User:Andrew Levine/List of characters from The Wire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire.

Contents 1 Current cast 2 Formerly starring 3 The Law 3.1 Police 3.1.1 Command 3.1.1.1 Ervin Burrell 3.1.1.2 Cantrell 3.1.1.3 Howard "Bunny" Colvin 3.1.1.4 Cedric Daniels 3.1.1.5 Raymond Foerster 3.1.1.6 Dennis Mello 3.1.1.7 William A. Rawls 3.1.1.8 Bobby Reed 3.1.1.9 Marvin Taylor 3.1.1.10 Stanislaus Valchek 3.1.2 Major Case Unit 3.1.2.1 Lester Freamon 3.1.2.2 Shakima "Kima" Greggs 3.1.2.3 Caroline Massey 3.1.2.4 Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski 3.1.2.5 Leander Sydnor 3.1.3 Homicide 3.1.3.1 Ray Cole 3.1.3.2 Vernon Holley 3.1.3.3 Jay Landsman 3.1.3.4 William "Bunk" Moreland 3.1.3.5 Ed Norris 3.1.4 Western District 3.1.4.1 Baker 3.1.4.2 Ellis Carver 3.1.4.3 Aaron Castor 3.1.4.4 Anthony Colicchio 3.1.4.5 Kenneth Dozerman 3.1.4.6 Lloyd "Truck" Garrick 3.1.4.7 Thomas "Herc" Hauk 3.1.4.8 Lambert 3.1.4.9 James "Jimmy" McNulty 3.1.4.10 Michael Santangelo 3.1.5 Others 3.1.5.1 Claude Diggins 3.1.5.2 Randall Frazier 3.1.5.3 Patrick Mahone 3.1.5.4 Augustus Polk 3.1.5.5 Beatrice "Beadie" Russell 3.2 FBI 3.2.1 Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh 3.2.2 Amanda Reese 3.3 City Hall 3.3.1 Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti 3.3.2 Theresa D'Agostino 3.3.3 Marla Daniels 3.3.4 Clayton "Clay" Davis 3.3.5 Dawkins 3.3.6 Anthony Gray 3.3.7 Andy Krawczyk 3.3.8 Ilene Nathan 3.3.9 Coleman Parker 3.3.10 Rhonda Pearlman 3.3.11 Daniel Phelan 3.3.12 Clarence Royce 3.3.13 Odell Watkins 3.4 Prison staff 3.4.1 Dwight Tilghman 3.5 Police relatives 3.5.1 Cheryl 3.5.2 Elena McNulty 3.5.3 Sean McNulty 3.5.4 Michael McNulty 3.5.5 Nadine Moreland 4 The Street 4.1 Barksdale Crew 4.1.1 Leadership 4.1.1.1 Avon Barksdale 4.1.1.2 D'Angelo Barksdale 4.1.1.3 Russell "Stringer" Bell 4.1.1.4 Maurice Levy 4.1.2 Front workers 4.1.2.1 Wendell "Orlando" Blocker 4.1.2.2 Keesha 4.1.2.3 Shardene Innes 4.1.2.4 Devonne 4.1.3 Soldiers 4.1.3.1 Anton "Stinkum" Artis 4.1.3.2 Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice 4.1.3.3 Country 4.1.3.4 Gerard 4.1.3.5 Marquis "Bird" Hilton 4.1.3.6 Little Man 4.1.3.7 Rico 4.1.3.8 Sapper 4.1.3.9 Savino 4.1.3.10 Tank 4.1.3.11 Slim Charles 4.1.3.12 Dennis "Cutty" Wise 4.1.4 Drug dealers 4.1.4.1 Preston "Bodie" Broadus 4.1.4.2 Marvin Browning 4.1.4.3 Cass 4.1.4.4 Malik "Poot" Carr 4.1.4.5 CCO 4.1.4.6 Kevin Johnston 4.1.4.7 "Little Vic" 4.1.4.8 Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty 4.1.4.9 Peanut 4.1.4.10 Puddin 4.1.4.11 Roc Roc 4.1.4.12 Ronnie Mo 4.1.4.13 Sterling 4.1.4.14 Wallace 4.1.5 Family and girlfriends 4.1.5.1 Donette 4.1.5.2 Chantal 4.1.5.3 Brianna Barksdale 4.1.5.4 Deirdre Kresson 4.2 Omar's Crew 4.2.1 Omar Little 4.2.2 Brandon 4.2.3 Bailey 4.2.4 Dante 4.2.5 Kimmy 4.2.6 Tosha Mitchell 4.2.7 "Blind" Butchie 4.3 Marlo's Crew 4.3.1 Marlo "Black" Stanfield 4.3.2 "Fruit" 4.3.3 Justin 4.3.4 Jamal 4.3.5 Chris Partlow 4.3.6 Felicia "Snoop" Pearson 4.3.7 Vinson 4.3.8 LaTroy 4.4 East Side 4.4.1 "Proposition" Joe Stewart 4.4.2 Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff 4.4.3 Drack 4.4.4 Lavelle Mann 4.4.5 Petey Dixon 4.4.6 "White" Mike McArdle 4.4.7 "Frog" 4.5 Others 4.5.1 "Bubbles" 4.5.2 William Gant 4.5.3 Nakeesha Lyles 4.5.4 Brother Mouzone 4.5.5 Damien "Day-Day" Price 4.5.6 Tywanda 4.5.7 Walon 4.5.8 Johnny Weeks 5 School system 5.1 Duquan "Dukie" Weems 5.2 Randy Wagstaff 5.3 Namond Brice 5.4 Michael Lee 6 The Docks 6.1 Sobotka family 6.1.1 Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka 6.1.2 Frank Sobotka 6.1.3 Louis Sobotka 6.1.4 Nick Sobotka 6.1.5 Joan Sobotka 6.2 Dock workers 6.2.1 Big Roy 6.2.2 Nat Coxson 6.2.3 Chess 6.2.4 Ringo 6.2.5 La La 6.2.6 Little Big Roy 6.2.7 Maui 6.2.8 Moonshot 6.2.9 Ott 6.2.10 Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa 6.2.11 Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto 6.3 The Greeks 6.3.1 Eton Ben-Eleazer 6.3.2 George "Double G" Glekas 6.3.3 Sergei "Serge" Malatov 6.3.4 Sam 6.3.5 Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos 6.3.6 "The Greek" 6.4 Others 6.4.1 Aimee 6.4.2 Delores 6.4.3 Bruce DiBiago 6.4.4 Jerome Lewandowski 7 References

[edit] Current cast

Actor/Actress	Character	Position
Dominic West	Jimmy McNulty	Officer (formerly detective)
John Doman	William Rawls	Deputy Commissioner of Operations (formerly Major/Colonel)
Frankie R. Faison	Ervin Burrell	Commissioner (formerly Deputy Ops)
Aidan Gillen	Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti	City councilman
Deirdre Lovejoy	Rhonda Pearlman	Assistant State's Attorney
Clarke Peters	Lester Freamon	Major case unit detective
Wendell Pierce	Bunk Moreland	Homicide detective
Lance Reddick	Cedric Daniels	Major (formerly lieutenant)
Andre Royo	Bubbles	Confidential informant
Sonja Sohn	Shakima "Kima" Greggs	Major case unit detective
Robert Wisdom	Howard "Bunny" Colvin	Retired major
Domenick Lombardozzi	Thomas "Herc" Hauk	Drug enforcement unit detective
Seth Gilliam	Ellis Carver	DEU sergeant (formerly detective)
Jim True-Frost	Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski	Teacher (formerly officer)
J. D. Williams	Bodie Broadus	Crew chief (formerly drug dealer)
Michael K. Williams	Omar Little	Stick-up man
Reg E. Cathey	Norman Wilson	Campaign manager
Chad Coleman	Dennis "Cutty" Wise	Youth boxing instructor (formerly hitman)
Jamie Hector	Marlo Stanfield	Drug lord
Glynn Turman	Clarence Royce	Mayor of Baltimore
Corey Parker Robinson	Leandor Sydnor	Detective

[edit] Formerly starring

Actor/Actress	Character	Position
Idris Elba	Stringer Bell	Drug kingpin
Wood Harris	Avon Barksdale	Drug lord
Larry Gillard Jr.	D'Angelo Barksdale	Crew chief
Chris Bauer	Frank Sobotka	Union treasurer-secretary
Paul Ben Victor	Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos	Organized crime kingpin
Amy Ryan	Beatrice "Beadie" Russell	Officer (now recurring)

[edit] The Law

[edit] Police

[edit] Command

[edit] Ervin Burrell

Main article: Ervin Burrell

Burrell is a careerist officer who has reached the level of commissioner of police for Baltimore.

[edit] Cantrell

• Played by: Dave Trovato
• Appears in season one: "The Detail" and "Sentencing".

Lieutenant Cantrell was the commanding officer of detectives Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski and Leander Sydnor in the casualty division in season one. When Prez was detailed to Lieutenant Daniels for the Barksdale investigation Daniels appealed to Cantrell to give him Sydnor as well to balance taking on the erratic Prez. Cantrell allowed Sydnor to go despite calling him his best detective.^[1] At the end of season one, he was promoted to major, a position which Daniels had been in line for before the Barksdale investigation.^[2]

[edit] Howard "Bunny" Colvin

Main article: Howard "Bunny" Colvin

Colvin was a thirty-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and a district commander before his radical policies caused his forced retirement.

[edit] Cedric Daniels

Main article: Cedric Daniels

Daniels is a Major and district commander in the Baltimore Police Department and direct commanding officer of many of the shows characters.

[edit] Raymond Foerster

• Played by: Richard DeAngelis
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "The Wire"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing".

Season three: "Time After Time "; " All Due Respect "; "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming" and "Slapstick".

Raymond Foerster was a Major and unit commander of the Baltimore narcotics division in Season One. When Judge Phelan questioned Deputy Commissioner Burrell about the Barksdale operation, it was Majors Foerster and Rawls who faced his subsequent wrath and demands for more information. Foerster's response was to ask his shift lieutenant Cedric Daniels for a report and he then assigned Daniels and his team to the Barksdale detail.

When Daniels' investigation became drawn out and relied upon wiretaps and surveillance, Foerster took the side of Deputy Commissioner Burrell against Daniels when he tried to explain the necessity of this technique to reach the heads of the organization. Foerster's and Burrell's insistence on using buy busts led to the operation that resulted with the shooting of Det. Greggs. Foerster visited Greggs in the hospital with many other command officers and appeared anxious when trying to find a tape recorder to replay the last transmissions before she was shot.

Foerster was promoted to colonel and took over as commander of the homicide division when Rawls was promoted. He attended Rawls' weekly comstat meetings and worked with Sgt. Jay Landsman.^[3]

[edit] Dennis Mello

• Played by: Jay Landsman
• Appears in:

Season two: "Stray Rounds" (uncredited).

Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; " Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".

Mello was Western District administrative lieutenant and Major "Bunny" Colvin's second in command and confidante before Colvin's forced retirement. Mello ran briefings for the Western district and maintained a sense of humour, typically dismissing the men with "don't get captured." He accompanied Colvin to comstat meetings. Mello was aware of Colvin's "Hamsterdam" free zone where he allowed drug dealing to go unpunished. Mello was worried, but did not report Colvin's actions to his superiors. Colvin protected Mello following the discovery of Hamsterdam by their superiors and after Colvin's departure, Mello was promoted to Western District Commander. The two remained friends.^[3][4]

Incidentally, the actor who plays Dennis Mello is a retired Baltimore detective named Jay Landsman, and was the real-life basis for the character of the same name in the show.

[edit] William A. Rawls

Main article: William A. Rawls

Rawls is the deputy commissioner of operations for the Baltimore police department and a feared and ruthless officer.

[edit] Bobby Reed

• Played by: Tony A. Head
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Buys"; "Lessons" (uncredited); "The Hunt" and "Cleaning Up".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".

