Biting the dust in the joint, far from home and family, is not Gang Land's idea of a good way to go -- if there is such a thing. But in his long life of crime, the Luchese mobster beat a few death sentences before pancreatic cancer caught up with him.

Fourteen years ago, in another federal prison, the one in Danbury Conn., Torty was nearing the end of a six-year stretch for transporting loads of stolen cars and other goods across state lines. During a recreation break, Torty got involved in a philosophical discussion about wiseguys dealing in drugs, an activity the mob had supposedly banned decades ago.

"During the conversation, Tortorello mentioned Chin Gigante's name and questioned why Chin would be so upset with guys dealing drugs when Chin (right) himself dealt in drugs," according to an FBI report about the talk.

Torty's remarks were overheard by a Genovese capo doing time in the same joint who dutifully relayed them to consigliere Louis (Bobby) Manna (left). Needless to say, they didn't sit too well with Gigante, whose paranoid-schizophrenic act was revved up. Members of his family were forbidden to mention his name, and had to refer to him as "Aunt Julia" or by stroking their chins in the classical thinker's pose.

When Tortorello was released in late 1987, Manna told Luchese underboss

At a follow-up high-level sitdown, Manna laid out his case to whack Tortorello to Luchese boss Vittorio (Vic) Amuso, while off to the side, Genovese underboss Venero (Benny Eggs) Mangano (right) was telling Casso that a good old fashioned beating might suffice. Gigante thought about it and agreed.

Relations between the families were good, but the Lucheses weren't about to let the Genoveses kill one of their own for telling the truth, even if he had been talking out of school.

A week later, over drinks, Amuso, Casso and Tortorello all agreed "to stage a phony beating .... to appease Chin," the report said. "A short time later, Tortorello was observed walking around with a cast on his arm and telling a story of how four guys had beaten him up and broken his arm."

When he "recovered," Torty went about the gangster business, functioning at times as an acting capo, sponsoring his son Joseph (left) into the crime family in November, 1991, and managing to dodge another execution.

He headed a mob crew that pretty much did it all. They trafficked in ecstasy, crack, marijuana, morphine, cocaine, Quaaludes and valium and robbed various businesses and private homes around the city, specializing in ripping off drug dealers.

On Dec. 20, 1996, his crew invaded the Upper West Side home of a dress designer  who once worked for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and killed

By July, 1997, however, the case began unraveling with city police and FBI agents accusing each other of botching the investigation, and Tortorello's lawyer Mathew Mari was able to negotiate a plea bargain calling for 10 years in prison.

After Torty pleaded guilty, Mari asked that his client be released pending sentencing. Torty wanted to say goodbye to his mother, who was in her 80's , ailing and would surely be dead when he was released. In addition, he and his son each had pressing medical problems, Mari told Judge Thomas Griesa. Mari argued that Tortorello's situation had changed drastically -- for the better -- now that he had pleaded guilty. He no longer faced execution, only 10 years, so there was no reason for him to flee. He would return for sentencing.   

Surprised prosecutors strongly objected, and quickly appealed when Griesa granted Tortorello a two month reprieve to settle his affairs and say goodbye to his mother.

"It's the only case I ever won in the U.S. Court of Appeals," Mari said yesterday, adding that when Tortorello had first asked him to request bail, he had told him it was a waste of time, that, "No judge is ever going to release you."

That's when they realized why Boopsie's eyes were a little bloodshot and why he looked a little weird when they walked into a Bensonhurst, Brooklyn luncheonette to arrest him and soldier Scott Gervasi.

"I can't say he was high, but he certainly had a buzz on," said one law enforcement source in the joint state and federal caper in which a total of two capos, two soldiers and three associates were charged.

"You'd think wiseguys who smoke pot would smoke 'em like the rest of us smoke cigarettes and throw out the roaches," said one incredulous longtime observer of the Gang Land scene.

"It wasn't a roach; it was half a joint," said one investigator. "Guess he

Capo Joseph (Joey Flowers) Tangorra, 51, (right) co-leader of the family's Bensonhurst crew with Castelle, 40, was also arrested in the case, his third in seven months.

A team of FBI agents, DEA agents and cops led by Detectives John Fisher and Thomas Farley of the Brooklyn District Attorney's office also nabbed soldier Joseph (JoJo) Truncale, 69 and associate Lester Ellis, 50, on racketeering charges. Two others are in custody on other charges.

Assistant U.S. attorney William Gurin and assistant Brooklyn district attorney Patricia McNeill moved to detain the five arrested defendants without bail  as dangers to the community.

After a hearing, Gervasi, 36, was released on $700,000 bail under strict house arrest conditions. Tangorra's hearing began yesterday and resumes today. The others will follow.