Nicky Barnes Essay

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Mr. Untouchable Organized crime figure born on October 15, 1933, in New York City, sometimes called Mr. Untouchable, Leroy "Nicky" Barnes became one of the biggest drug dealers in New York City during the 1970s. He helped found a criminal organization known as "The Council," which handled a large share of the city's heroin trade. According to his autobiography, Mr. Untouchable , Barnes started selling drugs at an early age. He ran with a street gang for a time and developed a taste for heroin, which quickly became an addiction. In 1950, Barnes was arrested for possession of a hypodermic needle. He was later arrested for possession of burglary tools and then for breaking into cars, which earned him a three-year sentence at the Manhattan House of Corrections, more colorfully known as "The Tombs." Released in 1954, Barnes returned to his life of dealing on the streets. He got nabbed by the police on a drug charge in 1959 and was sentenced to five years at Green Haven State Prison. While incarcerated, Barnes befriended known mob figure Matty Madonna. Both were engaged in the drug trade, and reportedly shared information on their illegal enterprises. Barnes was released in 1962, and sought to expand his underground operations. Leroy Barnes was sent to prison in 1965 for low level drug dealing. While in prison he met Colombo crime family member "Crazy" Joe Gallo and Lucchese crime family heroin dealer Matthew Madonna. Gallo wanted to have more of a stake in the Harlem Heroin market but didn't have any personnel to deal in the mostly black Harlem. It is believed Gallo passed on his knowledge of how to run a drug trafficking organization to Barnes and asked Barnes to assemble the necessary personnel. When Gallo got out of jail he provided a lawyer for Barnes. The lawyer got Barnes' conviction overturned on a technicality and he returned to New York City. Once home,
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