{{Short description|American DEA agent (1946–2025)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Louis Diaz | image = Lou Diaz.jpg | caption = Diaz in 2006 | organization = [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] | occupation = | image_size = | birth_name = Luis Diaz | birth_date = {{birth date|1946|2|25}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|05|12|1946|2|25}} | death_place = [[Costa Mesa, California]], U.S. | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | years_active = 1974–1996 | agent = DEA Agent | awards = Administrators DEA Distinguished Service Award<br />Sustained Superior Performance<br />Excellence of Performance Awards<br />NYPD Legion of Honor | relations = | alma_mater = [[Queens College, New York]] | module = {{Infobox military person | embed = yes | allegiance= United States of America | branch= {{flag|United States Army}} | service_years= 1964–1966 | rank= Specialist 4th Class (Corporal) | unit= [[3rd Armored Division (United States)|3rd Armored Division]] | battles= | awards= | other_work= Author }} }}
'''Louis Diaz''' (born '''Luis Diaz''';<ref name="nytimes" /> February 25, 1946 – May 12, 2025) was an American [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) agent who was largely responsible for the arrest and conviction of New York drug kingpin [[Nicky Barnes]]. He was also instrumental in dismantling "The Council," Barnes's drug trafficking organization. As an undercover agent, he also brought down members of the [[Medellin Cartel]]. Diaz was also an author and actor.<ref name="nydailynews">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/undercover-hero-louie-diaz-red-hook-street-screen-star-usa-show-legal-article-1.139266|title='Fairly Legal' star Louie Diaz goes from perps to parts|website=NY Daily News|date=February 28, 2011 |accessdate=December 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name="LC">[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0142783/ "Lou Casal"], IMDb</ref>
==Life and career== Diaz was born in New York City on February 25, 1946 and grew up in [[Red Hook, New York|Red Hook, Brooklyn]].<ref name="nytimes" /> He was the son of Spanish parents from the north of Spain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-23-me-61672-story.html|title=Louie the Actor Is Back|first=Al|last=Martinez|date=April 23, 1996|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Diaz attended Most Holy Trinity High School in Brooklyn. After he graduated, he studied at [[St. Francis College]], also in Brooklyn and at [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]] in Queens, New York, where he received his B.A. degree.<ref name="SDU">Jack Murphy, "A Cop Who Busts Drug Dealers Jaws", ''San Diego Union'', August 27, 1978.</ref> In 1964, Diaz was a welterweight boxing finalist in the New York Daily News [[Golden Gloves]].
Diaz served in the [[United States Army]]. He was stationed in Germany where, as an [[Amateur boxing|amateur boxer]], he won the [[3rd Armored Division (United States)|3rd Armored Division]]'s middleweight championship.
In 1971, Diaz was hired by the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms]] (ATF) where he served as an undercover agent. While at ATF, Diaz made many high-profile gun cases and arrested many organized crime members.
In 1975, Diaz was hired by the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) in [[New York, New York|New York City]] where he served 28 years as a special agent, 22 of which were spent working in an extensive undercover capacity.<ref name="RD">Nathan M. Adams, "Target: Mr. Untouchable", ''Reader's Digest'', June 1978</ref><ref name="SDU"/>
Diaz died from complications of [[Parkinson's disease]] in [[Costa Mesa, California]], on May 12, 2025, at the age of 79.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite web|title=Louis Diaz, Undercover Agent Who Busted a Drug Kingpin, Dies at 79|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/nyregion/louis-diaz-dead.html|date=June 20, 2025|last=Roberts|first=Sam|publisher=The New York Times|access-date=June 20, 2025}}</ref>
==Nicky Barnes organization investigation== In 1975, Diaz's talents as an undercover agent caught the attention of his DEA superiors who assigned Diaz to the Nicky Barnes investigation. During the course of this investigation, Diaz infiltrated the Barnes organization at its highest levels, purchasing heroin and laundering money for Barnes' immediate subordinates and obtaining direct evidence against Barnes himself. Diaz spent one year around Barnes and his associates. Barnes was subsequently arrested and convicted on a myriad of drug charges including conspiracy. Barnes was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=June 8, 2019 |title=Nicky Barnes, 'Mr. Untouchable' of Heroin Dealers, Is Dead at 78 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/nyregion/nicky-barnes-dead.html |access-date=February 25, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Diaz was also largely responsible for "taking down" all of the primary members of Barnes' drug trafficking organization known as the "Council."
