I Never Met Alpo: Alpo vs Albert. Albert Served 24 Years In Prison, But Alpo Killed Him in 6

Documentarian Troy Reed spent 10 years visiting Federal Bureau of protection programs in various prisons interviewing one of America’s most notorious gangsters, Albert “Alpo” Martinez, and it continued after his release in 2015 up until his death on October 31, 2021 at the age of 55.In 1991, when Alpo was 25 years old, he was indicted on federal drug charges for distributing over $50 million dollars worth of cocaine throughout New York City, Washington D.C., and in Virginia, and for killing 14 people. When faced with the death penalty or life in prison, he was handed two options: to become a government informant or stand firm to the code of the streets which he enforced at the highest level.After spending one year in general population, Alpo turned informant and testified against members of his organization for a reduced sentence of 35 years with a mandatory of 24 to be served in a prison’s witness protection program. These intriguing and compelling interviews conducted by Reed reveal personal recounts about some of his intimate moments and how prison psychiatrists attempted to evaluate him regarding the murders he committed but he declined to meet with them. Three years after his release, Reed witnessed how Albert, the man he grew to know, morphed back into Alpo, the famous character he was unfamiliar with that was portrayed in the movie “Paid In Full” and mentioned in the songs of rap and hip hop artists.After 16 years, Reed and Alpo developed a strong relationship. They connected from the start because they both grew up on the mean streets in New York City during different eras. This is a story about a notorious gangster and a 13 year old man-child who wanted nothing more than to become a fireman and who would still be here if only the results of three triggers would have went the other way.I Never Met Alpo is Reed’s first book. Read more