Louis Diaz

Louis Diaz
Louis "Lou "Diaz
Born (c. 1947)
New York City
Other names "Lou"
Alma mater Queens College, New York
Occupation retired
Years active 1974 - 1996
Organization Drug Enforcement Administration
Agent DEA Agent
Awards Administrators DEA Distinguished Service Award
Sustained Superior Performance
Excellence of Performance Awards
NYPD Legion of Honor
Military career
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1964 - 1966
Rank Specialist 4th Class (Corporal).
Unit 3rd Armored Division
Other work Author

Louis "Lou" Diaz (born c. 1947) is a highly decorated former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent who was largely responsible for the arrest and conviction of Leroy Nicky Barnes a.k.a. "Mr. Untouchable". He was also instrumental in dismantling Barnes entire drug trafficking organization known as the “Council.” As an undercover agent, he also brought down members of the Medellin Cartel. Diaz is also an author and actor, who has participated in many major television series and Hollywood films under the pseudonym Lou Casal.[1][2]

Biography

Diaz was born in New York City and grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He is the son of Spanish parents from the North of Spain.[3] Diaz attended Most Holy Trinity High School in Brooklyn, New York. After he graduated, he studied at St. Francis College, also in Brooklyn and at Queens College in Queens, New York where he received his B.A. degree.[4] In 1964, Diaz was a welterweight boxing finalist in the New York Daily News Golden Gloves.

Diaz served in the United States Army, he was stationed in Germany, where, as an amateur boxer, he won the 3rd Armored Division's middleweight championship.

In 1971, Diaz was hired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) where he served as an undercover agent. While at "ATF" Diaz made many high profile gun cases and arrested many organized crime members.

In 1975, Diaz was hired by the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) in New York City where he served twenty-eight years as a special agent; twenty-two years of which was spent working in an extensive undercover capacity.[5][4]

Nicky Barnes organization investigation

External video
Louis Diaz's participation in the documentary "Mr. Untouchable"

In 1975, Diaz's talents as an undercover agent caught the attention of his DEA superiors who assigned Diaz to the Nicky Barnes investigation. During the course of this investigation Diaz infiltrated the Barnes organization at its highest levels, purchasing heroin and laundering money for Barnes' immediate subordinates and obtaining direct evidence against Barnes himself. Diaz spent one year around Barnes and his associates. Barnes was subsequently arrested and convicted on a myriad of drug charges including conspiracy. Barnes is serving a life sentence in prison. Diaz was also largely responsible for “taking down” all of the primary members of Barnes' drug trafficking organization known as the "Council.”

This case involved the direct intervention of President Carter who ordered the then U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell to see to it that Barnes was tried and convicted to the full extent of the law.The Barnes case was also the first federal trial in the history of the United States in which an anonymous jury was impaneled because of Barnes' reputation to coerce or bribe the witnesses’.[5][4]

Operation Henry

In 1982, Diaz was then involved in Operation Henry, an undercover investigation. Agent Diaz and his partner worked with members of Scotland Yard in London in pursuit of a gang of English criminals who were dealing in the sale and distribution of large quantities of heroin. During the course of this investigation, Agent Diaz and his partner negotiated the sale of forty kilos of heroin with Ron Leslie, the principal subject, who was responsible for the escape of Donald Biggs from an English prison. Donald Biggs was the mastermind of the infamous 2.6 million pound English train robbery. This case was also the first time that DEA agents served as “agent provocateur’s’ for a country other than the United States. Subsequent to the arrest of Ron Leslie, British authorities seized the 40 kilos of heroin.[5][4][6]

Operation Pisces

External video
Louis Diaz interviewed in "Let it Shine"

In 1986, Diaz was one of the principal undercover agents, in Operation Pisces, an international scale operation involving the countries of Colombia and Panama. During the course of this investigation Diaz laundered over 50 million dollars for members of the Medellin cartel including Jose Lopez and Alfonso Reyes, who were close associates of Pablo Escobar. Lopez and Reyes were subsequently arrested in a major dragnet which saw the arrest of over 350 defendants nationwide and the seizure of over 9 tons of cocaine and over 100 million dollars in cash and assets. According to former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, “Operation Pisces,” remains the largest most successful undercover Drug investigation in the history of the United States.[7][5][6][8]

