Former drug kingpin Lance Feurtado admits that if he had not been caught, he probably would still be running his multimillion-dollar narcotics enterprise on the streets of Jamaica. But fortunately for the community he once terrorized, Lance was arrested in 1995, and 10 years later emerged from prison a changed man, intent on educating young people in Queens to avoid the self-destructive path that landed him and his brothers in jail.
Working with the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council advocacy group, Lance, 46, and his brothers Todd, 45, and Anthony, 47, decided that the most effective way to convey their positive message was to make “King of Kings,” a film detailing their rise and fall in the drug business. “This documentary educates the youth in the struggle against gangs and violence,” says Lance Feurtado. “We put this documentary together for the sole purpose to break the chain of destruction.”
Lance was confident that his message would connect with troubled kids from his neighborhood, because of their shared experience. “This was a device or tool to attract the attention of the youth. We’ve been where you’ve been, that way they can appreciate it more. I’m not a stranger speaking to you. I was you.”
Growing up in poverty on Liberty Avenue and the Van Wyck Expressway in South Jamaica, Lance found himself spending his time on the streets by age 12, though his single-parent mother had always emphasized to her boys the importance of getting an education. Tempted by the luster of riches promised by the drug trade, Lance started selling marijuana. “It was about money,” he recalls. “It wasn’t about power. True power comes from love. It started as, we don’t have the same things other kids on the block have. We wanted to help our mom.”
What began as a small neighborhood posse over the years ballooned into a massive criminal enterprise, orchestrated by the notorious and violent 7 Crowns gang, of which Lance and his brothers were members. According to “King of Kings” associate producer Randy Fisher, the cocaine and heroin distribution ring the Feurtados came to be a part of was pulling in $15 million to $30 million a week, making it one of the largest in the United States.
It was inevitable that federal authorities would eventually catch up with the Feurtado brothers, forcing them to plead guilty to charges of drug conspiracy and money laundering. “Don’t believe the hype,” warns Todd Feurtado, who served time in prison. “Some of the things you hear concerning that life (of crime), everything seems to be glamorous, (but) the end of the road is destruction. No one is exempt from the destruction.”
Working with the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council advocacy group, Lance, 46, and his brothers Todd, 45, and Anthony, 47, decided that the most effective way to convey their positive message was to make “King of Kings,” a film detailing their rise and fall in the drug business. “This documentary educates the youth in the struggle against gangs and violence,” says Lance Feurtado. “We put this documentary together for the sole purpose to break the chain of destruction.”
Lance was confident that his message would connect with troubled kids from his neighborhood, because of their shared experience. “This was a device or tool to attract the attention of the youth. We’ve been where you’ve been, that way they can appreciate it more. I’m not a stranger speaking to you. I was you.”
Growing up in poverty on Liberty Avenue and the Van Wyck Expressway in South Jamaica, Lance found himself spending his time on the streets by age 12, though his single-parent mother had always emphasized to her boys the importance of getting an education. Tempted by the luster of riches promised by the drug trade, Lance started selling marijuana. “It was about money,” he recalls. “It wasn’t about power. True power comes from love. It started as, we don’t have the same things other kids on the block have. We wanted to help our mom.”
What began as a small neighborhood posse over the years ballooned into a massive criminal enterprise, orchestrated by the notorious and violent 7 Crowns gang, of which Lance and his brothers were members. According to “King of Kings” associate producer Randy Fisher, the cocaine and heroin distribution ring the Feurtados came to be a part of was pulling in $15 million to $30 million a week, making it one of the largest in the United States.
It was inevitable that federal authorities would eventually catch up with the Feurtado brothers, forcing them to plead guilty to charges of drug conspiracy and money laundering. “Don’t believe the hype,” warns Todd Feurtado, who served time in prison. “Some of the things you hear concerning that life (of crime), everything seems to be glamorous, (but) the end of the road is destruction. No one is exempt from the destruction.”
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Short film