Frank Lucas was an American heroin dealer and organized crime boss who operated in Harlem, New York City, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was best known for his nickname, “Superfly,” and for Denzel Washington’s portrayal of him in the film “American Gangster.” He claimed to have smuggled all of the heroin directly from the source in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, making a fortune by cutting out middlemen in the drug trade. During the Vietnam War, Lucas gained notoriety for sneaking the drug into the US using the coffins of fallen American soldiers. He once claimed to have sold over a million dollars in heroin in a single day, making him one of the wealthiest gangsters in history. However, what would his net worth have been? Is he now dead? Let’s look into his life to find the answers to your prickly questions.
Frank Lucas’s Net Worth
According to reports, Frank Lucas’s estimated net worth at the peak of his career was $52 million. Even though Lucas was a legendary figure before the release of “American Gangster,” millions of moviegoers worldwide were first exposed to his life story through the Hollywood production. However, the movie may misrepresent his life narrative and criminal achievements.
Frank has acknowledged in recent years that a lot of his assertions were overstated. Even accounting for this, Lucas was likely making hundreds of millions of dollars during the height of his illegal activities. He was one of the main criminal bosses in Harlem and used dead soldiers’ coffins and returning soldiers to smuggle heroin into the country during the Vietnam War. He was found guilty of heroin trafficking in 1976 and given a 70-year prison sentence. Yet eventually, his charges were dropped, and in 1991, he was allowed to leave prison.
Frank Lucas’s Early Life
Frank Lucas was born on September 9th, 1930, in La Grange, North Carolina. According to him, he became a criminal as the K.K.K. killed his 12-year-old cousin, which inspired him to commit crimes. He hit a man over the head with a pipe when he was fifteen years old. He then stole $400, set the man’s business on fire, and fled to New York.
Frank made his home in Harlem, where he sold drugs, frequented pool halls, and committed small-time crimes like robberies. He had become a formidable force by the mid-1960s after shooting a very dangerous drug dealer. He eventually became the wingman for Ellsworth Johnson, a well-known gangster. However, following his death, Lucas filled the void by establishing his own criminal empire.
Frank Lucas’s Criminal Career
He began building his own criminal empire, which led to confrontations with the Italian mob right away. At this point, the Italians practically controlled everything in New York, including the heroin trade. Lucas went to Thailand and established contacts with regional sources of heroin. He managed to obtain heroin at a cost of $4,300 per kilogram. In New York, the street value of one kilogram was $300,000. Along the way, he developed relationships with black U.S. Army soldiers and devised a plan to conceal kilograms of heroin in the coffins of the deceased soldiers.
Lucas was also able to introduce “Blue Magic,” an almost pure form of heroin, into the streets. Frank’s wealth increased dramatically during this time. He also had a lot of well-known celebrities to rub shoulders with. Lucas was taken into custody at his New Jersey home in 1975. He was found guilty of federal drug charges in New York after police discovered $584,000 in cash hidden in the home. He was ultimately given a 70-year prison term, but in 1991 he was set free. His demise occurred on May 30, 2019.
