Leroy "Nicky" Barnes

S1 E4: Leroy “Nicky” Barnes was not your typical drug dealer. He was a drug addict turn business man. Like many drug dealers, Barnes was dapper and smooth, but unlike his contemporaries he became addicted to the merchandise. After a series of arrests and convictions, Barnes was forced to call it a career in 1978 when he was sentenced to life for drug trafficking. His sentence was reduced, however, to 35 years when he ratted on 109 other dealers. His snitching just added to his legend and begs the question—is Barnes a savior or simply a man who did what he had to do to survive? This compelling episode will examine what led the man they called “Mr. Untouchable” to become one of the most infamous heroin pushers in Harlem during the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.