Rayful Edmond III, one of D.C.’s most notorious drug dealers during its crack cocaine crisis in the 1980s, has died in federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday. He was 60 years old.
Known as the “king of cocaine,” Edmond was transferred from prison to community confinement only five months ago and was set to be released in November of next year, after more than 35 years in federal custody.
Edmond oversaw a sprawling drug network that fueled the city’s devastating crack epidemic, contributing to a dramatic rise in homicides and harming the lives of countless people. Armed enforcers, wielding Uzi submachine guns, protected Edmond’s territory as he ran an operation linked to at least 30 murders, although none were directly attributed to him.
During the 1980s, law enforcement said Edmond was making up to $2 million each week and moving up to 1,700 pounds of cocaine per month.
He was a household name in D.C., living a lavish lifestyle that included sponsoring local basketball tournaments and frequent trips to Las Vegas for high-profile boxing matches.
Edmond was arrested in April of 1989 and had been serving a life sentence in prison without parole for drug distribution, and was sent to a maximum-security prison in Pennsylvania.
He continued to run a drug distribution network from inside the prison, and when he was caught, Edmond received an additional 30-year sentence.
After his arrest, Edmond cooperated with the government for 17 years, helping them prosecute over 100 drug dealers.
His D.C. life sentence was reduced to 20 years in 2021, and the additional 30 years came from sentencing out of Pennsylvania. However, the Bureau of Prisons said he got a sentence reduction of 288 months, which he served.
The Bureau of Prisons did not release details about the cause of Edmond’s death.
The Associated Press and WTOP’s Scott Gelman and Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
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