About this episode

The episode explores the early life of Nicky Barnes and his rise as a major drug dealer in Harlem.

Long before he became "Mr Untouchable" -- one of the biggest drug dealers in the country -- Nicky Barnes was just a kid growing up in Harlem. But he would eventually gather together a group of other Black men to control the flow of heroin across New York City, challenging the dominance of the city's existing crime families. Listen to all 4 episodes of 'Nicky Barnes: Mr. Untouchable' wherever you get your podcasts, or to get early, ad-free access to the entire season, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠Americancriminal.com⁠ We’ve covered dozens of stories here at American Criminal, and we always love hearing which ones are your favorites. Now we want your help to choose some of our upcoming seasons. We’ve put together a list of stories we think you’ll really enjoy, and now the final say is yours. Click the link below! americancriminal.com/vote Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Airship & Evergreen Podcasts

Topics covered

• drug trafficking
• Harlem
• crime families
• Nicky Barnes
• true crime
• history

Keywords

• Nicky Barnes
• drug dealer
• Harlem
• heroin
• crime families
• true crime
• American Criminal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Criminal

Places: Harlem, New York City

More episodes of American Criminal

• American Criminal Season 27 - Serial Killer: Richard Rogers · September 10, 2026 · 2 min
• Nicky Barnes: Mr Untouchable | The Rest of the Story | 5 · September 10, 2026 · 40 min
• Nicky Barnes: Mr Untouchable | Cold, Calculated Revenge | 4 · September 3, 2026 · 52 min
• Nicky Barnes: Mr Untouchable | The Council | 3 · August 27, 2026 · 43 min
• Nicky Barnes: Mr Untouchable | A Fair Fight | 2 · August 20, 2026 · 44 min
• Case File | The Doctors Who Stole Bodies · August 6, 2026 · 1h 13m

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