Everyone has their own talent: some draw beautifully, others write well, and some cook magnificently, but there is also a criminal talent. It was in this dangerous sphere that American mobster Meyer Lansky, born Meyer Suchowlanski, made his mark. He was born in 1902 in the Belarusian city of Grodno, and at the age of 10, his family emigrated to the USA in search of a better life. However, their expectations were not met, and they ended up in a poor immigrant neighborhood in Manhattan, where constant fights and robberies shaped the character of the future criminal authority.

In the 1920s, Suchowlanski, whose surname by then had been shortened to Lansky, created his own criminal gang. This was the time of Prohibition, and Lansky organized the smuggling of bootleg whiskey from Canada. He devised a clever way to dispose of the goods when the police appeared: salt and floats were attached to the crates, and at the threat of arrest, they were thrown into the water. The salt dissolved, and soon the crates would float back up. Meyer’s gang earned money not only from alcohol but also from extorting restaurants, hotels, and brothels. Such 'business' was not without shootouts and contract killings. Lansky held an unquestionable authority among gangsters, and even Al Capone had to reckon with him.

It was said of Meyer that his word was valued more than any contract. Interestingly, he was harsh and cruel to his enemies but did not refuse help to ordinary citizens. It was thanks to the Russian immigrant that Las Vegas became a thriving city. Lansky invested huge sums in the development of a casino network, although it was not easy: some American officials had to be bribed. He sarcastically noted their hypocrisy: 'People came to our casinos and played, and when returning to New York or Washington, they delivered pious speeches about how immoral gambling is.' Despite attempts by the police and the FBI to destroy his empire, Lansky remained the king of the American mafia until the end of his life.