Operation Blast Furnace

In 1988, the United States government, along with Victor Paz Estenssoro's government in Bolivia, launched what was known as Operation Blast Furnace, whose mission was to eradicate Bolivia's illegal coca producing fields and clandestine cocaine-producing laboratories located in Chupari and Bene jungle regions.[9] Diaz was a major participant. He flew 26 missions with the 210th combat air-wing out of Panama. Together with members of the 210th, he helped identify and destroy 16 clandestine cocaine laboratories.[5][4][6][8]

Acting career

External video
"Approbation" the Louis Diaz story

Diaz, whose nickname while in the DEA was "Louie the actor", embarked on an acting career after his days as a DEA agent were over. He chose the stage name "Lou Casal".[9] He participated in over twenty major TV series, several Hollywood plays, and movies.[10][6] Diaz was featured in the documentary where he talks about growing up, and how his relationship with his father influenced his life. His TV and movie credits are the following:[10][2]

  • Lands End, Co Star
  • NYPD Blue, Co Star
  • Pretender, Star
  • Las Vegas, Co Star
  • Fairly Legal, Co Star
  • V.I.P., recurring role
  • Robbery Homicide, Co-Star
  • Time of your Life, Co-Star
  • LA Heat, Co-Star
  • Arliss, Co-Star
  • Kingpin, recurring role
  • Sabrina, Co-Star
  • Dangerous Waters, Co-Star
  • Down and Dirty, (featured)
  • Ripple, Star
  • With friends like these, featured
  • Pure Danger, co-star
  • For which he stands, featured.
  • Hitman’s Run, featured.

Theater:

  • The Andersonville Trial; Brooklyn Hall Academy Theater
  • Detective Story; Marilyn Monroe Theater, Hollywood
  • View from the Bridge; Marilyn Monroe Theater, Hollywood

Written work

Diaz penned the book Dancing with the Devil: Confessions of an Undercover Agent, which was released in 2010 and published by Simon and Schuster's digital book department.[11]

Legacy

In 1985, Diaz became the first Federal Agent from the DEA, to be inducted into the NYPD Honor Legion as a full member. The Honor Legion was conceived and formed in January 1912 by Patrolman John W. Frazer. Membership in the Honor Legion normally required that the officer be an “Honor Man,” a sobriquet given to an officer who had previously been awarded a medal(s) typically on the occasion of the Annual Police Parade.[12] Diaz was also the New York State Police and International Police middleweight boxing champion.[5][6][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Fairly Legal' star Louie Diaz goes from perps to parts". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  2. 1 2 Lou Casal"
  3. ↑ Martinez, Al (23 April 1996). "Louie the Actor Is Back". Los Angeles Times.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 San Diego Union –by Jack Murphy – "A Cop Who Busts Drug Dealers Jaws"- 8/27/78.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Readers Diges"t –by Nathan M. Adams- Target: Mr. Untouchable -June 1978
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 The Orange County Register – by Barry Koltnow – "A tough guy for hire' - 3/27/11
  7. ↑ "Convicted Drug dealer sought in murder investigation". Sun-Sentinel. 10 April 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 LA Times – by Miles Beller – "A life in crime – fighting it that is" -12/18/10.
  9. 1 2 "Bolivia, With U.S. Aid, Battles Cocaine at the Root". The New York Times. 17 April 1988.
  10. 1 2 "LA Times – by Al Martinez – Louie the Actor Is Back- 4/27/04"
  11. ↑ Diaz, Louis; Hirschfeld, Neal (7 December 2010). Dancing with the Devil: Confessions of an Undercover Agent. Pocket Books – via Amazon.
  12. ↑ THE HISTORY OF POLICING IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
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