Ex-Drug Kingpin Shot Dead In Harlem Drive-By: Reports

Harlem NY

01 November, 2021

9:49 AM

Description

HARLEM, NY — A former drug lord who served decades in prison and had his exploits immortalized in a Hollywood movie was fatally shot in Harlem on Sunday, according to multiple reports. Alberto "Alpo" Martinez, 55, was shot around 3:24 a.m. at the intersection of West 147th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. He was rushed to Harlem Hospital with gunshot wounds to the torso, but could not be saved. Police initially identified the victim as Abraham Rodriguez, a resident of Lewiston, Maine. Martinez had reportedly entered the witness protection program following his release from prison in 2015, where he was serving a 35-year sentence. Born in East Harlem, Martinez later played a prominent role in the city's cocaine and crack wars in the 1980s, the New York Times reported. He was arrested in Washington, D.C. in 1991 and charged with 14 counts of murder, but then became a government witness, testifying against his former subordinates. Martinez was portrayed by Cam'ron in the 2002 film "Paid in Full," which depicts Harlem's 1980s drug wars.