| Nicky Barnes | |
| Birth Name: | Leroy Nicholas Barnes |
| Birth Date: | 15 October 1933 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alias: | Nicky Barnes; "Mr. Untouchable" |
| Conviction Penalty: | Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (1978) |
| Allegiance: | The Council |
| Conviction: | Drug trafficking (1978) |
Leroy Nicholas Barnes (October 15, 1933 – June 18, 2012) was an American crime boss, active in New York City during the 1970s.
In 1972, Barnes formed The Council, a seven-man African-American organized crime syndicate that controlled a significant part of the heroin trade in the Harlem area of New York City.[1] Barnes led The Council into an international drug trafficking ring, in partnership with the Italian-American Mafia, until his arrest in 1977. Barnes was sentenced to life imprisonment, eventually becoming a federal informant that led to the collapse of The Council in 1977. Barnes was living under the United States Marshals Service in Witness protection at the time of his death, and his obituary appeared in The New York Times seven years after his death.[2]
In 2007, Barnes released a book, Mr. Untouchable, written with Tom Folsom, and a documentary DVD of the same title about his life.[3]
Leroy Nicholas Barnes was born on October 15, 1933, in Harlem, New York City, into an African-American family. A good student in his youth, Barnes left home early to escape his abusive alcoholic father, turning to drug dealing for income. Barnes himself became addicted to heroin for several years in his 20s until spending time in jail, when he ended his addiction. Barnes was sent to prison in 1965 for low-level drug dealing, and while in prison he met "Crazy" Joe Gallo, a capo in the Colombo crime family, and Matthew Madonna, a heroin dealer for the Lucchese crime family.[4] Gallo wanted to have a greater presence in the Harlem heroin market, but did not have any personnel to deal in the predominantly African-American areas. It is believed Gallo passed on his knowledge of how to run a drug trafficking organization to Barnes, and asked him to assemble the necessary personnel.[4] When Gallo was released from jail, he provided a lawyer for Barnes, who subsequently had his conviction overturned on a technicality.[5] On his return to New York City, Barnes began to assemble his personnel, and began cutting and packaging heroin.