Frank Lucas was a notorious Harlem drug lord in the late 1960s and early 1970s, famous for cutting out middlemen and buying heroin directly from Southeast Asia. He claimed to have smuggled heroin in the coffins of dead American servicemen, though this was disputed by his associates

. In 1976, Lucas was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 70 years in prison. However, after becoming an informant and helping authorities bring down numerous drug dealers and corrupt officials, his sentence was reduced, and he was released after serving about five years. He and his family were placed in the Witness Protection Program

. Lucas was convicted again on drug charges in 1984 and served until 1991. In later years, he expressed regret for the damage his heroin business caused

. He died of natural causes on May 30, 2019, in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, at the age of 88