American Gangster Drug Dealer Frank Lucas Dies Aged 88

Drug kingpin Frank Lucas has died aged 88.

The infamous crime boss was portrayed by Denzel Washington in the 2007 movie American Gangster.

The news was confirmed by Rolling Stone magazine, who spoke to Lucas' nephew Aldwan Lassiter.

Known as the 'Original Gangster', Lucas famously headed up the 'Golden Triangle' gambit of the early 1970s and imported heroin from Southeast Asia in the coffins of US soldiers who had been killed in the Vietnam war.

Speaking to New York magazine about his complicated strategy in 2000, Lucas said: "Who the hell is gonna look in a dead soldier's coffin? We had him make up 28 copies of the government coffins... except we fixed them up with false bottoms, big enough to load up with six, maybe eight kilos."

More to follow.

Topics: Interesting, US News

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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