Undercover DEA Agent Louis Diaz on Taking Down Harlem Drug Kingpin Nicky Barnes (Full Interview)

Former DEA agent Louis Diaz sat down for his first-ever VladTV interview, and Vlad started off by speaking about Diaz being largely responsible for taking down New York crime boss Nicky Barnes. From there, Louis spoke about his upbringing in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the 1950s and 60s, which Diaz said was the best time of his life, and he went on to speak about how there was a mafia presence in his neighborhood. During the conversation, Louis detailed how he got started in the ATF, and he went on to speak about Nicky Barnes starting a crime syndicate called “The Council” in Harlem. Louis detailed how The Council and the mafia worked with one another in the streets, and Louis went on to speak about how he went undercover as a mob associate. Louis explained that people were raising suspicion about him, which led him to move to California, and Louis later moved back to New York.

Moving along, Louis spoke about being around Nicky Barnes and infiltrating The Council, and investigating the inner workings of the organization. Louis detailed taking down The Council, Nicky Barnes’ arrest, and the RICO case. Louis explained that there was an anonymous jury in the trial, and he spoke about the shock when Nicky and his associates learned that he was working undercover. Louis also spoke about speaking to Nicky, and he went on to address Nicky getting life in prison. Elsewhere in the interview, Louis spoke about being part of “Operation Pisces,” where he took down members of the Medellin cartel. To hear more, including Louis speaking about other cases he worked on, hit the full interview above.