Harlem Drug Trafficker Nicky Barnes (1978-85)
- 7 months ago
In 1972, Leroy Nicholas Barnes (October 15, 1933 - June 18, 2012) formed The Council, a seven-man African-American organized crime syndicate that controlled a significant part of the heroin trade in the Harlem area of New York City.
Barnes led The Council into an international drug trafficking ring, in partnership with the Italian-American Mafia, until his arrest in 1977. Barnes was sentenced to life imprisonment, eventually becoming a federal informant that led to the collapse of The Council in 1977.
Barnes was living under the United States Marshals Service in Witness protection at the time of his death, and his Obituary appeared in the New York Times seven years after his death.
Barnes led The Council into an international drug trafficking ring, in partnership with the Italian-American Mafia, until his arrest in 1977. Barnes was sentenced to life imprisonment, eventually becoming a federal informant that led to the collapse of The Council in 1977.
Barnes was living under the United States Marshals Service in Witness protection at the time of his death, and his Obituary appeared in the New York Times seven years after his death.