Reed is a Major in the Baltimore Police Department and runs the Internal Investigations Division. Reed was responsible for investigating the brutality charges made against Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski.^[5] He also intervened when the Barksdale detail stopped Senator Clay Davis' driver after they spotted him receiving a bag full of cash from a Barksdale soldier^[6] and again when Daniels tried to withhold the location of a Barksdale stash house to protect his investigative work.^[7] Reed later attends Ervin Burrell and William Rawls' weekly comstat meetings.^[8]

[edit] Marvin Taylor

• Played by: Barnett Lloyd
• Appears in season three: "Time After Time" and "Dead Soldiers".

Taylor was a Major in the Baltimore Police Department and Eastern district commander. He attends Commissioner Burrell and Deputy Rawls' weekly comstat meetings and often struggles with Rawls berating him for better results, particularly when Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff initiates a spate of murders in the Eastern district. Cedric Daniels unit are able to solve the cases and give taylor some slight relief. Despite this Burrell eventually demotes Taylor and replaces him with his Deputy Major.^[9]

[edit] Stanislaus Valchek

• Played by: Al Brown
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Buys".

Season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Undertow"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers" and "Slapstick".

Major Valchek is Det. "Prez" Prezbylewski's father-in-law and commander of the South Eastern district. He appeared only briefly in season one, trying to smooth over Prez's drunken blinding of a fourteen-year-old. It was mentioned that Valchek had interceded on Prez's behalf in the past when he fired at his own patrol car.

Valchek was the impetus behind the Sobotka investigation in season two. He also met with Prez to discuss his career progression at the beginning of the season. Valchek was involved in a feud with Frank Sobotka over a pair of stained glass windows the two men had donated to a local church. When Sobotka refused to withdraw his window (which was larger and more ornate than Valchek's), Valchek ordered his subordinates to begin harassing Sobotka and his union, putting parking tickets on their cars and pulling them over for breathalyzer tests.

The union responded by stealing Valchek's valuable district surveillance van and shipping it from port to port, sending him photographs from each destination. Prompted by this further embarrassment Valchek grew curious as to how Sobotka's destitute union could afford the expensive window. He discussed the union with a politically connected friend, Andy Krawczyk. Krawczyk told Valchek about Sobotka hiring a lobbyist and making campaign contributions. Valchek smelled the possibility of illegal activity and asked then Deputy Commissioner Burrell for a special unit devoted to investigating Sobotka, with Prez as the lead investigator. Since Valchek was well-connected with City Hall through the first district democrats, Burrell obliged.

When Prez informed Valchek that the unit was not doing its job, he demanded a more serious group from Burrell and requested Cedric Daniels as commander on Prez's recommendation, threatening to derail Burrel's quest to become Commissioner if he did not agree. Burrell obligingly recreated Daniels' task force.

As the investigation progressed, Sobotka ceased to be the primary target, and Valchek grew furious. He confronted Daniels' team publicly, and in the process, was punched by his son-in-law. Furious he disowned Prez and threatened to have him removed from the department, telling Daniels that he told his daughter, Joan, not to marry Prez. However, Daniels convinced Valchek to accept a suspension and a letter of apology to all those present at the time of the incident for Prez to keep his post.

Valchek then involved the FBI in the Sobotka investigation to try to refocus it on Frank Sootka and the union. This prompted a series of raids resulting including Sobotka's arrest. Valchek delighted in personally making the arrest and held Sobotka in the union offices until a press gaggle had assembled outside so that he could publicly humiliate him.^[4][10]

In season three Valchek attended Burrel's comstat meetings and set up a meeting between the now acting commissioner and councilman Carcetti at Carcetti's request. When Prez shot a plain clothes officer in a case of mistaken identity Valchek once more tried to defend him but Prez decided to leave the department anyway.^[3]

[edit] Major Case Unit

[edit] Lester Freamon

Main article: Lester Freamon

Freamon is a quiet and methodical older detective who quietly makes major contributions to the series investigations.

[edit] Shakima "Kima" Greggs

Main article: Shakima "Kima" Greggs

Greggs is a tenacious investigator and key member of the major case unit who has proved herself on both the Barksdale and Sobotka investigations. She struggles to balance her life as a police officer with her role as a potential mother with her partner.

[edit] Caroline Massey

• Played by: Joilet F Harris
• Appears in season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Reformation" and "Middle Ground".

Officer Massey joined the show in season three as a member of the major case unit under Lt. Daniels. Massey is a world-weary officer with a penchant for sarcasm. She was particularly adept at deciphering the slang used Barksdale drug dealers on wiretaps of cellular phones. Her diligent work manning wiretaps earned the respect of detectives Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski and Lester Freamon. Massey was part of Freamon's undercover operation to supply pre-wiretapped phones to the Barksdale organization through their purchaser Bernard.^[3][11]

[edit] Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski

Main article: Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski

Prez is an ex-detective who showed great aptitude for surveillance and wiretap cases but struggled to maintain his composure in the field.

[edit] Leander Sydnor

Main article: Leander Sydnor

Sydnor is a young, married detective in the Baltimore major case unit with a talent for investigative work and the stomach for drawn out cases.

[edit] Homicide

[edit] Ray Cole

• Played by: Robert F. Colesberry
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Target" (uncredited); "The Detail" (uncredited); "The Wire"; "The Cost" and "The Hunt".

Season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage" and "Undertow".

Cole was a somewhat inept member of Sergeant Landsman's homicide squad under the command of Major Rawls.

Cole was the lead investigator of the death of Anton "Stinkum" Artis. His colleague William "Bunk" Moreland told him that there was information about the case as part of a wiretap investigation that Bunk's partner Jimmy McNulty was involved in. The information would jeopardize the wiretap so they promised they would give it to Cole when the case closed. McNulty never intended to give Cole the information because the perpetrator was his informant Omar Little.

Cole was second detective on the shooting of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs working with lead investigator Detective Ed Norris. This case was solved when Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice confessed to the shooting.

Cole was initially assigned the fourteen Jane Doe homicides that Rawls had tried to dodge. McNulty was responsible for the cases reaching Rawls desk and when discussing Cole's misfortune with Bunk he called him collateral damage. Landsman reassigned the case to Bunk and Lester Freamon because he felt he needed his most capable detectives on it.

Cole died unexpectedly and the department held a wake for him. Landsman gave a eulogy for Cole at the wake.^[3]

Cole was played by the show's late executive producer Robert F. Colesberry and the character's wake was in part a tribute to the actor who portrayed him.

[edit] Vernon Holley

• Played by: Brian Anthony Wilson
• Appears in:

Season 1: "The Wire" and "The Hunt".

Season 2: "Port in a Storm".

Season 3: "Amsterdam"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished"

Holley is a homicide detective in the Baltimore Police Department homicide unit under the command of Major Rawls. Holley and his partner Ed Norris caught the case of the murder of Omar Little’s boyfriend Brandon. They recognized a connection to the recent murder of Omar’s crew member Bailey because both corpses were found in Kevlar vests. They called in their colleague Jimmy McNulty and the Barksdale detail's work secured a conviction for the murder against soldier Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice.

Following the shooting of detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs Holley found her confidential informant "Bubbles" paging her from a payphone. Holley assumed he was a suspect and brought him in for interrogation. When Bubbles was unable to respond to his questions Holley started to beat Bubbles. Eventually Bubbles asked for McNulty and the situation was cleared up.

In season 2 Holley was briefly seen investigating the murder of Frank Sobotka. In season 3 he is assigned to investigate the murder of Stringer Bell.^[3]

[edit] Jay Landsman

Main article: Jay Landsman (The Wire)

Landsman is a squad sergeant in the homicide unit who must divide his loyalties between his men and his superiors.

[edit] William "Bunk" Moreland

Main article: Bunk Moreland

Bunk is a well liked and proficient member of the homicide unit, although he is a great detective Bunk has many faults in his personal life.

[edit] Ed Norris

• Played by: Ed Norris
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing".

Season two: "Stray Rounds".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect" and "Dead Soldiers".

Ed Norris is a homicide detective. Norris and his partner Vernon Holley were assigned the case of the murder of Omar Little’s a boyfriend Brandon. They recognized a connection to the recent murder of Omar’s crew member Bailey because both corpses were found in Kevlar vests. They called in their colleague Jimmy McNulty and the Barksdale details work secured a conviction for the murder against soldier Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice.

Norris was also lead detective on the shooting of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs this time working with Detective Ray Cole. This case was also solved when Wee-Bey confessed to the shooting.

In season two he appeared briefly when investigating the shooting of a child by a stray bullet. In season three he attended the wake of his colleague Ray Cole.^[3]

Norris is played by convicted felon and ex-police commissioner of Baltimore Ed Norris. His cameo appearances are a source of irony on the show and he is often given dialogue bemoaning the state of the Baltimore police department.

[edit] Western District

[edit] Baker

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Three

Baker is a uniformed beat officer in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department.^[3]

[edit] Ellis Carver

Main article: Ellis Carver

Drug enforcement unit sergeant and loyal partner.

[edit] Aaron Castor

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Three

Castor is a beat officer in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department. His uncle Lloyd Castor was described as "good police" by Howard "Bunny Colvin.^[3]

[edit] Anthony Colicchio

• Played by: Benjamin Busch
• Appears in season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished".

Colicchio is a narcotics officer in Sergeant Ellis Carver's drug enforcement unit squad in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department. He was often partnered with fellow squad members Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Lloyd "Truck" Garrick. Colicchio was part of the operation that resulted in the shooting of Officer Kenneth Dozerman. Along with the rest of the squad Colicchio was involved in policing drug tolerant zones set up by his district commander Howard "Bunny" Colvin without the knowledge of his superiors. It was Colicchio who caused the dealers to start calling the tolerant zone on Vinson street "Hamsterdam" after using Amsterdam's liberal drug laws as a metaphor for Colvin's new policies. Colicchio quickly became disillusioned with the task and began to act out but could not bring himself to say anything to Colvin. In a discussion with Herc and Carver about Hamsterdam Colicchio described it as "moral midgetry." He was with Herc when he phoned the paper to report Colvin's actions.^[3]

[edit] Kenneth Dozerman

• Played by: Rick Otto
• Appears in:

Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect" and "Back Burners".

Season four:

Dozerman is a narcotics officer in Sgt. Ellis Carver's drug enforcement unit squad in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department. Dozerman was shot and injured in a buy bust operation gone awry. His service weapon was also stolen prompting William "Bunk" Moreland to have to search for it.^[3]

[edit] Lloyd "Truck" Garrick

• Played by: Ryan Sands
• Appears in: season three: "All Due Respect"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".

Garrick was a narcotics officer in Sergeant Ellis Carver's squad in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department. He was often partnered with fellow squad members Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Anthony Colicchio. Garrick was part of the operation that resulted in the shooting of Officer Kenneth Dozerman. Along with the rest of the squad Garrick was involved in policing drug tolerant zones set up by his district commander Howard "Bunny" Colvin without the knowledge of his superiors. He was with Herc when he phoned the paper to report Colvin's actions and again when he met with a reporter.^[3]

[edit] Thomas "Herc" Hauk

Main article: Thomas "Herc" Hauk

Herc is a capable narcotics detective but tends towards brutality and often acts without thinking.

[edit] Lambert

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Three

Beat officer in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department.^[3]

[edit] James "Jimmy" McNulty

Main article: Jimmy McNulty

McNulty is a dedicated Baltimore police officer with many personal problems.

[edit] Michael Santangelo

• Played by: Michael Salconi
• Appears in

Season one: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Wire"; "One Arrest"; "Game Day"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt"; "Cleaning Up" and "Sentencing".

Season two: "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished".

In season one Santangelo was a detective in the homicide unit and followed Jimmy McNulty into the Barksdale Detail where Major Rawls tasked him with passing back information on McNulty. He tried to resist informing on a fellow cop and Rawls gave him an ultimatum - co-operate or clear a case by days end. Sergeant Landsman recommended a psychic, Madame LaRue, and Santangelo was desperate enough to try her. Rather than the psychic it was his squadmates McNulty and William "Bunk" Moreland who solved a case for him. With the clearance Santangelo was able to refuse Rawls demands.

