After building a $900 million drug empire in 1980s Los Angeles, “Freeway” Rick Ross was sentenced to life in prison — but then he got out and reinvented himself.
In some ways , “ Freeway ” Rick Ross was a rags - to - riches , American line success story . An illiterate high school dropout , Ross shattered the public ’s expectations by becoming a ego - made multimillionaire . unluckily , he made his luck by sell crack cocaine .
Ross did n’t invent the drug or smuggle it into the United States , but he did help vulgarise it . For much of the eighties , he successfully market his trade good as an felon man of affairs in Los Angeles and beyond . But as Ross built his imperium , impoverished the great unwashed in communities around him suffered from dependence , fury , and far-flung turmoil .
Shockingly , it was by and by uncover that Ross may have been a minuscule pawn in a much larger secret plan . In 1996 , investigative journalist Gary Webb linked the CIA to the crack epidemic , claiming that the bureau had funded a guerilla army in Nicaragua that used tornado cocain sales in Los Angeles to finance an attempted putsch of Nicaragua ’s socialist regime . And unbeknownst to Ross , one of his drug trafficking wise man was working for the irregular army .
@ValTown/TwitterA rare photo of a young “Freeway” Rick Ross.
After narrowly escaping a life sentence in prison house , Ross did n’t get the luck to retire with his illicit luck . But his story did n’t terminate there . A resourceful escapist , Ross decided to make a unexampled fortune — the legal way .
How “Freeway” Rick Ross Became A Multimillionaire Drug Kingpin
@ValTown/TwitterA rare photo of a young “ Freeway ” Rick Ross .
Ricky Donnell Ross was born on January 26 , 1960 , in Troup , Texas . His kinsfolk relocated to Los Angeles when he was three and settled in the South Central area . They hold up near the 110 Freeway , which helped inspire Ross ’ cognomen .
Growing up in impoverishment , Ross show interest in making money from a young historic period . He mowed his neighbors ’ lawns , sold lemonade , and pump gas . But there were also early preindication of hassle , as he also shoplifted , ran errands for pandar in his neck of the woods , and agitate his classmates at school .
DEA/Wikimedia CommonsA DEA photograph identifying the street dosage of crack cocaine. Crack — which was made by cooking powder cocaine with baking soda and water — was popular in the 1980s due to its cheap price and high purity.
finally , however , the young Ross fall upon a talent for tennis . In high school day , he was good enough to draw in the attention of a recruiter at Cal State Long Beach . But according toVice , Ross ’ hope for a tennis scholarship faded away when manager learned that Ross still did n’t sleep with how to read .
Though Ross had apparently number closely to fail his classes many fourth dimension because of his analphabetism , he later said that his high shoal coach see that he stayed enrolled in schoolhouse . But Ross would ultimately drop out before graduation , and another type of education would soon begin .
DEA / Wikimedia CommonsA DEA photograph identifying the street dosage of crack cocaine . Crack — which was made by cooking pulverisation cocaine with bake sodium carbonate and piss — was democratic in the 1980s due to its cheap Mary Leontyne Price and high-pitched pureness .
Patrick Tehan/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images“Freeway” Rick Ross in 1996, shortly after he’d received a life sentence.
At some point in the former seventies or early 1980s , Ross bought cocain for the first time for $ 50 . But the day after buying it , he decided to betray it — for $ 100 . While some mass in his neighborhood were just get going to get hook on the drug , he got hooked on make money from it . According to theDetroit Metro Times , Ross did try using cocain at one point , but failed to get high-pitched from it , which likely helped him from a business sector standpoint .
fundamentally , “ Freeway ” Rick Ross fell into the crack trade almost overnight — and jazz that he was onto something huge . This was peculiarly true when he met a Nicaraguan - born drug vender describe Oscar Danilo Blandón . With Blandón came apparently unlimited amounts of cocain , and thus , ostensibly outright cash for Ross when he started dealing with him .
accord to Ross , he was a millionaire by the age of 23 , for the most part thanks to assist from Blandón , who was not only his provider but also his mentor . But his newfound wealth was also undoubtedly help by the1980s cleft epidemic , which play havoc on Los Angeles and beyond .
Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty ImagesGary Webb was an investigative journalist who informed “Freeway” Rick Ross about who his mentor really was.
And to keep himself under the radar , he was measured to dress modestly and drive around in a meter - up car so he would n’t attract too much attention from the authorities . But he could n’t avoid the spot for long .
A Long Legal Battle For “Freeway” Rick Ross
Patrick Tehan / MediaNews Group / The Mercury News via Getty Images“Freeway ” Rick Ross in 1996 , short after he ’d received a life history sentence .
“ Freeway ” Rick Ross was first investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff ’s Department in 1985 , but they struggled to trap anything on him . So , two years afterward , the Los Angeles Sheriff ’s Department teamed up with the Los Angeles Police Department to constitute the “ Freeway Ricky Task Force , ” according to theU.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General .
In April 1987 , some members of this undertaking strength attempted to set Ross up . Ross had apparently break away a police foot chase one evening , so officeholder decided to imbed a kg of cocaine along the route that he had taken , but the charges were subsequently send packing due to police force wrongful conduct .
Ray Tamarra/GC Images“Freeway” Rick Ross promotes his autobiography in New York City in 2015.
