MELVIN WILLIAMS

Rap Sheet
Reign: 1960s and 70s.
Business: Heroin
Region: Baltimore, MD
Claim to Fame: He's part of the inspiration for "The Wire."
Downfall: framed by police.
Sentence: 26.5 years
Status: served his time, lives in Baltimore
Lesson: Keep your enemies close, but not close enough to drop drugs in your pocket.

Case File
Before he was old enough to shave, “Little Melvin” Williams possessed a genius I.Q. and was a prodigy in the gambling haunts and alleyways along glittering Pennsylvania Avenue.  When heroin addiction exploded in the 1960’s, Mafia drug traffickers sought out connections in big cities that were accustomed to dealing in large sums of cash and were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. In Baltimore  - home to more heroin users than any other big American town – they needed to look no further than to Melvin, known in street lore today as “the man who brought heroin to Baltimore.” For three decades Melvin ruled as the uncrowned king of West Baltimore. Frustrated with their inability to penetrate his  operation, Baltimore police framed him  - planting a hand full of pills in his pocket during an orchestrated bust. Five years later, Melvin emerged from prison a bitter man out for revenge. He accomplished his mission – accumulating untold millions in narco-profits – but ultimately paid the price by serving 26.5 years in prison.  His exploits helped inspire the hit series “The Wire.”  On this episode of ‘American Gangster’ he tells his story, his way.