He was demoted to officer at the end of season one for failing to give Rawls anything useful. In season two he is seen as a beat officer and arrests "Bubbles" and Johnny Weeks when they try to steal medical supplies from an ambulance responding to an overdose. In season three he drives the narcotics wagon in Major Colvin's Western district - a large prisoner transport vehicle used to round up drug dealers.^[3]

[edit] Others

[edit] Claude Diggins

• Played by: Jeffrey Fugitt
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Duck and Cover"; "Storm Warnings" and "Port in a Storm".

Diggins is a Baltimore police department marine unit officer who partners Jimmy McNulty when he is assigned to the unit. Diggins was forgiving of McNulty's time away from the unit and shared his own boat with Bunk Moreland and McNulty to pose as a fishing craft when observing Spiros "Vondas" Vondopolous.

[edit] Randall Frazier

• Played by: Erik Todd Dellums
• Appears in

Season one: "The Detail"

Season two: "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots" and "All Prologue"

Season three: "All Due Respect"

Frazier is a Baltimore police department medical examiner. He was first seen when involved in the investigation of the death of William Gant. Later he was responsible for the autopsies of fourteen unidentified women found at the Baltimore docks. He helped Jimmy McNulty to prove that the deaths occurred in the city jurisdiction by establishing time of death based on the air supply in the container the bodies were discovered in. He also linked the bodies to a specific plastic surgery clinic by identifying a breast implant type that several of the women shared and tracing the serial number. This information helped the detectives to establish that the women were sex trade workers.

[edit] Patrick Mahone

• Played by: Tom Quinn
• Appears in season one: "The Detail"; "The Buys" and "Old Cases".

Mahone was an elderly detective from the property unit who worked with the Barksdale detail. He was punched by Preston "Bodie" Broadus, a young drug dealer, when the detail raided the low rise projects. Mahone took early retirement following his injury.

[edit] Augustus Polk

• Played by: Nat Benchley
• Appears in

Season one: "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager" and "The Wire".

Season Two: "Collateral Damage" and " Hot Shots".

Polk was an aging detective from the property unit who worked with the Barksdale and Sobtoka details. He is often called Auggie.

After his partner, Patrick Mahone, retired due to injury Polk considered deliberately injuring himself to follow in his partners footsteps. Unable to follow through on his plan, he became despondent and went on a drinking binge. He missed several days work and when he was in he was drunk and asleep most of the time. Lieutenant Daniels told him to take sick leave for his alcohol problem or work "wet". Polk opted for sick leave and was off until the case was closed.

He was in the first Sobtoka detail under Lt. Grayson but once Daniels was put in command and allowed to choose his own people he was moved back to property.

[edit] Beatrice "Beadie" Russell

• Played by: Amy Ryan
• Appears in:

Season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; " Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Mission Accomplished".

Port authority officer who discovers the corpses of thirteen girls in a container on the Baltimore docks. Russell started working as an officer because of the pay and her need to support her children. She was the single mother of two young children. She found the job unchallenging and spent most of her time patrolling the docks and checking shipping manifests. She developed a friendly working relationship with many of the stevedores, including Frank Sobotka.

While on patrol, Russell noticed a container that had a broken customs seal and explored it finding a hidden compartment filled with 13 dead bodies. Initially she was the primary investigator and was quite overwhelmed having never dealt with a homicide before. Officer Jimmy McNulty intervened for his own reasons and proved that the homicides occurred in city jurisdiction rather than the port. The case was reassigned to the city homicide unit and Beadie was subsequently detailed to homicide for the duration of the investigation. Initially she shows her lack of experience and street knowledge but in working alongside homicide detectives William "Bunk" Moreland and Lester Freamon she develops her latent talent for police work.

Russell was motivated to investigate the deaths of the girls as she felt an empathy for them, particularly once she learned that they were sex trade workers. Her compassion was shared by McNulty and the two also shared a flirtation during the investigation.

Russell taps an old boyfriend named Maui in Frank Sobotka's union to find out more about illegal activity in the port. Although Maui will not become an informant directly his information turns the case towards cloning the ports computers to monitor container traffic.^[12] Russells familiarity with the people and organization of the port proved invaluable to the investigation.

Russell moved into Lt. Daniels' office site while his detail investigated Frank Sobotka as the homicide investigation became intertwined. She fended off an advance from Detective "Herc" Hauk. Her home life made it difficult for her to work the long hours necessary for the investigation, but she perservered. She connected with detective Kima Greggs when discussing the balance of a mother's responsibilities and the dangers inherent in their work.

However, Russell inadvertently tipped the investigation's hand by having her colleagues in the port authority stop a truck carrying normal goods that Sobotka had sent out to test the waters. She was also responsible for confirming Frank's suspicions that he was being investigated - she had told him she was being transferred to try to convince him the heat generated by the dead girls was fading when in reality she remained detailed. Frank checked her status with unwitting port officers who told him she was still working with the detail.

Despite these mis-steps, Russell gains the respect of the officers in the Sobotka detail. At the end of their investigation when the focus shifted past Sobotka she was entrusted with following Vondas to a key meeting with "The Greek". She displayed some nerves but came through delivering the location of the meeting and a chance photograph of the Greek.

Russell was instrumental in convincing Frank Sobotka to agree to inform on the Greek once a strong case was built against him. Her emotional offer of a deal had Frank ready to give up everything he knew in order to help his family. However, Frank was murdered before he could come in and the Sobotka case was forced to end prematurely. With several arrests made and the murder of the girls solved, Beadie returned to her work at the Port.

McNulty reinitiated his relationship with Russell once he returned to beat police work.

[edit] FBI

[edit] Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh

• Played by: Doug Olear
• Appears in

Season one: "The Target"; "The Buys" and "Sentencing".

Season two: "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; and "Middle Ground".

Fitz is a special agent with the FBI and a friend of Jimmy McNulty's who often shares information and equipment with him. Fitz helped to inspire McNulty to use modern electronic surveillance in building a case against the Barksdale organization by showing how a confidential informant that he had put him in touch with had given them information that led them to set up video surveillance on a drug production ring. He told McNulty it would be the last major bureau drug investigation in Baltimore because they were shifting resources to counter-terrorism.

Fitz helped McNulty again by giving him some of the FBI's superior recording devices as the ones supplied by the police department were too bulky for undercover work. He warned McNulty that his commander Cedric Daniels had been investigated by the FBI for corruption and they had found an excess of liquid assets. When they handed the case over to Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell nothing further came of it.

Fitz also became involved with McNulty's teams case against Frank Sobotka. Major Valchek called in the FBI when he felt that the case had strayed away from his target - Sobotka. The FBI had a particular interest in corrupt unions. When a leak within the FBI seriously damaged the case Fitz realised what had happened and broke the news to Lieutenant Daniels.

In the third season Fitz supplied the major case unit with photo enhancing technology that they used to check number plates on Barksdale organization vehicles.

Fitz is based on a real FBI agent named Jake Fitzsimmons who collaborated on cases with writer and ex-detective Ed Burns.^[13]

[edit] Amanda Reese

• Played by: Benay Berger
• Appears in

Season one: "Sentencing".

Season two: "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Slapstick".

Reese is a Baltimore division FBI supervisor and the superior of Terrence "Fitz" Fitzhugh. She has often worked with Lieutenant Cedric Daniels because of his connection to Fitz, supplying him with resources and running joint cases. She was approached with the Barksdale case to discuss pursuing a corruption angle but Lieutenant Daniels decided that was not the direction he wanted. Her team later worked alongside Daniels' detail to investigate union corruption in the Baltimore ports.

[edit] City Hall

[edit] Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti

• Played by: Aidan Gillen
• Appears in: Season Three

Baltimore Councilman in Season 3

[edit] Theresa D'Agostino

• Played by: Brandy Burre
• Appears in: Season Three

Political consultant eventually recruited by Carcetti to work for him.

[edit] Marla Daniels

• Played by: Maria Broom
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Detail"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons" and "Sentencing".

Season two: "Collateral Damage"; "Backwash" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "Amsterdam"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished".

Marla is an aspiring politician and the estranged wife of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels. She always had ambitions for her husband to progress in the police force and his failure to do so contributed to the demise of their relationship.

Cedric seemed likely to receive a promotion until he was assigned to run the controversial Barksdale detail. His commanding officers formed the detail to appease an angry judge and wanted a quick investigation to show good faith. Throughout the first series Marla councilled Cedric to take the case his superiors had demanded but he was pushed to better investigative work by the detectives he commanded.

When Cedric was banished to evidence control after upsetting his superiors with his tenacious investigation of Avon Barksdale Marla convinced him to leave the department and become a lawyer. Cedric was ready to do so until he got a second chance to do the kind of investigative work he wanted in the new Sobotka detail. Marla greeted his decision to stay with the police with worry and skepticism and eventually they separated.

Marla ran for office in season three, with the aid of Cedric posing as a contented (and uniformed) husband. Marla had the support and guidance of State Delegate Odell Watkins but was running against an old ally of Mayor Clarence Royce. Because of her political standing her husbands promotion to major was held up by Royce. She eventually sought a reconciliation with Cedric but he declined as he had become involved with Rhonda Pearlman. When Marla's rival was forced to retire because of a scandal in her district the Mayor was free to lend his support and allowed Cedric's promotion to pass.^[14]

[edit] Clayton "Clay" Davis

• Played by: Isaiah Whitlock, Jr.
• Appears in:

Season one: "One Arrest"; "The Cost" and "Cleaning Up".

Season two: " Hot Shots" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry" and "Slapstick".

Clay Davis is a corrupt State Senator from Baltimore who puts on a friendly public face even as he takes bribes from numerous sources. In season one, Lieutenant Daniels' Barksdale detail discovered $20,000 in the car of Davis' driver, Damien "Day-Day" Price, while in the West Baltimore projects. The unit was very interested in any possible links between the Senator and the Barksdale crew, and detective Freamon wanted to expand the investigation to include Davis in the wiretaps. But Deputy Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell was adamant that the investigation end quickly and that the focus remain on the drug dealers. Burrell called Daniels into a closed-door meeting with the Senator, hoping to get his cooperation, but was unable to persuade him to drop the case. However, Burrell pulled the plug on Daniels' investigation as soon as he could, and Clay Davis' involvement went uninvestigated.

In season two, Davis was seen at a Democratic fundraiser attended by stevedore union leader Frank Sobotka. Davis accepted contributions from the union in return for assurances that he would vote for constructing the granary pier that Sobotka believed would revive activity at the shipyard. However, at season's end, with the union in ruins, Sen. Davis was seen with a shovel at a groundbreaking ceremony for dockside condominiums where Frank had wanted the granary.

The third season revisited the Davis-Barksdale connections hinted at in season one. The viewers learned that Senator Davis had been acting as a political consultant for Stringer Bell, taking bribes from the Barksdale crew to influence political currents and win state government contracts for the drug empire's legitimate business front, B&B. However, building regulations continued to frustrate the development of Bell's real estate purchases, and when he read in the paper that block grants were given to several city developpers but not B&B, he became suspicious. Bell described the matter to his lawyer Maury Levy, who concludes, with a hint of amusement, that Davis had been playing off Stringer's inexperience in legitimate business and had simply been taking the money and doing nothing for it. Stringer, furious, told Avon that he wanted the Senator killed, but Avon warned him that assassinating a public figure would be dangerously out of their league. Stringer accepted that his trust in Davis was foolish.

[edit] Dawkins

• Played by:
• Appears in season one: "Old Cases".

Dawkins is a male assistant states attourney responsible for the prosecution of drug dealer Marvin Browning.

[edit] Anthony Gray

• Played by: Christopher Mann
• Appears in: Season Three

Baltimore Councilman in Season Three. Often called Tony by his friends who include councilman Carcetti.

[edit] Andy Krawczyk

• Played by: Michael Willis
• Appears in: Season two: "Ebb Tide", Season three

Krawczyk initially appeared considering a model of the prospective grain pier condominium development with Major Stanislaus Valchek. He discussed Frank Sobotka's union business and political maneuvering with Valchek. He was later shown breaking ground on the development with state senator Clayton "Clay" Davis.

