Infamous drug kingpin Alpo Martinez, 55, – who was placed in Maine witness protection in 2015 after ratting out fellow NYC dealers – is shot dead in his Dodge Ram in Harlem
- Alberto ‘Alpo’ Martinez, 55, was found dead in his 2017 Dodge Ram on the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 147 Street in Harlem, police said
- Martinez, who has lived under witness protection for testifying against drug dealers was identified as Abraham Rodriguez
- He had been living in Maine according to his ID but had come back to his old Harlem haunts
- He was found at 3:24 am with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, authorities told DailyMail.com
- Martinez has had a minor influence on pop culture, immortalized by rapper and actor Cam’ron’s portrayal of him in the 2002 Jay Z-produced movie Paid in Full
A notorious New York City drug kingpin, immortalized in film and in songs by the likes of Jay Z and 50 Cent after going into witness protection for snitching on his partners, was executed in a drive-by shooting Sunday morning.
Alberto ‘Alpo’ Martinez, 55, was found dead in his 2017 Dodge Ram on the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 147 Street in Harlem, police said.
Martinez, who has lived under witness protection for testifying against drug dealers, was identified under the name he used in witness protection – Abraham Rodriguez. Authorities said he had been living in Lewiston, Maine.
He was found at 3:24 am with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, authorities told DailyMail.com. Photos of his truck showed at least five bullet holes in the window. EMS took him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made in the shooting and police are still investigating.
Alberto ‘Alpo’ Martinez, 55, was a notorious drug kingpin who ran of ring from New York to Washington DC in the 1980s dealing cocaine and crack
Martinez was found dead in his 2017 Dodge Ram (pictured above) in a drive-by shooting Sunday morning with at least five gunshot wounds to his torso
Martinez was found with ID using the name Abraham Rodriguez. He’d been out of prison since 2015 and living under witness protection
The shooting took place on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 147 Street in Harlem
Police have yet to make any arrests in the shooting
A police source, who told the New York Post Martinez’s license plates were from Texas, said Martinez was asking for trouble the second he returned to his old Harlem Haunts.
‘You were in the witness protection program because you testified against other drug dealers,’ he said. ‘You’d make a lot of enemies who have a score to settle. When you return to the same area, word will get out very fast. He’s back in the zone.’
Martinez ran a drug ring that spanned from New York to Washington dealing cocaine and crack in the 1980s.
After his 1991 arrest, he would eventually confess to 14 murders before becoming a government witness.
Martinez had been living under witness protection after being released from prison in 2015. He was serving a 35-year sentence at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison in Colorado.
Martinez had been living under witness protection after being released from prison in 2015
A Jay-Z produced film called Paid in Full was made in which rapper/actor Cam’Ron portrayed Martinez
Martinez was also immortalized in songs by Jay Z, as well as fellow New York-based rappers Nas and 50 Cent
Martinez has had a minor influence on pop culture, immortalized by rapper and actor Cam’ron’s portrayal of him in the 2002 Jay Z-produced movie Paid in Full.
Jay Z, Nas and 50 Cent have all written songs referencing Martinez.
The family of Rich Porter celebrated the news Sunday. Porter was Martinez’s business partner who the kingpin gunned down in 1990.
‘We waited for a long time for this day to come and we are happy. That’s why we’re out here celebrating, drinking champagne,’ a 37-year-old niece of Porter’s who gave her name only as Lorell told the New York Daily News as she poured herself more bubbly into a fancy glass.
‘Everybody’s reaction right now is celebrating. It’s a celebration for Harlem, period.’
