Mr. Untouchable

Mr. Untouchable Nicky Barnes was a Harlem-based drug lord who built a highly profitable heroin distribution organization known as "The Council" in the 1970s, reportedly grossing millions of dollars per week and cultivating a flamboyant public persona that led to a 1977 New York Times Magazine cover story. He was convicted in 1978 on a continuing criminal enterprise charge and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He later cooperated extensively with federal prosecutors, providing testimony that led to the convictions of numerous associates, and was released under the federal witness protection program in 1998.