Frank Lucas, an American drug lord who reigned supreme in the late 60s/70s in Harlem and who’s life story inspired the 2007 movie, 'American Gangster'
Frank Lucas, an American drug lord who reigned supreme in the late 60s/70s in Harlem and who’s life story inspired the 2007 movie, ‘American Gangster’, is dead. The film also inspired a Jay-Z album of the same name. Frank Lucas died from natural causes at the age of 88 earlier this week in New Jersey. Born in North Carolina in 1930, he moved to New York where he became a prolific heroin trafficker throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1976 he was sentenced to decades in prison, but later provided evidence to police and was freed after five years.
The North Carolina-born Lucas moved to Harlem after witnessing the Ku Klux Klan murder his cousin, an incident that Lucas said sparked his career in crime. Lucas would later become a protégé of sorts to Harlem mob boss Bumpy Johnson and would later take over as Harlem’s drug kingpin and fronted what became one of America’s biggest heroin empires. At its peak, Lucas’ drug empire was making $1 million per day, he claimed.
Rather than quietly accumulating his wealth, however, Lucas lived lavishly, often donning a $100,000 floor-length chinchilla coat and matching $25,000 hat, an attention grabing ensemble that Lucas wore to the Ali-Frazier boxing match in 1971; Lucas’ presence at the fight and spending habits drew the attention of the authorities. The Drug Enforcement Agency and the New York Police Department ultimately ended Lucas’ reign in 1975, with Lucas receiving a 70-year prison sentence.
However, Lucas later turned state’s witness and provided evidence that resulted in dozens of drug-related arrests. Lucas was released from prison in 1981 after his sentence was reduced to time served. Three years later, Lucas was again busted for a drug deal that violated his parole and spent seven years behind bars. Sterling Johnson, a former New York City special narcotics prosecutor, called Lucas’ operation “one of the most outrageous international dope-smuggling gangs ever.
In recent years, Lucas was confined to a wheelchair following a car accident and in 2011, released his memoir, ‘Original Gangster: The Real Life Stry of One of America’s Most Notorious Drug Lord.’
