“Ron could run any intelligence agency in the world,” Lew Diaz, former undercover DEA agent Sergeant   Smack    is   a   riveting   account   of   little   known   drug   kingpin   Ike   Atkinson.   In   his   latest   book,   Chepesiuk   has   once again   used   his   investigative   journalist   skills   to   unearth   the   true   story   behind   the   Atkinson   drug   band   and   to   dispel   many myths   that   have   been   purported   by   the   media   and   Hollywood   regarding   the Asian-American   heroin   trade.   Using   exclusive interviews   with Atkinson   himself,   as   well   as   numerous   agents   who   investigated   him,   Chepesiuk   takes   the   reader   inside   the mind of a drug trafficker as he establishes his empire. David Weeks, author of Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-Related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur and Professional Baseball, 1862-2007 Drug   kingpin   Ike   Atkinson,   is   the   real   deal,   and   not   the   stuff   of   Hollywood   legend.   The   author   delivers   an   eminently readable   book   about   a   genuine   Mr.   Big   who   knows   that   no   fictional   makeover   is   required   for   his   compelling   story   –   the truth is more than enough. Steve Morris, former Publisher, New Criminologist Sergeant   Smack    is   meticulously   researched   and   its   prodding   for   the   truth   by   author   Ron   Chepesiuk   makes   it   an   excellent non-fiction   crime   story. Along   with   a   compelling   history   of   Ike Atkinson’s   life   and   criminal   career   in   drug   smuggling,   the author   has   managed   to   put   the   truth   to   numerous   falsehoods   contained   in   the   major   movie,   American   Gangster,   about   the life of Frank Lucas. Jack Toal, retired DEA agent who worked the investigation of Frank Lucas As   a   25-year   veteran   of   the   DEA,   I   congratulate   Ron   on   setting   the   record   straight   on   the   true   story   of American   Gangster. By   interviewing   former   DEA   agents,   drug   kingpins   and   reviewing   public   documents   Ron   has   accurately   captured   the   roles of   the   gangsters   and   the   investigative   strategy   implemented   by   DEA   which   led   to   dismantling   of   this   complex   international heroin    organization.   This    is    a    “must    read”    for    anyone    interested    in    a    “true”    story    of    the    chess    game    between    the international drug kingpins of the 70s and the DEA agents that took them down. Lew Rice, former DEA Special Agent in Charge and author of DEA Special Agent: My Life on the Front Line Finally, the real story. I've waited 40 years for this book. Marc Levin, Director of the documentary, “Mr. Untouchable” Ron   Chepesiuk   has   gone   from   publishing   the   Black   gangster   classics,   Gangsters   of   Harlem   and   Black   Gangsters   of Chicago, to crafting Sergeant Smack , an astonishing masterpiece. David “Pop” Whetstone, Owner, Black Star Music and Video Sergeant   Smack    forcefully   debunks   the   urban   legend   of   Black   family   groups   smuggling   heroin   from   Southeast Asia   in   the bodies of dead GI soldiers while recounting the colorful saga of the authentic American gangster. Highly recommended. Gary Taylor, journalist and author of the award-winning true crime memoir, Luggage by Kroger. Ron   Chepesiuk   is   one   of   the   premiere   true   crime   investigative   journalists,   and   he   proves   it   with   this   new   book.   Sergeant Smack  is a great story and brilliantly written. The book shows that fact can be entering than fiction Jason Brooks, director of the documentary, Kingpins (the story of Freddie Myers)