This case involved the direct intervention of [[President Carter]] who ordered the then U.S. Attorney General, Griffin Bell, to see that Barnes was tried and convicted to the full extent of the law. The Barnes case was the first federal trial in the United States in which an anonymous jury was impaneled because of Barnes' reputation to coerce or bribe the witnesses.<ref name="RD"/><ref name="SDU"/>
===Operation Henry=== In 1982, Diaz was then involved in Operation Henry, an undercover investigation. Diaz and his partner worked with members of [[Scotland Yard]] in London in pursuit of a gang of British criminals who were involved in the sale and distribution of large quantities of heroin. During the course of this investigation, Diaz and his partner negotiated the sale of forty kilos of heroin with Ron Leslie, the principal subject.
Leslie was responsible for the escape of [[Ronald Biggs]] from [[HM Prison Wandsworth|Wandsworth Prison]].<ref>Lee Sturley, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6bdSBgAAQBAJ&q=%22Ron+Leslie%22&pg=PT132 The Secret Train Robber: The Real Great Train Robbery Mastermind Revealed]'', Ebury Press, Reprint edition (2016) {{ISBN|9781785030147}} </ref> Biggs was one of the gang responsible for the 2.6 million pound [[Great Train Robbery (1963)|Great Train Robbery]] in 1963. This case was the first time that DEA agents served as ''[[agent provocateurs]]'' for a country other than the United States. Subsequent to the arrest of Leslie, British authorities seized the 40 kilos of heroin.<ref name="RD"/><ref name="SDU"/><ref name="OCR">Barry Koltnow, "A tough guy for hire", ''The Orange County Register'', March 27, 2011</ref>
===Operation Pisces=== In 1986, Diaz was one of the principal undercover agents in Operation Pisces, an international operation involving [[Colombia]] and [[Panama]]. During the course of the investigation, Diaz laundered over 50 million dollars for members of the Medellin cartel including Jose Lopez and Alfonso Reyes, who were close associates of [[Pablo Escobar]]. Lopez and Reyes were subsequently arrested in a major dragnet which saw the arrest of over 350 defendants nationwide and the seizure of over 9 tons of cocaine and over 100 million dollars in cash and assets. According to the former U.S. Attorney General, Edwin Meese, Operation Pisces remains the largest most successful undercover drug investigation in the history of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-04-10/news/mh-drug-dealer-implicated-20110410_1_undercover-agents-laundering-federal-agents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413065015/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-04-10/news/mh-drug-dealer-implicated-20110410_1_undercover-agents-laundering-federal-agents|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2011|title=Convicted Drug dealer sought in murder investigation|work=Sun-Sentinel|date=April 10, 2011}}</ref><ref name="RD"/><ref name="OCR"/><ref name="ALC">Miles Beller, "A life in crime – fighting it that is", ''Los Angeles Times'', December 18, 2010.</ref>
===Operation Blast Furnace=== In 1988, the United States government, along with [[Victor Paz Estenssoro]]'s government in [[Bolivia]], launched Operation Blast Furnace, whose mission was to eradicate Bolivia's illegal coca producing fields and clandestine cocaine-producing laboratories located in the Chupari and Bene jungle regions.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/world/bolivia-with-us-aid-battles-cocaine-at-the-root.html|title=Bolivia, With U.S. Aid, Battles Cocaine at the Root|date=April 17, 1988|website=The New York Times}}</ref> Diaz was a major participant. He flew 26 missions with the 210th combat air-wing out of Panama. Together with members of the 210th, he helped identify and destroy 16 clandestine cocaine laboratories.<ref name="RD"/><ref name="SDU"/><ref name="OCR"/><ref name="ALC"/>
