Episode Details

Lewis Rice spent 26 years inside the DEA, working undercover cases and helping take down some of the biggest drug traffickers in America in the 1970's, 80's & 90's. After earning his Criminal Justice degree from St. John's University, he joined the DEA and went on to coordinate major international investigations targeting violent cartels in Miami — cases that seized millions of dollars in cash and thousands of kilos of cocaine and heroin. He worked directly with infamous Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas after Lucas became a government cooperator, using his information to help convict major traffickers. Rice eventually rose through DEA leadership positions in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Detroit, and New York before becoming Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's flagship New York office — making him the youngest SAC in the entire agency at the time. After 26 years on the front lines of America's war on drugs, he retired in 2001.

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#miami #truecrimestories #cops #mafia #newyork

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Buy Lewis's Book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805978712?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:

https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en

https://ianbick.com/

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Timestamps:

00:00 Frank Lucas Cooperates 00:32 Lewis Rice's Career and the DEA's Early Days 01:01 The Birth of the DEA in the 1970s 03:30 Growing Up in New York City 04:42 Friends' Heroin Addiction Inspires Mission 06:09 Influence of His Father 07:08 Family Background and Internships 08:51 Rikers Island Intern Experience 11:12 Starting at the DEA at 21 12:56 DEA's Size and Focus 13:12 Academy and Early Training 14:50 Legendary Supervisor Frank White 15:33 Typical Recruits in the Early DEA 16:37 Acceptance as a Young Agent 18:10 The Importance of Undercover Work 19:21 First Undercover Cases 21:21 Negotiating Drug Deals 22:00 Showing Money and Dealer Psychology 23:11 The Informant's Role 25:03 How Informants Were Found 26:36 Arresting Dealers and Building Cases 27:47 Dealers' Knowledge of the DEA 28:41 An 8-Month Undercover Investigation 29:47 Going to Trial in the 70s 30:40 Defendants Released by Magistrate 31:14 The 'Champion' Fugitive 33:03 DEA's Most Wanted and Frank Matthews 36:21 Conviction Success Rates 37:41 Working a Case with the US Attorney 38:54 Handwritten Reports and Courtroom Drama 39:42 Prosecutors' Advice on Evidence 40:49 Sentences in the 70s 41:24 High-Level Enforcement in Philadelphia 42:44 Community Impact of Mass Arrests 44:06 Drug Dealers in Their Communities 45:02 Hardcore Dealers Like Herby Sperling 45:49 Modern Dealers Cut Deals 46:03 Talking to Kids About Drug Crimes 49:01 Mafia's Role in 70s Heroin Supply 51:02 The French Connection and Source Countries 53:26 Mafia Families and Drug Politics 54:26 Money