Nicky Barnes

Nicky Barnes

Leroy Nicholas Barnes 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. Barnes led The Council into an international drug trafficking ring, in partnership with the Italian-American Mafia, until his arrest in 1977.