Scope
The Lucas investigation crossed New York and New Jersey and involved federal narcotics agents, local police, prosecutors, informants, and cooperating members of the organization. The Teaneck raid became the most visible enforcement event, but the case developed through surveillance, seizures, witness cooperation, and related conspiracy investigations.
Investigative Breaks
Later accounts emphasize cooperation by a Lucas relative after the Teaneck raid. Court records independently show that George Ford, Charles Morris, and Warren Sims became government cooperators at different stages, and Lucas himself later supplied information against former associates.
Law-Enforcement Figures
Richard “Richie” Roberts became the best-known prosecutor associated with the New Jersey side of the Lucas story. The film American Gangster compresses a larger investigative apparatus into a more individualized narrative, so case pages should avoid treating the film character as a literal reconstruction.