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I Hunted America's Biggest Drug Traffickers in the '70s — Here's What It Was Like | Lewis Rice

September 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The DEA's First Generation: Lewis Rice on Building a Drug-Fighting Agency from Scratch

Lewis Rice joined the Drug Enforcement Administration at 21 years old in 1974, just one year after President Nixon created the agency. He would go on to become the youngest special agent in charge in DEA history, eventually running the New York Division. But his motivation came from something personal: watching his childhood friends in Queens return from Vietnam addicted to heroin, overdose, or live "unfulfilled and unproductive lives." Their devastated families, he says, made the DEA's mission one he could identify with. "I'm going to go after the people that destroyed my friends' lives."

The DEA's Founding Moment and Early Culture

When the DEA was formed in 1973, it was a high-risk bet. New York was "ground zero" for heroin during a period that also saw the Knapp Commission investigating police corruption, the Serpico scandal, and widespread public distrust of law enforcement. The agency started with roughly 3,000 agents globally — compared to the NYPD's 33,000 officers at the time — and its focus was never street-level dealers. The target was the people supplying those dealers, the ones who "when they get arrested, people are surprised that they were involved in drugs because they want to distance themselves actually from being perceived to be involved in drugs."

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **Advertisements for Therapy, Stamps.com, and Vital Proteins** - A block of sponsor messages for Growth Therapy, Stamps.com, and Vital Proteins.
  • 2 (02:21) **The Frank Lucas Testimony and the Genesis of the DEA** - Lewis Rice begins by recounting the controversial decision to use Frank Lucas as a cooperator, then sets the stage for his career by describing the creation of the DEA in 1973 amid the heroin crisis and corruption scandals in New York.
  • 3 (05:50) **Personal Origin Story: From Queens Projects to DEA Agent** - Rice describes his upbringing in the Queens projects, his father’s influence as an NYPD detective, and the specific motivation that drove him to join the newly formed DEA.
  • 4 (14:13) **Joining a Young Agency: The Academy and First Assignment** - Rice describes being hired at age 21 and assigned to a legendary enforcement group before even attending the DEA academy, giving him a unique on-the-job training experience.
  • 5 (23:37) **The Art and Danger of Undercover Work in the 1970s** - Rice breaks down the realities of undercover drug buys in New York, emphasizing the critical role of informants and the intense preparation required to avoid getting ripped off or killed.
  • 6 (31:22) **The “Champion” Fugitive and the 1970s Court System** - Rice tells the story of a major case where a defendant with a 30-year rap sheet was released on his own recognizance, only to become a fugitive, illustrating the lenient federal system before mandatory minimums.
  • 7 (37:28) **The Frank Matthews Mystery and the Mafia’s Supply Chain** - Rice discusses the infamous fugitive Frank Matthews and then explains the primary source of heroin in 1970s New York: the Mafia, operating through the French Connection.

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Show Notes

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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Thank you to CASH APP for sponsoring this episode:

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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 Und

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