spain) was a French businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1928 to 1936. Early life Simon Pierre Sabiani was born in ...
, the future mayor of Marseille. Carbone was awarded a medal for his bravery during the conflict.


Interwar Period

After the war ended, Carbone and Spirito left for
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
. In
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
they started pimping and soon had 20 women working for them. The pair returned to Marseille in 1919, where they engaged in pimping and opium smuggling. The Carbone-Spirito clan gained more and more influence in the Marseille underworld. By the late 1920s, they were involved in prostitution,
White slavery White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans (such as West Asians and North Africans), or by other Europeans (for example naval galley slaves or the Vikings' t ...
, protection rackets and various forms of trafficking. They were involved in drug trafficking, especially heroin and
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
, and set up a laboratory in
Bandol Bandol (; oc, Bandòu) is a commune in Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southeastern France. Bandol and the seat of its eponymous commune, was founded in 1595 and built around a small military fort. The Bandol wine region, lo ...
, near
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
to refine the raw opium from
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
and
Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
into heroin, some of which was sent to Lucky Luciano in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Owning a bar on rue Pavilion, the Amical Bar, and the Beauvau Restaurant on rue Beauvau, its empire was run from these establishments. In Marseille alone, it had more than 25 brothels, mostly staffed by young
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
women forced into prostitution. Carbone also had prostitution networks in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Egypt and
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Although Pernod Fils had been banned in France in 1914, Carbone imported it from a distillery in
Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...
, Spain. After economic sanctions were imposed on
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in 1936 because of the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...
, Carbone smuggled 34 tons of
parmesan Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' ...
cheese from Italy for Marseille's Italian population. During the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, Carbone sold arms to Francisco Franco's supporters. Carbone and Spirito were also active in Paris, where the Prefect of Police,
Jean Chiappe Jean Baptiste Pascal Eugène Chiappe (3 May 1878 – 27 November 1940) was a high-ranking French civil servant. Chiappe was director of the ''Sûreté générale'' in the 1920s. He was subsequently given the post of Préfet de police in the 19 ...
, was a friend of Carbone. They initially set up an upmarket brothel in
Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
. All brothels in Paris were then controlled by an obese Italian, Charles Codebo. Carbone and Spirito muscled in on his operation. With the money made in Paris, they opened brothels all over France and staffed them with women from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and South America. During the Interwar Period, Carbone and Spirito allied themselves with the mayor of Marseille, Simon Sabiani, and acted as his enforcers. In return, they received political protection. When Carbone and Spirito were arrested for the murder of the financial consultant Albert Prince in 1934, Sabiani came to their aid. After the 6 February 1934 riots in Paris, Carbone sent in his thugs to intimidate the dockers of Marseille who were striking.


World War II

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Carbone and Spirito joined the
Carlingue The Carlingue (or French Gestapo) were French auxiliaries who worked for the Gestapo, Sicherheitsdienst and Geheime Feldpolizei during the German occupation of France in the Second World War. The group, which was based at 93 rue Lauriston in th ...
which collaborated with the Germans in France; in return, the local civilian authorities in Marseille were expected to ignore their criminal activities. They also profiteered from black marketeering, supplying German soldiers with hard to obtain goods.


Death

Carbone died on 16 December 1943 in a train crash caused by the Resistance sabotaging the train, blowing it up. McCoy, Alfred W. '' The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade''. New York:
Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...
, 1972. p. 35.
The train had been targeted as it contained mostly German soldiers on leave. Carbone had his legs crushed and one severed at the knee. He is reputed to have sung songs to cheer up the other victims whilst smoking his last cigarette before he died. However his long-term mistress, Germaine Germain, better known as Manouche, reported that he was taken to a local hospital where he died hours later.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carbone, Paul 1894 births 1943 deaths People from Corse-du-Sud French Connection gangsters Corsican collaborators with Nazi Germany French pimps Railway accident deaths in France Assassinated Nazis