Original Gangster

Frank Lucas was born in La Grange, North Carolina on September 9, 1930. He had almost no formal education. At the age of 15, he assaulted a man, stole $400, and fled to New York. He was soon gambling and selling drugs in Harlem. Ellsworth Johnson, who controlled gambling and extortion rackets in Harlem, became his mentor. In 1968, Lucas developed his own criminal enterprise.

During the Vietnam War, Lucas set up the Asian connection, smuggled "Blue Magic" heroin in the coffins of service personnel killed in action, and became a drug kingpin. He was arrested on January 28, 1975. He was convicted of federal drug charges in New York and state charges in New Jersey and sentenced to 70 years in prison. His cooperation in a wider inquiry led to his release in 1982. He was convicted of new drug charges in 1984 and imprisoned until 1991.

He lived anonymously in the federal witness protection program for years. He was a paid consultant for 2007 film about his life American Gangster. His autobiography, Original Gangster written with Aliya S. King, was published in 2010. Later in life, he professed remorse for his crimes and helped his daughter in an organization that aided children of imprisoned parents. He promised to use the proceeds from his book to promote education. He died on May 30, 2019 at the age of 88.

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