In season three Krawczyk was seen as a property developing consultant to Stringer Bell.

[edit] Ilene Nathan

• Played by: Susan Rome
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Hunt" and Sentencing".

Season two: "Undertow" and All Prologue".

Nathan is an assistant State's attourney in Baltimore and colleague of Rhonda Pearlman. Nathan and Pearlman were present when Savino Bratten gave himself up after his involvement in the shooting of a police officer but they failed to negotiate any co-operation from him. Nathan is present for the interrogation of Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice and negotiates a deal where he admits to several murders to avoid the death penalty. She conducts the prosecution against Marquis "Bird" Hilton and is reluctant to use Omar Little as a witness. Once he has testified and a guilty verdict is returned she is grateful enough to offer him a free pass on any single minor charge in the future for his assistance.

[edit] Coleman Parker

• Played by: Cleo Reginald Piaza
• Appears in: Season Three

Chief of staff to Mayor Clarence Royce

[edit] Rhonda Pearlman

• Played by: Deirdre Lovejoy
• Appears in: Season One, Season Two, Season Three

Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lt. Daniel's investigations on the show. She eventually got into a relationship with Daniels. She also had a casual relationship with McNulty.

[edit] Daniel Phelan

• Played by: Peter Gerety
• Appears in:

Season 1: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt"; "Sentencing".

Season 2: "All Prologue".

Season 3: "Reformation" and "Middle Ground".

Judge Phelan is a friend of Jimmy McNulty's who presided over the D'Angelo Barksdale murder trial. After seeing a witness change her statement in his courtroom he was forced to let Barksdale go free when the jury gave a not guilty verdict. After discussing the case with McNulty he learned that the witness was most likely paid to change her statement and that D'Angelo was part of a much larger drug dealing operation. Phelan took this information to the Police Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Ervin Burrell, and insisted the police look into it - his intervention was instrumental in setting up the Barksdale detail.

Phelan also helped to sustain the investigation. He leaked information about the murder of another witness from the trial, William Gant, to the press which increased interest in the case. McNulty felt that Phelan had gone behind his back and their relationship was soured for a time. When Phelan was removed from the mayor's re-election ticket his passion for the case waned as he realised his actions had cost him political capital.

Phelan maintains a flirtatious relationship with Assistant States Attourney Rhonda Pearlman and admitted to McNulty that he was attracted to her.

Phelan also presided over the trial of Marquis "Bird" Hilton for the murder of William Gant and was pleased to accept Omar Little's testimony and give Bird a strict sentence. Phelan ran into political trouble because of his over zealous pursuit of the Barksdale organization and was left off of the Mayor Royce's ticket for re-election.

[edit] Clarence Royce

• Played by: Glynn Turman
• Appears in: Season Three

Mayor of Baltimore Clarence Royce

[edit] Odell Watkins

• Played by: Frederick Strother
• Appears in: Season Three

State delegate Watkins backed Marla Bloom's campaign in season three.

[edit] Prison staff

[edit] Dwight Tilghman

• Played by: Antonio D. Charity
• Appears in season two: "Collateral Damage" (uncredited); "Hot Shots" and "Hard Cases".

Tilghman was a corrections officer at Maryland Correctional Institute who harassed prisoner Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice because Wee-Bey had murdered one of his relatives. Avon Barksdale tried to negotiate a truce between the two but Tilghman refused to listen. Avon's solution was ruthless and brutal. Knowing that Tilghman was involved in the prison drug trade, he had Stringer Bell follow him to locate his supplier. Bell paid the supplier, Butchie, to give Tilghman tainted heroin. Barksdale lieutenant Shamrock delivered the heroin and made sure it was passed on to Tilghman. Tilghman smuggled the heroin into the prison by concealing it in sweet packets. Once it was distributed ot the inmates it resulted in the deaths of several prisoners. An investigation was started and Avon came forward and informed on Tilghman's smuggling activity in exchange for an early parole hearing. Stringer gave Shamrock a packet of sweets containing drugs similar to the ones Tilghman used an ordered him to subtley plant it in Tilghman's car. When prison staff searched Tilghman's car they found the sweet packet Shamrock had planted and Tilghman was then arrested.

[edit] Police relatives

[edit] Cheryl

• Played by: Melanie Nicholls-King
• Appears in

Season 1: "The Target"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing".

Season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "All Prologue"; "Storm Warnings" and "Port in a Storm".

Season 3: "All Due Respect" and "Back Burners".

Cheryl is Shakima "Kima" Greggs' partner who shares an apartment with her. Cheryl works in the television news industry and often worries about Kima's safety as a police officer. She hopes that Kima will take a less dangerous job and start a family with her.

After Kima's shooting Cheryl insisted that she take a desk job. Kima acquiesced for a time but eventually returned to investigative work. Cheryl found this hard to understand. Cheryl has a jealous streak and insisted on accompanying Kima when she went to interview a contact in a strip club. Learning more about the case made her a little more understanding of Kima's position.

In season two Cheryl became pregnant and in season three the couple had a young baby. Kima began to spend less time at home and Cheryl was left to deal with motherhood alone.

[edit] Elena McNulty

• Played by: Callie Thorne
• Appears in:

Season one: "Old Cases" and "The Cost".

Season two: "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue" and "Backwash".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "Amsterdam" and "Straight and True".

Elena is Jimmy McNulty's estranged wife. They have two children together Sean and Michael.

Elena is protective of her sons and worries that Jimmy is a dangerous influence on them because of his drinking. When he exposed them to danger by having them tail the subject of his investigation, Stringer Bell, she filed for an emergency order to prevent him from seeing the boys. At the court hearing the judge convinced them to work out arrangements between themselves.

In season two Elena was seen at work as a realtor showing a house to Nick Sobotka. Jimmy tried to initiate a reconciliation with Elena and considerably cleaned up his drinking habits and behaviour. The two slept together but in the morning Elena asked Jimmy to leave as she felt it would be unfair on her sons for them to see him in the house.

[edit] Sean McNulty

• Played by: Eric G. Ryan
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Wire"; "Lessons" and "Sentencing".

Season two: "Hot Shots".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "Straight and True" and "Slapstick".

Sean is Elena and Jimmy McNulty's son. He lives with his mother and his brother Michael following his parents separation but still sees his father. Jimmy teaches his sons the front and follow technique and when he spotted Stringer Bell in a market he had them follow him. Michael and Sean managed to record Stringer's number plate, which aided their father's investigation.

[edit] Michael McNulty

• Played by: Antonio Cordova
• Appears in:

Season one: "Old Cases"; "The Wire" and "Lessons".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True" and "Slapstick".

Michael is Elena and Jimmy McNulty's son. He lives with his mother and his brother Sean following his parents separation but still sees his father. Michael plays soccer and Jimmy tries to attend his games. Jimmy teaches his sons the front and follow technique and when he spotted Stringer Bell in a market he had them follow him. Michael and Sean managed to record Stringer's number plate, which aided their father's investigation.

[edit] Nadine Moreland

• Referenced in season one: "The Target".

Nadine is the wife of detective William "Bunk" Moreland and mother of their three children. As of the end of season three, she has never appeared onscreen.

[edit] The Street

[edit] Barksdale Crew

[edit] Leadership

[edit] Avon Barksdale

Main article: Avon Barksdale

Avon Barksdale is the leader of a drug dealing organization.

[edit] D'Angelo Barksdale

Main article: D'Angelo Barksdale

D'Angelo Barksdale is Avon's nephew and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization.

[edit] Russell "Stringer" Bell

Main article: Stringer Bell

Stringer is Avon Barksdale's second-in-command and the strategist behind their drug dealing organization.

[edit] Maurice Levy

• Played by: Michael Kostroff
• Appears in:

Season One; "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Wire"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt"; "Cleaning Up" and Sentencing".

Season Two; "Hard Cases" and "All Prologue"

Season Three; "Amsterdam", "Straight and True", "Backburners", "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".

Levy was the Barksdale crew lawyer and advisor to Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell. Levy represented Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale in the "Poo" Blanchard murder trial and successfully returned a not guilty verdict. Levy's case was greatly improved when Nakeesha Lyles, a key witness, changed her story and refused to identify Barksdale in court.

Levy was also successful in having charges dropped against young Barksdale dealer Bodie Broadus when representing him in juvenile court. Levy claimed that the work was part of his firms pro bono outreach program to the judge.

Levy also advised Stringer Bell and Avon on how to tie up loose ends when they suspected they were being investigated. His assertion that they should tie up any loose ends particularly those not bound by ties of loyalty to them preceded the deaths of Nakeesha Lyles and Little Man.

Levy was instrumental in damage limitation when the Barksdale organization were struck by multiple arrests. He ensured D'Angelo was not kept in police protection so that his mother could reach him and convince him not to testify against Avon. Avon was charged for a minor offence and received a short sentence compared to D'Angelo and soldier Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice.

When Barksdale was in prison Levy successfully negotiated the bringing forward of his first parole hearing in exchange for information on a corrupt guard and the deaths of several inmates. Although the guard was corrupt Avon had actually set up the deaths to frame him with the reduced sentence as his goal.

Levy was less successful in his defence of Marquis "Bird" Hilton in the William Gant murder trial and particularly struggled with the cross examination of Omar Little. Omar drew paralells between himself and Levy when Levy described him as a parasite feeding off of the Baltimore drug trade and Levy was unable to counter. Bird was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Daniel Phelan for the murder.

Levy later advised Stringer on his political contributions. He told him that he had been "rainmade" by Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis as Davis took contributions without exerting any influence and then took credit for positive results.^[15][16]

Levy is based on several real life drug organization defence lawyers from the 1980s and 1990s that David Simon and Ed Burns knew.^[10]

[edit] Front workers

[edit] Wendell "Orlando" Blocker

• Played by: Clayton LeBoeuf
• Appears in season 1: "The Target"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons"; "Game Day"; "The Cost" and "The Hunt".

Orlando acted as a front operator for the Barksdale crew and ran their strip club, Orlando's. Orlando had ambitions to get involved with the drug dealing aspect of the organizaton but his superiors needed him to keep a clean record for the clubs licencing. He approached D'Angelo Barksdale to try to involve him in cocaine dealing but D'Angelo refused and eventually told his uncle, Avon. Avon punished the wayward frontman with a humiliating beating.

Orlando was later arrested when he tried to buy drugs from an undercover Maryland State Police officer, and agreed to inform on Barksdale for the police. While imprisoned for the charge he was spotted by another inmate loyal to the Barksdale crew who phoned in Orlando's whereabouts. He was visited by Barksdale organization lawyer Maurice Levy, who was there to take his name off of the club's licence rather than offer help. Orlando was killed by Barksdale soldiers Wee-Bey and Little Man in a botched sting operation which also resulted in the shooting of Detective Kima Greggs.

[edit] Keesha

• Played by:
• Appears in season one: "Lessons" (uncredited).

A dancer at Orlando's and friend of Shardene Innes. Keesha attended a party held by the Barksdale organization to celebrate the promotion of Anton "Stinkum" Artis. While there she slept with Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice and died from a drugs overdose. Wee-Bey left her body in a dumpster where it was discovered by the police. Keesha's death was used by detective Lester Freamon to help persuade Shardene to turn against her employers.

[edit] Shardene Innes

• Played by: Wendy Grantham
• Appears in:

Season 1: "The Target"; "The Buys"; "The Pager"; "The Wire"; "Lessons"; "Game Day"; "The Cost"; "Cleaning Up"; "Sentencing".

Season 2: "All Prologue".

Shardene was D'Angelo Barksdale's girlfriend in season one and a dancer at Orlando's. Their first meeting at Orlando's was inauspicious; Shardene asked him to buy her a drink, and he turned her down. Later, she gave an angry customer some of her own money to settle a dispute over his bill. Impressed, D'Angelo asked her out. Shardene and D'Angelo moved in together after seeing each other for a while.

