Turning Point
After receiving a life sentence, Barnes began cooperating with federal authorities in the early 1980s. He later described betrayal by former associates as one factor in his decision.
Investigative Consequences
His cooperation supplied prosecutors with information about former Council members and other traffickers. Archival accounts credit Barnes’s cooperation with helping indict dozens of defendants.
1983–1984 Prosecution
Barnes testified against former Council associates in 1983. Major sentences followed in January 1984, marking the practical end of the Council as a functioning governing body.