Overview
Azie Faison was a Harlem cocaine trafficker active during the 1980s. His later interviews provide a participant account of the relationships among Faison, Rich Porter, and Alpo Martinez. Because many details of this network survive through retrospective testimony, claims based principally on Faison’s recollections should be attributed to him rather than presented as neutral official findings.
Harlem Network
Faison has said that he knew Rich Porter from Harlem and that, while Porter was incarcerated, Alpo Martinez approached him claiming an association with Porter. According to Faison, Porter confirmed Martinez’s identity and Faison then began supplying Martinez. After Porter returned, the three men operated within overlapping Harlem cocaine circles.
1987 Shooting
Faison survived a violent 1987 robbery in the Bronx in which multiple people were shot and three people were killed. Later participant accounts describe the shooting as a major turning point in Faison’s life and in the relationships among Faison, Porter, and Martinez.
Later Life and Historical Memory
Faison later became a principal public narrator of the Harlem story through interviews, documentary work, and the book Game Over: The Rise and Transformation of a Harlem Hustler. His life and relationships with Porter and Martinez were adapted loosely into the 2002 film Paid in Full.
Network Connections
- Richard “Rich” Porter — Harlem associate.
- Alberto “Alpo” Martinez — Harlem associate whom Faison says he supplied after Porter vouched for him.
- Kevin Chiles — later Harlem figure and participant source; separate entry recommended after source review.
Evidence Status
B/C. The 1987 shooting is supported by contemporary reporting; the detailed interpersonal history is primarily based on Faison’s later participant testimony.