Shardene began co-operating with the Barksdale detail when Dets. Lester Freamon and Shakima "Kima" Greggs showed her the body of Keesha - another dancer from the club. D'Angelo had told her that Keesha had been taken to hospital following an overdose at a party; in reality she had (unbeknownst to him) been raped, wrapped in a carpet, and dumped.

Shardene moved out of D'Angelo's place soon after she agreed to co-operate with the police. Kima and Freamon wired her with a microphone, and she attempted to eavesdrop on Barksdale's conversations at Orlando's, with little success. Frightened, Shardene begged to be allowed to stop, but Freamon persuaded her to help them determine the floorplan of the club so they could install a hidden camera in Avon Barksdale's office. The effort was successful, and they managed to catch Avon incriminating himself on video.

Freamon and Shardene grew close during the investigation, and by season two, they were sharing an apartment. She helped put the detectives in touch with some dancers when they were investigating the deaths of girls involved in the sex trade.

[edit] Devonne

• Played by:
• Appears in

Devonne's previous connection to the Barksdale organization is never made clear, but in season three, she is employed by Barksdale through Slim Charles to find Marlo and trap him. She encounters Marlo in a bar, seduces him, and gives him her phone number so they can meet up again. When they later plan to meet up, it becomes clear that a trap has been set and Marlo's enforcer Chris shoots and kills a Barksdale crew member and wounds Avon in the process. Later in season three, Marlo finds Devonne and shoots her dead in front of her home.

[edit] Soldiers

[edit] Anton "Stinkum" Artis

• Played by: Brandon Price
• Appears in season 1: "The Target" (uncredited); "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest" and "Lessons"

Stinkum was a lieutenant and enforcer in the Barksdale crew. He was first seen in the courtroom during D'Angelo Barksdale's murder trial. Stinkum was responsible for making re-supplies from the crew's base at the Franklin Towers to their territory in the low-rise projects, known as "the pit".

Stinkum was robbed while delivering a re-supply by legendary stick-up man Omar Little. He was later involved in the killing of Omar's boyfriend and accomplice Brandon. Stinkum was identified by a confidential informant "Bubbles" as an important member of the organization. He was set to be a central piece of the Barksdale detail's case as their investigation progressed. They deciphered the coded communications used to signal him to deliver a re-supply and amassed evidence of him performing the duty. The police seized the resupply from his subordinate Kevin Johnston but allowed Stinkum to go free to avoid arousing suspicion about their surveillance methods.

Avon Barksdale awarded Stinkum the responsibility of taking over new territory and dealing drugs in the territory with a percentage of the profits to go to him. Other Barksdale enforcers organized a party to celebrate Stinkum's promotion. Stinkum was killed by Omar while trying to take a corner controlled by a drug dealer named "Scar," in revenge for the torture and murder of Brandon by Stinkum and associates. Stinkum's murder undermined the case the detail had built against his associates so far.

[edit] Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice

• Played by: Hassan Johnson
• Appears in:

Season One; "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons"; "Game Day"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing".

Season Two; "Collateral Damage" and "Backwash".

Season Three; "Time After Time".

Wee-Bey is Avon Barksdale's trusted primary soldier and friend. Wee-Bey also was one of Avon's most feared enforcers, responsible for the deaths of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker, Nakeesha Lyles, Barksdale soldier Little Man, Omar's lover Brandon and Avon's lover Deidre Kresson, among many others. Wee-Bey was also behind the non-fatal shooting of Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs. In contrast to his long list of crimes Wee-Bey is good natured and has a passion for keeping fish.

Wee-Bey was responsible for more mundane activities including driving Avon and D'Angelo Barksdale and picking up money. He was once stopped by Detectives Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver who seized 20,000 dollars from him - this was a small loss to the massive Barksdale organization.

Wee-Bey was twice involved in gunfights with legendary stick-up man Omar Little. Their first encounter ended with Wee-Bey's friend Anton "Stinkum" Artis dead and Wee-Bey himself being shot in the leg. Wee-Bey later defended Avon against Omar when the stickup man used their pager communication system to lure Avon to a payphone. This time Wee-Bey won the distinction of being one of the few people to best Omar in a gunfight as he hit him in the arm and forced his retreat.

Following his role in the failed sting operation that resulted in Greggs' injury Wee-Bey went on the run to family in Philadelphia. Before he left he murdered the other shooter, Little Man, on orders from Avon. The detail tracked him to Philadelphia and lured him outside by setting off his car alarm to ensure a clean arrest. Once in custody Wee-Bey confessed to all of his crimes and several more to protect the Barksdale organization.

Wee-Bey was imprisoned with Avon after the Barksdale detail's investigation in season one, serving life without parole for the numerous murders he committed. While in prison Wee-Bey continued to keep fish and enjoyed an easy life under Barksdale's wing. One guard in particular, Dwight Tilghman, bothered Wee-Bey because he confessed to murdering a relative of his. Once Wee-Bey complained to Avon the problem was swiftly dealt with.^[16][17]

[edit] Country

• Played by: Addison Switzer
• Appears in:

Season two: "Ebb Tide" (uncredited) and "Hot Shots" (uncredited).

Season three: "Time After Time" (uncredited); "All Due Respect"; "Straight and True" and "Homecoming".

Country was a Barksdale soldier who returned to work for the organization when released from prison in season two. His first task was to trail Bodie Broadus and Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty to Philadelphia to test their ability to follow orders for Stringer Bell. He worked with Shamrock to set up CO Dwight Tilghman so that Avon Barksdale could inform on Tilghman to reduce his prison sentence.

Country was one of Slim Charles few voices of experience in a team of young soldiers in the turf war with Marlo Stanfield. He was killed in an attempted drive by on one of Marlo Stanfield's corners. The driver, Tater, refused to follow Slim Charles' orders and Country's advice to wait for a phone call before making a move.^[16]

[edit] Gerard

• Played by: Mayo Best
• Appears in: Season Three

Gerard was a Barksdale organization enforcer working under Slim Charles. He was first seen guarding the front door in Omar's attempted heist of a Barksdale stash house. Gerard was almost killed in an attempted drive by on one of Marlo Stanfield's corners.

[edit] Marquis "Bird" Hilton

• Played by: Fredro Starr
• Appears in:

Season one: "The Pager" (uncredited) and "One Arrest".

Season two: "All Prologue".

Bird was a foul mouthed soldier in the Barksdale crew. Omar informed on Bird because he believed he was involved in the torture and murder of his boyfriend Brandon. He told police that Bird was responsible for the murder of state witness William Gant. Omar told the police that Bird had a favourite gun that he had seen him use to shoot Gant. Once his story was corroborated by an independent eye witness a warrant was put on Bird. Omar told the police they would find him taking drugs away from Barksdale territory because using was against the rules and that they would need to be careful as Bird was reckless. The arrest was made and Bird was found with weapon on him. The ballistics report matched the weapon and Omar testified against Bird in court. Bird was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

[edit] Little Man

• Played by: Micaiah Jones
• Appears in season one: "The Detail" (uncredited); "Lessons" (uncredited); "Game Day" (uncredited); "The Cost" (uncredited) and "The Hunt".

Little Man was the street name of a heavyset soldier in the Barksdale crew, his full name is Wintell Royce. He was responsible for enforcing their regime at the Franklin towers specifically tower 221. He was involved in the shooting of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs with Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice. Wee-Bey reported that Little Man had been surprised by finding Greggs in the back seat and had shot her immediately. Stringer Bell decided that Little Man was unreliable and with the police cracking down on them because an officer had been shot they would be better off without him. Stringer ordered Wee-Bey to kill Little Man. The murder occurred offscreen, but Wee-Bey later tells the police where to find Little Man's body.

[edit] Rico

• Played by:
• Appears in:

Season two: "Ebb Tide"

Season three:

Rico is a soldier in the Barksdale drug dealing organization who often acts as security at the funeral home they use as a base of operations. He was caught playing video games when Omar robbed a Barksdale stash house. Rico was involved in the subsequent shootout. He later acted as security for Malik "Poot" Carr's corner on orders from Slim Charles. Poot needed protection because of the turf war with Marlo Stanfield. Rico was killed in a drive by shooting by Stanfield soldier Snoop while protecting Poot.

[edit] Sapper

• Played by: Brandan T. Tate
• Appears in: Season Three

Sapper was a Barksdale organization enforcer working under Slim Charles. He was first seen guarding the back door in Omar's attempted heist of a Barksdale stash house.

[edit] Savino

• Played by: Chris Clanton
• Appears in season 1: "The Target"; "Lessons" (uncredited); "Game Day"; "The Cost" and "The Hunt".

Savino was a soldier in the Barksdale crew, full name Savino Bratten. Savino was first seen in the courtroom for D'Angelo Barksdale's murder trial.^[18] He was involved in the shooting of Det. Shakima Greggs and Wendell "Orlando" Blocker in a failed buy bust operation. Savino spoke to Orlando and left to get him his drugs. The Barksdale crew had realised Orlando was co-operating with the police and used baking soda instead of cocaine for the deal. Instead of Savino delivering the drugs, enforcers Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice and Little Man killed Orlando and injured Greggs, not knowing that she was a police officer. Savino had tried to signal them about her presence but they were unable to see him because it was night time. Warrants were written up for Savino because he had been identified in the operation. The police made raids on his mothers house and he was forced to turn himself in. Savino was charged for the attempt to supply fake drugs and was expected to receive a three year sentence when he refused to co-operate. He was represented by Barksdale crew lawyer Maurice Levy.

[edit] Tank

• Played by:
• Appears in:

Season 2: "Ebb Tide" (uncredited).

Season 3:

Tank was a Barksdale organization soldier. He was first seen working with Country checking up on newly promoted crew chief Bodie Broadus as he made a trip to collect a new package of narcotics. Tank was killed by Kimmy from Omar's crew during a shootout following an aborted attempt to steal the stash that Tank was guarding.^[19]

[edit] Slim Charles

• Played by: Anwan Glover
• Appears in season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".

Slim Charles became the Barksdale organization's chief enforcer while Stringer Bell ran things with Avon Barksdale in prison. He objected to Stringer putting product before territory after the loss of the high rise projects. When Avon was released Slim Charles was his chief enforcer in the war with Marlo Stanfield. Although Charles proved himself a capable soldier on many occasions the support he gathered around himself was often not up to the task.

Charles was pleased to work with Dennis "Cutty" Wise as he remembered his reputation as a soldier to be feared. Charles and Bodie Broadus organized a party to celebrate Cutty's return and all of the organization members present were seen taking drugs despite Avon's rules against this. Charles explained to Cutty that sometimes you have to break the rules. The two gelled well together co-ordinating and conducting assaults on Stanfield territory. However, they were let down by their driver Tater who failed follow their instructions in a co-ordinated assault and put himself, Gerard and Country in the line of fire. Country and Tater were killed and Slim Charles was forced to retreat.

Slim Charles and Cutty struck back alone to ensure that a better job was done. They attacks one of Marlo's crews and Charles killed a young drug dealer. Cutty allowed the crew chief to escape. Initially Charles thought that he had ruined Cutty's shot by firing too early himself. Cutty later admitted to Charles and Avon that he had been unable to take the shot and was retiring from his role. Charles and Avon agreed that Cutty was leaving "the game" with his reputation intact.

Slim Charles and Avon next oversaw an operation to assassinate Stanfield. They tried to ensare him using a girl, Devonne, as bait. Stanfield realised that it was a trap and had his soldier Chris Paltrow attack Avon and Slim Charles while they waited. Avon was wounded and another soldier was killed but Charles escaped unharmed.

Slim Charles was responsible for consoling Avon after the death of Stringer Bell. When Avon told Charles that he had lost heart for the war and that it was internal problems and not Stanfield that were responsible for Bell's death Charles reminded him that now that they were in a war there was no way to back down.

