Former New York City drug lord Alpo Martinez lost his life early Halloween morning after being shot five times in a drive-by shooting. The 55-year-old was reportedly sitting inside his 2017 Dodge Ram truck in Harlem when the incident occurred and was quickly rushed to a hospital before being pronounced dead, the New York Post reported.
As close ones mourn his death, pictures have since surfaced of Martinez reportedly attending a recent Halloween costume party and wearing a mask similar to one worn by slasher movie villain Jason Vorhees. According to VladTV, Martinez allegedly wore the mask as a disguise to keep his true identity hidden from the public.
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Martinez famously took part in a large-scale cocaine operation that dominated the east coast throughout the 1980s, resulting in his 1991 arrest and conviction on 14 counts of murder, the Sun Journal reported. After being sentenced to 35 years behind bars, the infamous drug dealer was released in 2015 and entered into a witness protection program to maintain a low profile.
He reportedly also struck a deal with government officials in exchange for handing over valuable information related to other crimes.
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As News Onyx previously reported, Martinez’s story inspired the 2002 crime drama Paid In Full. The cult classic starred actors Wood Harris, Cam’Ron and Mekhi Phifer and was produced by Damon Dash and Jay-Z.
Sharing a throwback picture of himself and Cam’Ron on set for the film, Phifer wrote on Instagram about the pair portraying Martinez and fellow dealer Richard Porter, saying, “My brother @mr_camron and myself on the set of #paidinfull bringing to life the story of true #Harlem Influencers #richporter and #alpo ….”
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“We had an obligation to do these brothers justice! I’m just happy we were able to have the honor of doing so. I never actually met Rich ( I was much younger during that time) but got the essence from their friends and family when I chose to do the role,” he continued. “I grew up knowing the legend of these Kats and had to represent the humanity in the choices they made. Hopefully, lessons were learned and not glorified in any way. Hopefully, we were able to capture their motivation and mannerisms. RIP to both these brothers. Much love!”
According to the New York Times, Martinez admitted to killing Porter in 1990, his friend from childhood, commenting on the murder, “It wasn’t personal. It was business. Rich lied to me about something there was no reason to lie about. I gave him the opportunity to tell me the truth not once but twice.”
And while dozens of condolences have been pouring in, Porter’s niece spoke with the New York Daily News following Martinez’s death, sharing that her family was celebrating the news by popping champagne. “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,” she revealed, adding, “Every dog has their day and today was his. I believe in karma, and I’m glad that I was here to witness it.”
