Frank Lucas

Frank Lucas
Lucas in 1975
Born(1930-09-09)September 9, 1930
DiedMay 30, 2019(2019-05-30) (aged 88)
OccupationDrug lord
SpouseJulie Farrait (m. 1967)
Children7
Conviction(s)Drug trafficking (1976)
Drug trafficking (1984)
Criminal penaltySentenced to 70 years imprisonment;[1] served five years[2][3][4]
Sentenced to seven years imprisonment[4][5]

Frank Lucas (September 9, 1930 – May 30, 2019) was an American drug lord who operated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. Lucas boasted that he smuggled heroin using the coffins of dead American servicemen,[6][7] as depicted in the feature film American Gangster (2007), which fictionalized aspects of his life. This claim was denied by his Southeast Asian associate Leslie "Ike" Atkinson.[8]

In 1976, Lucas was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 70 years in prison, but after becoming an informant, he and his family were placed in the Witness Protection Program. In 1981, his federal and state prison sentences were reduced to time served[2] plus lifetime parole.[9] In 1984 he was convicted a second time for drug offenses, and was released from prison in 1991.[10] In 2012, he pled guilty to attempting to cash a $17,000 federal disability benefit check twice, and because of his age and poor health, received a sentence of five years' probation.[3]

  1. ^ "U.S. Jury Convicts Heroin Informant". The New York Times. August 25, 1984. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (May 31, 2019). "Frank Lucas, 'American Gangster' Drug Kingpin, Dead at 88". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Frank Lucas, former drug kingpin who inspired 'American Gangster,' dies at 88". Associated Press. May 31, 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2021 – via NBC News.
  4. ^ a b "Drug Dealer Gets New Prison Term". The New York Times. September 11, 1984. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  5. ^ Janelle Oswald (December 9, 2007). "The Real American Gangster". voice-online. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2008. She spent five years in prison for aiding her husband's narcotic smuggling trade. Having to get used to the public life again after living like a 'ghost' since her release, the making of her partner's life on the big screen has brought back many memories, some good and some bad.
  6. ^ "The Return of Superfly". New York. August 14, 2000. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "American Gangster True Story – The real Frank Lucas, Richie Roberts". Chasingthefrog.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  8. ^ "Is 'American Gangster' really all that 'true'?". CNN. January 22, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  9. ^ Galbraith, Alex (May 31, 2019). "'American Gangster' Subject Frank Lucas Dead at 88". Complex. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  10. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (May 31, 2019). "Frank Lucas Dies at 88; Drug Kingpin Depicted in 'American Gangster'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2022.