Slim Charles saw another opportunity to kill Stanfield when he found him at Vinson's rimshop with only Paltrow for protection. He phoned Avon who marshalled his soldiers to prepare their weapons. Avon's group were trapped in their base by a police raid and they were all arrested. When Avon failed to arrive Slim Charles decided that the opportunity to kill Stanfield had been missed. He escaped arraignment alongside Avon at the close of season three because he wasn't at the house when Avon was arrested.^[16]

[edit] Dennis "Cutty" Wise

• Played by: Chad L. Coleman
• Appears in: Season Three

Cutty is on old school soldier who was coming to the end of a fourteen year prison sentence when Avon and Wee-Bay arrived at the prison. He was well respected by Avon and many others in Barksdale’s crew for work he performed before going to prison including murder. Despite some initial hesitation, Cutty began working with the Barksdale crew after his release. His effectiveness and intelligence as muscle is shown on several occasions when planning raids, hits and general menacing for Avon against competing crews. However, it becomes clear that Cutty no longer has tolerance for “the game” and he tells Avon as much when he tries to leave the crew by saying “I ain’t got it in me no mo’.” Dennis then begins to build a new life by first doing day-labor landscaping and then by opening a boxing gym at the urging of a local church official. When he is unable to get sufficient funding to equip the gym, he approaches Avon to request the funding. Avon happily provides the money probably due to Avon’s history as a boxer.

[edit] Drug dealers

[edit] Preston "Bodie" Broadus

Main article: Bodie Broadus

Bodie is a Barksdale organization drug dealer who has slowly risen through the ranks over the show's run.

[edit] Marvin Browning

• Played by:
• Appears in season one: "Old Cases" and "The Cost" (uncredited).

Browning was a Barksdale organization drug dealer. He was arrested following a "hand-to-hand" - an investigating officer buys drugs from the suspect while undercover. Browning was on parole and faced a fifteen year minimum sentence for the offence. Despite this he refused to co-operate with the investigating officers and give them information on his superiors, deciding that he would rather face the years of prison time. While serving time in the city jail Browning identified Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and telephoned his superiors to tell them Orlando had been imprisoned.

[edit] Cass

• Played by: Sheena Barksdale
• Appears in season 1: "The Wire".

Cass was a hopper in the low rise projects under D'Angelo Barksdale. When Stringer Bell asked D'Angelo to flush out leaks in his team by witholding their pay D'Angelo discovered that Cass was stealing from him along with another hopper named Sterling. He was lenient in his punishment and let them with a warning and a demotion to lookouts.

[edit] Malik "Poot" Carr

• Played by: Tray Chaney
• Appears in:

Season 1: "The Target" (uncredited); "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager"; "The Wire"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons"; "Game Day"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing".

Season 2: "Undertow"; "Backwash"; "Stray Rounds" and "Port in a Storm".

Season 3: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Amsterdam"; "Back Burners" and "Mission Accomplished".

Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale organization who has slowly risen through the ranks over the show's run. In season one Poot worked in the low rise projects territory called "the pit" under D'Angelo Barksdale and was friends with fellow dealers Bodie Broadus and Wallace. He is depicted as having a very active sex life. In season one the Barksdale detail listen in on him having phone sex with a girlfriend.

Poot was trapped in the stash house with other members of his crew when it was robbed by Omar Little. Although he was unhurt Poot was terrified enough to vomit when Omar left. He was with Wallace when they spotted Omar's boyfriend and accomplice in the heist Brandon. Wallace reported the sighting to D'Angelo and Stringer Bell arrived soon afterwards with a trio of enforcers. Poot believed that Stringer would not come. Poot was not as affected as Wallace by the body of Brandon being displayed in their neighborhood as a warning to Omar. The trauma drove Wallace to leave working with the organization. Poot tried to get him to return to work but had no success. Poot followed Wallace and realised he had turned to drugs to escape his problems. He covered for Wallace with D'Angelo for some time but eventually told him the truth.

Poot stayed in touch with Wallace after the police moved Wallace away to the country - Walalce told Poot he had chosen to move to live with relatives. However, when Wallace returned to town and Stringer ordered him killed Poot and Bodie were there to carry out the orders. Bodie shot Wallace at Poot's urging and Poot took the gun and also fired shots at his former friend.

In season two Poot was rewarded with a promotion to D'Angelo's old position in charge of drug gealing in the pit. However, he had difficulty controlling his subordinates and struggled with the poor quality product available to the crew for a time. He continued to work with Bodie who was now in control of his own tower and overseeing the pit. He was significant enough to the organization to attend Stringer's strategy meetings at the funeral home. Bodie and Poot became embroiled in a turf war with an independent crew that led to the shooting of accidental shooting of a child.

At the close of season three Poot was arrested alongside Avon Barksdale.^[16][20]

[edit] CCO

• Played by:
• Appears in Season one: "Sentencing".

CCO was a Barksdale drug dealer working close to Stringer Bell. The Barksdale detail targeted him as one of the members of the organization that they wanted to convict and tried to get low level dealers like Marvin Browning to give them information on CCO, Stringer, Wee-Bey and Avon. Although a warrant was served against him CCO was not arrested with many other Barksdale dealers in season one. Stringer gave him instructions about cutting their new supply of narcotics to get it street ready.

[edit] Kevin Johnston

• Played by:
• Appears in season 1: "The Detail" and "One Arrest".

Johnston was a drug dealer for the Barksdale organization and associate of Anton "Stinkum" Artis. Johnston was blinded in one eye when he was struck by Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski using his service weapon. The incident occurred outside of the Barksdale organizations Franklin tower territory and caused a near riot in which Prez's vehicle was destroyed.

Johnston (now wearing an eye-patch) was later arrested carrying the resupply package of narcotics for D'Angelo Barksdale in the low rise projects. He was being driven by Stinkum but bailed out of the car when the police tried to stop it. Once arrested Johnston was recognised by a remorseful Pryzbyleski and Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, who offered to help him get away from drug dealing if he wished. Johnston refused the offer and was charged for the drugs found on him at the time of his arrest.

[edit] "Little Vic"

• Played by:
• Referenced in season one: "The Detail"

Little Vic was the street name of a drug dealer who worked for the Barksdale organization. He was photographed by Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs when he was marked by her confidential informant "Bubbles" as part of a surveillance operation.

[edit] Shaun "Shamrock" McGinty

• Played by: Richard Burton
• Appears in:

Season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases" and "Port in a Storm".

Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".

Shamrock was Stringer Bell's second in command while Avon Barksdale was in prison and oversaw the technical aspects of the drug operation on his behalf. Stringer sounded out his loyalty, along with Bodie Broadus, by having him followed on a trip to Philadelphia to collect a package of drugs. The package was not delivered to Shamrock but he kept to Stringer's orders and meticulously documented his progress. Despite the missing package Stringer was satisfied with their response.

Stringer entrusted Shamrock with driving Bodie to dispose of the weapons used in a misguided territory war after a young child was killed by a stray bullet. Unfortunately Shamrock and Bodie dropped the bag of guns onto a passing freight ship instead of into the water. Little came of it because Bodie had wiped the weapons clean of prints.

Stringer entrusted Shamrock with the set-up of CO Dwight Tilghman to allow Avon to exchange information about Tilghman with the prison authorities for an early parole hearing. Stringer, Shamrock and Country followed Tilghman and learned that he was smuggling heroin into the prison from Butchie. Stringer had Shamrock deliver a package of tainted narcotics to Tilghman through Butchie causing several deaths in the prison. Shamrock also planted narcotics in Tilghman's car to make sure Avon could successfully inform on Tilghman.

Shamrock oversaw Stringers organizational meetings at the funeral home and tried to keep to Robert's rules of order. He was overzealous in following the rules and made the mistake of trying to keep minutres at the first meeting of Stringer co-op, a group of major Baltimore drug players. Stringer curtly reminded Shamrock that he was taking notes on a criminal conspiracy.

Stringer used Shamrock to insulate himself from the street, Shamrock would take phone calls on Stringer's behalf and then organize face to face meetings at secure locations. Shamrock also often acted as a driver for Stringer. Stringer put Shamrock in charge of overseeing Bernard in obtaining disposable cell phones for the organization and then programming the phones for use by the drug dealers. Stringer insisted that Bernard buy a maximum of two phones from any one outlet and checked his receipts to see that he stuck to the rule. Once Shamrock took over he stopped checking up on Bernard and Bernard began to buy phones in bulk eventually getting them from Lester Freamon, an undercover officer in the unit investigating Stringer. Freamon was thereby able to supply Shamrock with pre-wiretapped phones through Bernard.

When Avon was paroled Shamrock continued in his role as Stringer's assistant controlling their drug dealing threw the lieutenants and crew chiefs. Shamrock was peripherally involved in Avon's turf war with Marlo Stanfield, passing messages back and forth to soldiers. Shamrock was arrested alongside Avon at the end of season three.

[edit] Peanut

• Referenced in season one: "The Detail"

Peanut was the street name of a drug dealer who ran sales from a tower block (number 4 in the Franklin terrace projects) for the Barksdale organization. Peanut was photographed by Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs when he was marked by her confidential informant "Bubbles" as part of a surveillance operation.

It's unclear whether Peanut was the same man, or a different man with the same nickname, as the man who shot and wounded Officer Dozerman in season three and stole the officer's gun.

[edit] Puddin

• Played by: De'Rodd Hearns
• Appears in:

Season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Stray Rounds" (uncredited) and "Duck and Cover" (uncredited).

Season 3: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Back Burners" and "Mission Accomplished" (uncredited).

Puddin is the street name of a drug dealer in Bodie Broadus' crew of the Barksdale organization. Puddin handles the count for Bodie and also spends time with him and Malik "Poot" Carr when they are not working. Puddin worked at the 221 tower building with Bodie. In season 2 Puddin was involved in the turf war and shoot out that resulted in the death of a 9 year old boy. Pudding stayed with Bodie after the towers were demolished. Bodie was tasked with moving into Marlo Stanfield's territory and his crew got into a turf war with a Stanfield crew led by Fruit. Puddin and his fellow dealers were severely beaten with baseball bats by Fruit, Jamal and a group of Stanfield soldiers as a warning to the Barksdale organization.

Puddin is played by De'Rodd Hearns who also works in the post production department and is the half brother of DeAndre McCullough. DeAndre plays Lamar on The Wire and was the basis of a character in David Simon's The Corner.^[21]

[edit] Roc Roc

• Played by:
• Referenced in season one: "The Detail"; "Lessons" and "Sentencing".

Roc Roc was the street name of a drug dealer who was second to Peanut in running sales from a tower block for the Barksdale organization. Roc Roc was photographed by Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs when he was marked by her confidential informant "Bubbles" as part of a surveillance operation. Roc Roc's name was shouted at the party the organization held for Stinkum to celebrate his promotion. Roc Roc was not arrested with many other Barksdale dealers at the end of season one and Bodie Broadus mentioned that he was now responsible for resupplying his stash of narcotics.

[edit] Ronnie Mo

• Played by:
• Appears in season 1: "Cleaning Up" and "Sentencing".

Ronnie Mo ran the pit for the Barksdale crew before D'Angelo Barksdale. Ronnie Mo's tenure ended when he was arrested. He worked with Bodie, Poot and Wallace. Several months later Ronnie Mo was free, back working for Avon Barksdale and flirting with dancers at Avon's strip club. Ronnie Mo was arrested again, by detective Hauk, when the Barksdale investigation came to an end with many warrants issued. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment because of his prior felonies.

[edit] Sterling

• Played by: Curtis Montez
• Appears in season 1: "The Buys" (uncredited), "The Pager" and "Sentencing".

Sterling was a drug dealer in the low rise projects (known as "the pit") under D'Angelo Barksdale. Sterling was in charge of the crew's stash of narcotics and giving vials of drugs to the runners when needed. When Omar Little robbed the crew Sterling refused to tell him where the stash was hidden and Omar shot him in the kneecap. When Stringer Bell asked D'Angelo to flush out leaks in his team by witholding their pay D'Angelo discovered that Sterling was stealing from him along with another hopper named Cass. He was lenient in his punishment and let them with a warning and a demotion to lookouts. When Bodie Broadus took over the pit Sterling was involved in his efforts to drive off a rival crew and was seen wielding a baseball bat alongside Bodie and Malik "Poot" Carr.

