Alpo Martinez, Infamous Drug Dealer Inspiration for ‘Paid in Full,’ Murdered in New York

Alberto “Alpo” Martinez was shot and killed in Harlem early Sunday morning, police said. Martinez was an infamous drug dealer with a cocaine empire from New York City to Washington, D.C. during the 1980s. He was referenced in dozens of rap and hip-hop songs and was the inspiration for the 2002 movie Paid In Full. Rapper Cam’ron played a character based on Martinez, alongside Mekhi Phifer and Wood Harris, whose characters were based on the drug dealers Richard Porter and Azie Faison Jr.

Martinez, 55, was shot several times in the chest, chin, and arm while sitting in a Dodge Ram on West 147th street, a police source told the New York Times. Police responded to the scene at about 3:30 a.m. after receiving 911 calls. The man was taken to Harlem Hospital Center, where he was declared dead on arrival. He had identification with the name Abraham Rodriguez, according to police, and his car had temporary Texas plates. Police have not made any arrests yet. The Source was among the first outlets to report Martinez’s death. 

A police source also told the New York Post that Martinez put his life in danger by going to the area where he grew up because many still harbor resentment after he testified against other drug dealers. “You were in the witness protection program because you testified against other drug dealers,” the source told the Post. “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 was arrested in November 1991 in Washington, D.C., for selling drugs and was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, 14 counts of murder, and other drug charges. In order to avoid being sentenced to life in prison or facing the death penalty, Martinez testified against other drug dealers. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison and released in 2015.

In a 1999 interview with F.E.D.S. magazine, Martinez said Porter was among the people he shot and killed. “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,” Martinez told the magazine at the time, reports the Times. “He didn’t die, so I shot him in the head.”

In addition to Paid In Full, Martinez’s life was also chronicled in a 2012 episode of the series Gangsters: America’s Most Evil. The long list of songs with references to him include “Accident Murders” by Nas, Jay-Z’s “La Familia,” “In Her Mouth” by Future, Pusha T’s “F.I.F.A.,” and Meek Mill’s “Tony Story.”