Overview

Guy Fisher, former owner of the Apollo Theater, and Nicky Barnes were at once friends, competitors and allies in the struggle to control America's heroin trade. After years of outpacing the law, Barnes was arrested, tried (by litigator Rudolph Giuliani, no less) and sentenced to life in prison. But soon, Barnes cut a deal with federal prosecutors against Fisher and others. The result: Fisher was handed a 25-year-to-life term in a federal pen.