The Council (drug syndicate)
Founded | 1970's |
---|---|
Founding location | Harlem, New York City, New York |
Years active | 1970s |
Territory | Various neighborhoods in New York City and New Jersey |
Ethnicity | African American |
Membership | 7 |
Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, Murder, Robbery |
Allies | Lucchese Crime Family, East Harlem Purple Gang[1] |
Rivals | Various gangs in New York City including their allies |
The Council was a drug and crime syndicate in New York City created by Harlem gangster Nicky Barnes in the 1970s. The seven man organization was modeled after the Italian mob families.[2] The Council settled disputes, handled distribution problems and other drug related issues. It was connected to the Lucchese crime family through family member Matthew Madonna who supplied the group with raw heroin which was then diluted and distributed, in New York State but also Pennsylvania, Canada and as far west as Arizona. Lil Gee was murdered in The Bronx he was suspect in over 30 homicides.[3] Barnes was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1978 and in 1982 he became a federal informant.[2] His testimony led to the dissolution of The Council in the mid-1980s.
Members
The Council included seven people:
- Leroy Barnes
- Joseph "Jazz" Hayden
- Wallace Rice
- Thomas "Gaps" Foreman
- Ishmael Muhammed
- Frank James
- Guy Fisher
- Gary "lil Gee" Hendry
See also
References
- ↑ "Younger Thugs Surpass Elders: Manhattan's new Purple Gang deals with deceit, drugs, death". Eugene Register-Guard. New York Times News Servie. Dec 8, 1977. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- 1 2 Chepesiuk, Ron (1999). The war on drugs : an international encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-87436-985-4.
- ↑ Abadinsky, Howard (2010). Organized crime (9th ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-495-59966-1.