Sergeant Smack, Frank Lucas, and the Bangkok Heroin Corpse Connection
52:33 Share

Leslie "Ike" Atkinson rose from Army sergeant to international casino hustler, to Bangkok bar owner and quarterback of one of the biggest heroin smuggling rings in history. Recruiting disillusioned black Vietnam vets from his Harlem-themed joint, Ike trafficked billions of dollars of ultra-pure Golden Triangle dope into the States - right under the nose of Uncle Sam. But did he ever smuggle heroin stitched into the bodies of fallen war heroes? This episode focuses on one of organized crime's most interesting, but least known, kingpins. And despite what Frank Lucas claimed, New Jersey's infamous "Superfly" was little more than a starry-eyed bit-part player.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices)