The true story of the rise and fall of a Harlem heroin kingpin In his own words, Frank Lucas recounts his life as the former heroin dealer and organized crime boss who ran Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s. From being taken under the wing of old time gangster Bumpy Johnson, through one of the most successful drug smuggling operations, to being sentenced to seventy years in prison, Original Gangster is a chilling look at the rise and fall of a modern legacy. To gain the success he craved, Lucas broke the Italian mafia's monopoly in New York by cutting out middlemen and smuggling heroin directly from the Golden Triangle, using coffins. Selling "Blue Magic"—the purest heroin on the street—Lucas became one of the most powerful crime lords of his time, while rubbing shoulders with the elite in entertainment, politics, and crime. After his arrest, Federal Judge Sterling Johnson called Lucas and his operation "one of the most outrageous international dope-smuggling gangs ever." This powerful memoir reveals the true story behind the 2007 film American Gangster, exposing a startling look at the world of organized crime.