Nicky Barnes

Nicky Barnes is a former drug lord who, in the 1970s, was one of the wealthiest heroin dealers in the United States. In 1978, Barnes was prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for multiple counts of drug trafficking. After cooperating with authorities in the prosecution of other drug dealers, Barnes was released from prison in 1998.

Barnes grew up in Harlem and in 1965 served his first stint in prison for mid-level drug dealing. In prison, Barnes met famous mobster "Crazy Joe" Gallo, and the two hatched a plan to construct a drug empire around the sale and distribution of heroin. Upon his release, Barnes began to construct a heroin empire based, in part, on the crime syndicate structure of New York City's Italian families.Drug Enforcement Administration: DEA History Book, 1975 - 1980

By 1976, Barnes was a multi-millionaire and although he was charged with several crimes, he managed to continually avoid conviction, earning him the nickname, "Mr. Untouchable." After Barnes posed for the cover of The New York Times Magazine in 1977, President Jimmy Carter ordered the Attorney General to pursue a vigorous prosecution of the heroin kingpin. In 1977, Barnes was convicted of drug trafficking charges after DEA agents infiltrated his organization, and the following year was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.Drug Enforcement Administration: DEA History Book, 1975 - 1980

From prison, Barnes saw his syndicate begin to crumble and began cooperating with authorities in the 1990s. In 1998, Barnes was released from prison and into the Federal Witness Protection Program. After living anonymously and out of sight for several years, Barnes re-emerged in 2007 to promote his autobiography, Mr. Untouchable. He is played by actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the film American Gangster