Later in the 1980s , however , cocain confine for Ross ’ territory in Cincinnati was colligate to him . This time , he could n’t avoid collar — and he was indicted in case not only in Cincinnati but also in Los Angeles and Tyler , Texas . Prosecutors subsequently approximate that , between 1982 and 1989 , Ross had resold three tons of cocain , with gross earnings of $ 900 million . He pleaded hangdog to drug - trafficking charges and was doom to 10 years in prison house .
He began serve his prison house judgment of conviction in 1990 , but it was unexpectedly cut curt — due to the massive corruption in the sheriff ’s office that had pursued him so unrelentingly . accord toEsquire , a Union investigation reveal that dominance at the sheriff ’s office had not only implant evidence but had also stolen drug money and brutally attacked suspects .
Ross was offered an chance to bear witness for the government in exchange for dish less time in prison house , and he agree . Because of this , he was liberate less than five year into his original sentence . It was then that Ross get down to attract media attention , and it seemed like many people were eager to see him change state his life around . Even a probation officer admitted , “ He was more like a Robin Hood - character guy . You never heard of him getting eminent or drinking or beating woman or manage dope to kids . The guy really had a repute for avail people out and giving money back to the residential area . ”
However , “ Freeway ” Rick Ross would n’t be costless for long . He ’d soon be ensnare by his former supplier Blandón , who , unbeknown to Ross , had become a pay Union witness after narrowly avoiding a sprightliness sentence . Blandón take to Ross that “ the Colombians ” were on his back and that he urgently needed money , so Ross agreed to assist him out .
Scott J. Ferrell / Congressional Quarterly / Getty ImagesGary Webb was an fact-finding diary keeper who inform “ Freeway ” Rick Ross about who his wise man really was .
Then , on March 2 , 1995 , in a parking lot near San Diego , Ross was wear out during the mess by the DEA . He was later find guilty of conspiring to betray drug that had been provide by the DEA . This was considered his third felony conviction , so this clip around , he was sentenced to life history in prison .
Not long after he began his life history sentence , Ross received a visitor : investigative journalistGary Webb . It was only then that Ross discover about Blandón ’s link to the Contras , a radical of Reb who had been trying to overthrow the socialist government of Nicaragua in the 1980s . As Webb told it , Blandón had been selling drugs to finance the Contras ’ artillery .
Webb , who would later publish the exposé “ Dark Alliance , ” aver that the CIA was by design funding the Contras , knowing full well that these insurrectionist were using fissure cocaine sale in Los Angeles to fund their attempted coup . Ross , who knew little about Blandón ’s yesteryear , was shocked to pick up that he may have been a pawn all along . ( This allegement may have also explained why Ross was capable to get off with selling drug as long as he did . )
While all Bob Hope seemed to be lost for Ross , he made good use of his clip in a prison library — and instruct himself to read at old age 28 . While say , he discovered a technicality in his case that would allow him to spend less time in prison house .
He learned that his anterior conviction in Texas and Ohio had originated from the same federal crime , so they should have count for “ one rap , ” rather than two . That would mean that he was on his “ 2nd ” strike rather than his third and that his sentence would have to be reduced .
His attorney was doubting , but it turned out that Ross was right . His sentence was shortly reduced to 20 years , and he ultimately ended up serve well just 14 . Ross was officially give up in 2009 , and he still walks barren today .
The Reformation Of A Former Drug Kingpin
Ray Tamarra / GC Images“Freeway ” Rick Ross further his autobiography in New York City in 2015 .
Since his passing in 2009 , “ Freeway ” Rick Ross has reinvent himself as an source , role player , prison reform activist , and legal ganja entrepreneur .
He ’s also process the Miami rapper Rick Ross — whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II — for taking his name and appropriating his identity element . The effectual battle , which lasted about three years , ultimately end with the evaluator harness in favor of the rapper on First Amendment evidence .
Still , “ Freeway ” Rick Ross found success publishing his bookFreeway Rick Ross : The Untold Autobiographyand working on documentaries likeFreeway : Crack in the System . He ’s also diversified his role as an enterpriser by distributing a variety of products , including sound cannabis .
Though Ross may have once felt that sell crack cocain was his only path to success — and it may have been unmanageable to bulge out over again without the money that he made as a top banana — all the Christian Bible he read while in prison clearly give him the multimillionaire mentality once again .
And despite Ross ’ checker past , he ’s also been tapped as a motivational speaker , often surprising those who heard what he had to say .
In an interview withBET , he said , “ I was in Detroit … speak at a school , and when I came in , the corpus was scolding me , like , ‘ This is how you ’re gon na talk to the kids ! ’ and , ‘ You ai n’t gon na do this and that ! ’ But once he hear me talk he followed me out of the school and was like , ‘ Man you may come here and do whatever you wanna do Isle of Man ! I appreciate you , man . ' ”
He added , “ So , there ’s still a misconception , even among total darkness , on how they view somebody with a drug handle past . I retrieve it ’s ingrained in their psyche that you ’re this senseless sociopath that just made money tap the biotic community and I just want to show America that even dependable citizenry will do bad things when there are no options . ”
After learning about “ Freeway ” Rick Ross , read about“White Boy Rick , ” the FBI ’s immature witnesser who uncovered the enceinte corruption event in Detroit history . Then , see someimages of real life in eighties Los Angeles .