==Acting career== Diaz, whose nickname while in the DEA was "Louie the actor", embarked on an acting career after his days as a DEA agent were over. He chose the stage name "Lou Casal".<ref name="nytimes.com"/> He participated in over twenty major TV series, several Hollywood plays and movies.<ref name="LAT">Al Martinez, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-23-me-61672-story.html "Louie the Actor Is Back"], ''Los Angeles Times'', April 27, 2004</ref><ref name="OCR"/> Diaz was featured in the documentary where he talked about growing up and how his relationship with his father influenced his life. His TV and movie credits are:<ref name="LAT"/><ref name="LC"/>
#''Lands End'', co-star #''[[NYPD Blue]]'', co-star #''Pretender'', star #''Las Vegas'', co-star #''Fairly Legal'', co-star #''V.I.P.'', recurring role #''Robbery Homicide'', co-star #''Time of your Life'', co-star #''LA Heat'', co-star #''[[Arliss (TV series)|Arliss]]'', co-star #''Kingpin'', recurring role #''Sabrina'', co-star #''Dangerous Waters'', co-star #''Down and Dirty'', featured #''Ripple'', star #''With friends like these'', featured #''[[Pure Danger]]'', co-star #''For which he stands'', featured #''Hitman's Run'', featured
Theater: #''The Andersonville Trial'', Brooklyn Hall Academy Theater #''Detective Story'', Marilyn Monroe Theater, Hollywood #''View from the Bridge'', Marilyn Monroe Theater, Hollywood
==Written work== Diaz wrote the book ''Dancing with the Devil: Confessions of an Undercover Agent'', published in 2010 by [[Simon and Schuster]]'s digital book department.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Devil-Confessions-Undercover-Agent-ebook/dp/B003VPWXCY|title=Dancing with the Devil: Confessions of an Undercover Agent|first1=Louis|last1=Diaz|first2=Neal|last2=Hirschfeld|date=December 7, 2010|publisher=Pocket Books|via=Amazon}}</ref>
==Legacy== In 1985, Diaz became the first federal agent from the DEA to be inducted into the NYPD Honor Legion as a full member. The Honor Legion was conceived and formed in January 1912 by Patrolman John W. Frazer. Membership normally requires that the officer be an "Honor Man", a sobriquet given to an officer who has previously been awarded a medal, typically on the occasion of the Annual Police Parade.<ref>[http://nypdhistory.com/whats-the-deal-with-the-founding-of-the-honor-legion-of-the-pdnyc/ THE HISTORY OF POLICING IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK]</ref> Diaz was also the New York State Police and international police middleweight boxing champion.<ref name="RD"/><ref name="OCR"/><ref name="ALC"/>
==See also== {{Portal|New York City|Biography}} * [[Benito Romano]] * [[Joe Pistone]] * [[Joe Sanchez]] * [[Nicky Barnes]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS2Ji3WgRFw Diaz's participation in the documentary ''Mr. Untouchable''] (video) * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnK7MbGTT1A Louis Diaz interviewed in ''Let it Shine''] (video) * [https://vimeo.com/53279547 ''Approbation''] the Louis Diaz story (video)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Louis}} [[Category:1946 births]] [[Category:2025 deaths]] [[Category:American people of Basque descent]] [[Category:American male boxers]] [[Category:American male writers]] [[Category:Boxers from New York (state)]] [[Category:Drug Enforcement Administration agents]] [[Category:People from Red Hook, Brooklyn]] [[Category:Male actors from Brooklyn]] [[Category:Military personnel from New York City]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]] [[Category:Writers from Brooklyn]] [[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]