Notorious drug trafficker Leslie "Ike" Atkinson dies
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on November 14, 2014 11:32 AM
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A former soldier and convicted drug trafficker who was believed to have played a significant role in smuggling heroin to the United States during the Vietnam War died Tuesday.
Leslie "Ike" Atkinson, 88, was convicted of orchestrating the transport of the drug from Southeast Asia to the U.S. via military installations, including Fort Bragg -- and, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, was the main supplier to Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas.
Atkinson was arrested in January 1975 at his Goldsboro home and, after being convicted the following year on drug charges, served more than 30 years in prison.
He died Tuesday at Parham Doctors' Hospital in Henrico, Va., and is scheduled to be buried in Goldsboro next week.