"Bad moon on the rise" is a lyric from the chorus of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Bad Moon Rising."
The bald NYPD captain was named Savalas; no doubt in homage to the most famous bald NYPD cop Kojak (1973) ( Telly Savalas ).
MDA stands for Methylenedioxyamphetamine, which as Agent Alvez states is a more potent precursor to MDMA (ecstasy) which stands for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. MDA is not as sought after as MDMA because it tends to have more severe side effects, including hallucinations, paranoia and violent outbursts, most people take ecstasy for its euphoric and empathic effects and these effects are not as prevalent with MDA. MDA is produced in small amounts when MDMA is metabolized and is sometimes used as a cutting agent in MDMA since it is cheaper to synthesize.
Ronnie Marmo and Joe Mantegna worked together previously in "West of Brooklyn"