[edit] Wallace

• Played by: Michael B. Jordan
• Appears in season 1: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager"; "The Wire"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons"; "Game Day"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing".

A young drug dealer in the Barksdale crew's low rise projects organization (called The Pit) under D'Angelo Barksdale. Wallace was friends with other dealers Malik "Poot" Carr and Bodie Broadus.

Wallace showed the signs of a half finished education - he could identify famous people on currency better than the rest of his crew but sometimes struggled with the math of dealing and though eager to learn, did not know the rules of chess. He also took responsibility for his numerous younger children in the projects; he was seen packing their lunches, seeing them off to school and helping them with their homework. He betrayed his age when he was found playing with toys when he was supposed to be on lookout duty.

After Omar Little robbed the pit crew's stash of drugs Wallace spotted his accomplice Brandon playing pinball and called this information in to D'Angelo. Wallace waited outside the arcade for Stringer Bell to arrive and when he did he had Wallace point out Brandon. Brandon was then tortured to death and his body was displayed on the hood of a car, coincidentally outside of Wallace's home. Wallace received a quarter of the $2000 bounty on Brandon's head, but was sickened by the event and decided that he wanted out of "the game". He approached D'Angelo and told him he wanted to go back to school - D'Angelo gave him his blessing and some cash. Poot soon found that Wallace had spent the money on drugs and was spending most of his time at home.

Wallace was picked up by the police and agreed to cooperate with the Barksdale detail, revealing Stinger's involvement in the killing of Omar's boyfriend Brandon. In order to keep him safe until the time came to testify, the detail sent Wallace to live with his grandmother in rural Cambridge. After Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs was shot in an undercover operation, the Barksdale detail became so preoccupied with her condition that Wallace was temporarily forgotten. Bored with life away from Baltimore (and having kept in telephone contact with Poot), he returned to the low-rise projects and asked to get involved in the trade again. Bodie suggested he would have to take a demotion but D'Angelo welcomed him back. Stringer Bell became suspicious of Wallace's return and questioned D'Angelo about him. D'Angelo unwittingly tried to reassure Stringer of Wallace's loyalty but Stringer was unconvinced and assigned Bodie to kill Wallace. Bodie and Poot spent the day with Wallace and took him home. Bodie revealed their intentions once they had him cornered and Wallace begged for mercy because of their friendship. Bodie eventually worked up the nerve to kill Wallace and Poot took the gun and finished him off.

D'Angelo was outraged by Wallace's death. It was one of the factors that led D'Angelo to want to leave "the game" himself, and it drove a permanent wedge between he and Stringer (as D'Angelo intuitively sensed Stringer's involvement in the boy's death).

Creator David Simon has described Wallace as an emotional centre to the shows first season and praised Jordan's performance, saying that he was sorry the character had to leave but that the story comes first. Simon sees the character as an illustration of the adage "a 14 year old drug dealer is still 14."^[13]

[edit] Family and girlfriends

[edit] Donette

• Played by: Shamyl Brown
• Appears in:

Season 1: "The Detail"; "The Pager" and "The Cost".

Season 2: "Hot Shots"; "Undertow"; and "Backwash"

Season 3: "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners" and "Mission Accomplished".

Donette was drug lieutenant D'Angelo Barksdale's girlfriend in season one and is the mother of his son. D'Angelo brought her to a party organized by his uncle, Avon Barksdale, shortly after his acquittal where she first met Stringer Bell. She worried over her financial situation often and nagged D'Angelo for money. The two of them shared a meal together in an uptown restaurant and D'Angelo tried to explain his doubts about his lifestyle to her but she dismissed his worries. D'Angelo began seeing Shardene Innes behind Donette's back during the course of the season. D'Angelo was arrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison at the end of the season.

With D'Angelo imprisoned Avon gave Donette an allowance of support money. Donette got involved with Stinger Bell while D'Angelo was in prison. She visited D'Angelo at Stringer's behest to try to ease the experience of prison for him. Stringer had mounting concerns that D'Angelo was going to reveal information about their drug dealing organization to the authorities and covertly ordered him killed and had the death made to look like a suicide.^[22]

Detective Jimmy McNulty reinvestigated D'Angelo's death and asserted that it was unlikely that he killed himself. When he tried to use this information to coerce Donette into co-operating she refused to talk to him.

[edit] Chantal

• Played by:
• Appears in season 1: "The Pager".

Chantal was one of Avon Barksdale's girlfriends briefly seen when he stayed at her house in season 1.

[edit] Brianna Barksdale

• Played by: Michael Hyatt
• Appears in:

Season 1: "Cleaning Up" and "Sentencing".

Season 2: "Collateral Damage"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash" and "Stray Rounds".

Season 3: "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; and "Mission Accomplished".

Brianna Barksdale is D'Angelo's mother and Avon's sister. She first appeared bringing food to D'Angelo at work. Brianna grew up in Western Baltimore and her family has always been involved in the drug trade. With her brother Avon controlling narcotics on the Westside Brianna acts as an advisor and helps to manage their profits and receives a healthy income, nice home and new car for her efforts. She raised her son to manage the tought streets and got him working in the family business as soon as he was old enough. D'Angelo was quickly made a lieutenant in Avon's operation despite some misgivings. When D'Angelo was tried for murder Brianna was conspicuously absent from the courtroom. Later she appeared fiercely protective of her son when he was arrested for drug trafficking. She insisted that Avon was in the wrong for sending him alone to pick up a package of narcotics and made her brother promise to do everything he could to help D'Angelo.

When D'Angelo appeared ready to turn against his family it was Brianna who visited him and changed his mind, convincing him to accept a lengthy prison sentence to protect Avon by insisting that Avon would do the same if D'Angelo was willing to step up and run the business. When D'Angelo once more began to withdraw from his family in prison Brianna visited him to try and talk him around. This time D'Angelo insisted that he did not want to see her any more. When D'Angelo appeared to have committed suicide in the prison Brianna was distraught. She was comforted by her brother's second-in-command Stringer Bell, actually the man who had ordered D'Angelo's death. Brianna argued with Avon to allow Stringer to manage their business his way while Avon was imprisoned.

When Avon was released she continued to advise both men. After Jimmy McNulty, having done independent policework, told Donette that there was a chance D'Angelo had been murdered, Donette, unsure of whether to believe him passed the information on to Brianna. Brianna, suspicious, met with McNulty and was convinced by the evidence. She asked Avon, indirectly at first, if he had ordered D'Angelo's killing. He truthfully denied having anything to do with it, although by this point Stringer had admitted ordering the murder to Avon.^[16][23]

[edit] Deirdre Kresson

• Played by:
• Appears in season 1: "The Pager".

Kresson was Avon Barksdale's girlfriend for a time. Kresson became jealous of Avon's infidelity and threatened to inform the police about his drug dealing empire. Avon ordered Kresson killed and the homicide went unsolved initially. The case was investigated by Detective Keely and the only lead he discovered was a friend of Kresson's named Tywanda who told him that a man named D had visited Kresson that night.

At one time D'Angelo Barksdale took credit for the murder to enhance his reputation to his subordinates. Eventually the pattern of events was established by homicide detectives Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland and corroborated by a statement from D'Angelo and a confession from Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice. By a careful re-examination of the crime scene they established that Kresson was shot from outside of her kitchen window and the bullet lodged in the fridge door. They noted that their was cocaine on the floor after her death. D'Angelo told them that he delivered the package of cocaine and that she was putting it in the fridge when Wee-Bey tapped on her window. When she turned to the window Wee-Bey shot her. He was convicted of the killing along with multiple other homicides.

[edit] Omar's Crew

[edit] Omar Little

Main article: Omar Little

Omar Little is a legendary Baltimore stick-up artist.

[edit] Brandon

• Played by: Michael Kevin Darnall
• Appears in season one: "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager" and "The Wire".

Brandon was Omar Little's boyfriend and a member of his stick-up crew. Brandon mistakenly used Omar's name in front of Barksdale drug dealers as they robbed their stash in the low rise projects; the name was reported back and started a long running feud between Omar and the Barksdale organization. Avon Barksdale placed bounties on all of Omar's crew. Brandon was spotted by Wallace and Malik "Poot" Carr in an arcade. They alerted D'Angelo Barksdale to the find who passed the message to Stringer Bell. Stringer arrived with three Barksdale enforcers Marquis "Bird" Hilton, Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice and Anton "Stinkum" Artis. Brandon was captured by Bell's crew, tortured, and killed. His body was displayed in the low rise projects as a warning to Omar on Avon's instructions.

[edit] Bailey

• Played by: Lance Williams
• Appears in season one: "The Buys"; "Old Cases" and "The Pager".

Full name John Bailey. Bailey was a member of Omar Little's stick-up crew who assists him in robbing the Barksdale crew. He was killed shortly afterwards while visiting relatives. When arrested Barksdale enforcer Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice confessed to the murder.

[edit] Dante

• Played by: Ernest Waddell
• Appears in: Season Two, Season Three

Dante becomes Omar's new boyfriend in the year following Brandon's death and joins his stick-up operation. In Season Three, he is kidnapped by Brother Mouzone and his associates in an effort to locate Omar. Dante provides them with the necessary information, but only after enduring a brutal beating. He is released after the conclusion of Omar and Mouzone's successful conspiracy to kill Stringer Bell.

[edit] Kimmy

• Played by: Kelli R. Brown
• Appears in:

Season two: "Hot Shots" and "Bad Dreams".

Season three: "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry" and "Slapstick".

Kimmy was partnered with Tosha Mitchell in robbing drug dealers until Omar Little returned to Baltimore and then they both joined his crew. Kimmy was adept at infiltrating drug dealing operations using a number of disguises including posing as a nurse to Omar's disabled veteran. Tosha was accidentally killed by Omar's boyfriend Dante in a heist gone wrong on a Barksdale stash and Kimmy was distraught.

[edit] Tosha Mitchell

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Two, Season Three

[edit] "Blind" Butchie

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Two, Season Three

Butchie is Omar's bank and advisor. He runs a West-Side Baltimore bar. In season two, Butchie is first seen supplying Corrections Officer Tilghman with the dope he sells inside the prison, and later negotiating with Stringer Bell over supplying Tilghman with the poisoned dope that killed several prisoners. Later in the season it became apparent that he was a connection to Omar, as Proposition Joe arranged a face-to-face meeting between Omar and Stringer by talking to him. In season three, his connection to Omar was more apparent, as several scenes showed Omar getting advice from Butchie. When Omar is able to find Officer Dozerman's missing gun, he returns it to Bunk through Butchie. Butchie later provides Omar with Avon Barksdale's hideout location.

[edit] Marlo's Crew

[edit] Marlo "Black" Stanfield

Main article: Marlo Stanfield

Drug dealer who got into a turf war with the Barksdale crew following Avon's release.

[edit] "Fruit"

• Played by: Brandon Fobbs
• Appears in: Season Three

Fruit is the head of one of Marlo's crews, and works with Jamal and Justin. He is identifiable by his ever-present Kangol hat. In season three, he is first seen negotiating with Dennis "Cutty" Wise over how to distribute a package of dope; he seems to be fair, but he later rips Cutty off, saying the package was snatched up by the police. When Cutty protests, Fruit pulls a gun on him and forces Cutty to withdraw. Later in the season, his crew's territory is encroached upon by Bodie Broadus and his crew, which sparks the turf war with the Barksdale Crew.

[edit] Justin

• Played by:
• Appears in season 3:

Justin is a young drug dealer Fruit's crew in Marlo Stanfield's organization. He is identifiable by his baseball cap, which he wears sideways (and had a brief conversation with Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver about). Toward the end of season three, he gets involved with Dennis "Cutty" Wise and his boxing gym. At first, he resists Cutty's attempts to teach and instill discipline, but he eventually settles down and is seen sparring with (and losing to) a smaller boxer from another gym.

[edit] Jamal

• Played by:
• Appears in:

Jamal is a member of Fruit's crew in Marlo's organization. He is usually seen with Justin.

