The Nation: Bad, Bad Leroy Barnes

(3 of 3)

But last week, after spending 18 hours deliberating on nine weeks of testimony, the jury of five blacks and seven whites found Nicky Barnes guilty. Mr. Untouchable finally got touched. A gasp rose from the courtroom, which was packed with Barnes' friends and relatives. Convicted along with Barnes were four of his "lieutenants" plus six members of a "lower echelon," all of them charged with conspiracy. It was they who actually negotiated bulk deals for their boss. Prosecutors said Barnes never handled the drugs himself. His defense attorney, David Breitbart, said he would challenge the prosecution's evidence once again and appeal verdict, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum sentence of ten years. Meanwhile, Barnes, who was denied bail, will be in a federal prison, along with most of his convicted sidekicks.

With Barnes behind bars, New York police have already begun planning a special task force to investigate the drug racket in the city. In the past two months, while Barnes was on trial, there have been 18 drug-connected homicides in Harlem. To narcotics agents, that could mean only one thing: the battle for Nicky's lucrative turf has begun. ∎