| Founded | c. Early 1970s |
|---|---|
| Founding location | New York City, New York, United States |
| Years active | c. 1970s–1980s |
| Territory | Harlem (especially East Harlem, Italian Harlem, and Pleasant Avenue) and the South Bronx |
| Ethnicity | Italian American |
| Membership (est.) | 30 members and 80 associates[1] |
| Activities | Drug trafficking, murder, contract killing, gun-running, extortion, robbery, bookmaking, kidnapping, racketeering, loansharking |
| Allies |
|
| Rivals | Various gangs in New York City, including their allies, especially the Bonanno crime family |
The East Harlem Purple Gang was a gang and organized crime group in New York City consisting of Italian-American hit-men and heroin dealers who were semi-independent from the Italian-American Mafia and, according to federal prosecutors, dominated heroin distribution in East Harlem, Italian Harlem, and the Bronx during the 1970s and early 1980s. Though mostly independent of the Mafia and not an official Mafia crew, the gang was originally affiliated with and worked with the Lucchese crime family and later with the Bonanno crime family and Genovese crime family.[2] It developed its "closest ties" with the Genovese family,[2] and its remnants or former members became part of the Genovese family's 116th Street Crew.[3]