[edit] Chris Partlow

• Played by: Gbenga Akinnagbe
• Appears in: Season Three

Partlow is Marlo Stanfield's friend and the primary soldier in his drug dealing operation. He was a key player in the turf war with the Barksdale organization. Partlow's cautious observation revealed Avon Barksdale's car when he tried to set a trap for Marlo. Partlow fired upon the car in a drive by shooting, wounding Avon and killing one of his soldiers.

[edit] Felicia "Snoop" Pearson

• Played by: Felicia Pearson
• Appears in

Season 3:

Season 4:

Snoop is a young female soldier in Marlo Stanfield's drug dealing organization and was heavily involved in the turf war with the rival Barksdale organization. She was responsible for killing Barksdale soldier Rico in a drive by shooting on Malik "Poot" Carr's corner. She also took part in Chris Partlow's efforts to foil an assassination attempt against Marlo.

[edit] Vinson

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Three

Vinson is Marlo's advisor. During season three, he gives Marlo advice on how to deal with Avon Barksdale's release from prison, is later seen acting as a liasion between Marlo and Proposition Joe, and later identifies Omar to Brother Mouzone. Vinson either owns or manages a rim shop and conducts his business related to "the game" after hours.

[edit] LaTroy

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Three

LaTroy was a member of Marlo's crew who was shot and killed when the war for territory with Barksdale's crew escalated. His body is discovered by Justin and Jamal.

[edit] East Side

[edit] "Proposition" Joe Stewart

• Played by: Robert F Chew
• Appears in:

Season 1: "Game Day" and "The Cost".

Season 2: "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; and "Port in a Storm".

Season 3: "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Middle Ground".

Proposition Joe is an Eastside drug kingpin who goes into business with Stringer Bell. He seems portly and amiable, but is easily a match for Avon and Stringer. Like Stringer, he prefers a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible.

In season one he first appeared at an annual basketball game, the Eastside druglord's team versus the Westside druglord's. Prop Joe's team had won for three years straight, and Avon Barksdale wanted vengeance. Joe played on Avon's pride, goading him into doubling their wager on the outcome, then bringing in a ringer at the last minute to win the game. That same day he was visited by Omar, who gave Joe some of the Barksdale gang's stolen stash in exchange for Avon's pager number, and used it to make an attempt on Avon's life. Prop Joe's role in Omar's attack remained unknown to Avon. Joe later served as a neutral go between organising a meeting between Stringer Bell and Omar to discuss truce

In season two he began playing a larger role in the show. He relied on the Greek's smuggling ring to bring his drug shipments into the Baltimore ports. His supply was much more potent than Avon's, though he lacked the territory to market it. His solution was to make an offer to Stringer Bell: his product in exchange for the right to deal in some of the Barksdale towers. Avon vehemently rejected the idea, but Stringer secretly agreed to the deal. When Avon hired Brother Mouzone to chase Prop Joe's dealers out of the towers, Joe's nephew and lieutenant Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff was shot and wounded. Joe came up with the idea of pitting Omar against Mouzone. He set up a meeting between Stringer and Omar, where the stickup man was tricked into shooting Mouzone. This elaborate deception became unnecessary when Avon grudgingly agreed to the alliance between Stringer and Joe. At the end of season two, Stringer and Prop Joe were photographed meeting by detectives McNulty and Greggs.^[10]

In season three Joe extended the sharing of his supply connections to many other drug dealers in Baltimore by forming the "co-op" group. Joe was now working with Fatface Rick and Kintell Williamson among others. He provided all of these dealers with his package and received a discount for the bulk buying. He insulated himself against investigation by maintaining a strict policy of only meeting face to face.

Joe's family once more brought him problems in his business life. Unbeknownst to him his nephew Drack had been targeted as a potential inroad for an investigation by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels major case unit. Cheese became embroiled in a war with a rival drug crew over a dog fight that resulted in several deaths. Daniels wiretaps were instrumental in solving the homicides but Daniels tipped his hand when he arrested Cheese belieiving that he had him on tape discussing a murder. Cheese realized that the police had a tape of him talking about shooting his pet dog and they were forced to release him. He reported the incident to Proposition Joe who was forewarned about the investigation and able to pass the information on to Stringer. The major case unit were forced to move their investigation away from Joe and onto the more violent Kintell Williamson when they failed to make any progress.

Joe objected to Avon's turf war with Marlo Stanfield because of the police attention it brought to their business. He met with Marlo's advisor Vinson to try to negotiate a settlement but Marlo was unwilling to back out of the war believing that Avon was weak.^[16][24]

[edit] Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff

• Played by: Method Man
• Appears in:

Season two: "Undertow" and "Storm Warnings".

Season three: "Time After Time" and "All Due Respect".

Eastside drug lieutenant and nephew of "Proposition" Joe Stewart. Cheese supplied "Ziggy" Sobotka with a package of narcotics to distribute and extrorted money from him when he could not return its value. Cheese took Ziggy's car and torched it and threatened to kill him. Nick Sobotka and La La intervened on Ziggy's behalf but could only convince Cheese to give Ziggy more time. Cheese was forced to back down when Nick involved The Greeks (Cheese's uncle's suppliers). Cheese was injured by Brother Mouzone when he moved into Barksdale territory following an agreement with Stringer Bell that Avon Barksdale was unaware of and did not honour.

Cheese was one of the major case unit's first targets as a route to Proposition Joe himself. However Cheese avoided their surveillance afforts through disciplined use of his subordinates to make phone calls and only discussing business face to face. Following the arrest of Lavelle Mann Cheese was promoted to supplying other dealers.

Cheese kept a pet dog and participated in underground dog fights. When his dog lost a fight Cheese shot it rather than seek treatment for it's injuries, feeling that the animal had let him down. Cheese's soldier Triage suggested that his opponent, a dealer named Dazz, may have cheated. Triage saw Dazz's dog being rubbed with a red rag by Dazz's man Jelly. Triage responded by killing Jelly which triggered a short war between the rival crews and a further two deaths. Cell phone talk about the war was picked up by the major case unit and they arrested Jelly and Triage preparing for another assault. The unit had cheese on tape talking about shooting his dog and mistakenly believed it was evidence that he was responsible for one of the murders. They told Cheese about the wiretaps when trying to force a confession. Once the unit realized Cheese was talking about an animal he was released. Cheese passed the intelligence about the wiretap up to his uncle which allowed him to escape further investigation.

[edit] Drack

• Played by:
• Appears in season three: "Time After Time".

Drack is an undisciplined Eastside corner boss and nephew of "Proposition" Joe Stewart. The major case unit often picked up Drack talking about drugs on their wiretap but felt it would be of little use arresting him because he did not report to anyone significant. Instead they arrested Drack's supplier, Lavelle Mann, in the hope that Drack would be promoted. Unfortunately Melvin "Cheese" Flagstaff received the promotion instead of Drack.

"Drack" was also the name of a memorable character in Homicide: Life on the Street, another series David Simon contributed to.

[edit] Lavelle Mann

• Played by:
• Appears in season three: "Time After Time

Mann was a soldier in "Proposition" Joe Stewart's operation and also handled resupply for dealers like Drack. He was arrested by the detail following an undercover hand-to-hand buy.

[edit] Petey Dixon

• Reference in:

East side drug dealer identified by the Sobotka detail as having his own territory and receiving supply from "The Greek".

[edit] "White" Mike McArdle

• Played by: Brook Yeaton
• Appears in season two: "Collateral Damage" and "Bad Dreams".

White Mike is a mid-level East side drug dealer with his own territory. He supplied "Ziggy" Sobotka with packages of narcotics to distribute but their relationship soured when Ziggy failed to make adequate profit from the package.^[25] McArdle was supplied by "The Greek"'s smuggling operation and was arrested as part of an investigation into that operation. He was quick to turn against his suppliers and gave up all the information he had.^[26]

Brook Yeaton is also an on set dresser for the show.^[27]

[edit] "Frog"

Frog is a white street-level dealer whose allegiances are never made clear. He is seen early in season two distributing a package for Ziggy Sobotka (and ripping him off in the process), and later negotiates with Nick Sobotka to distribute another. During the early stages of season two's investigation, he sells dope to Herc and is photographed by Kima and Carver.

[edit] Others

[edit] "Bubbles"

• Played by: Andre Royo
• Appears in: Season One, Season Two, Season Three

Bubbles is a homeless heroin addict who often acts as a confidential informant for detectives McNulty and Greggs. He was best friend and mentor to Johnny Weeks. The two often pull various scams to get drug money.

In season one, Johnny was severely beaten by the Barksdale hoppers when he tried to pass them counterfeit bills. Bubbles then offered to inform on the Barksdale gang for Greggs, to get some measure of revenge. Bubbles' knowledge of the street proved to be invaluable to Lt. Daniels' unit. He helped identify members of the crew that ran the Barksdale pit. When Omar robbed the Barksdale stash, Bubbles was there, and gave the license plate number of Omar's van to Greggs, which helped the detail track down the stick-up man.

After he was nearly killed trying to steal some drugs, he tried to get off the needle, but reverted to his old habits when Greggs was shot.

In season two, McNulty recruited Bubbles to find Omar Little, whom Bunk needed as a witness in the William Gant murder. Bubbles grudgingly agreed, and in a nervous encounter with a shotgun-wielding Omar, delivered McNulty's message. At the end of season two, he was arrested by Officer Santangelo while trying to steal needles and morphine from an ambulance; in exchange for his release, he tipped off Greggs and McNulty to the new alliance between Proposition Joe and Stringer Bell.^[28]

[edit] William Gant

• Played by: Larry Hull
• Appears in season 1: "The Target".

Gant was a witness to the altercation where D'Angelo Barksdale killed "Poo" Blanchard. He identified him for the police and testified against him in court but another witness changed their story and a not guilty verdict was returned. Gant was killed shortly after D'Angelo's release. Marquis "Bird" Hilton was later convicted of the murder.^[18][29]

[edit] Nakeesha Lyles

• Played by: Ingrid Cornell
• Appears in season 1: "The Target" and "Cleaning Up".

Lyles was a security guard at the building where D'Angelo Barksdale killed "Poo" Blanchard. She identified him for the police but when she appeared in court she changed her story.^[18][29] The Barksdale crew paid Lyles to do this. Later when they realised the police were closing on them they killed Lyles to prevent her revealing their deal.^[7] Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice later confessed to her murder.^[2]

[edit] Brother Mouzone

• Played by: Michael Potts
• Appears in: Season Two, Season Three

Muscle and hitman from New York. In season two, Avon Barksdale hired him to protect the Barksdale turf and their drug operation from Proposition Joe's dealers, who were working at the Barksdale towers as part of a secret agreement between Stringer Bell and Prop Joe. Mouzone did not fit the usual picture of a hitman, always wearing a suit, bowtie, and glasses, speaking politely, and reading magazines such as Harper's and The Nation. Nonetheless, he was extremely effective; soon after his arrival at the Barksdale towers, he had intimidated Prop Joe's dealers to the point where all he had to do to keep them off was sit on a nearby bench and read his magazines. In order to maintain his alliance with Prop Joe, Stringer duped Omar Little into shooting Mouzone. However, Omar realized he had been had, and let Mouzone live. When Stringer visited him at the hospital, Mouzone informed him that their agreement was "absolved", then returned to New York.

In season three, Mouzone returned to Baltimore to search for Omar. They teamed up to kill Stringer Bell.

[edit] Damien "Day-Day" Price

• Played by: Donnel Rawnings
• Appears in season one: "One Arrest" and "Lessons".

Day-Day is a driver and legislative aide for Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis, his full name is Damien Lavelle Price. He was stopped by the Barksdale detail after picking up a bag of cash from the Barksdale organization's tower territory. The detail were forced to release him and return the cash when they discovered his political connections. Lt. Cedric Daniels recognized him from a political fundraiser he had attended with his wife. While there Day-Day has assumed that Daniels was also a driver and admitted a desire to rob their host's home.

[edit] Tywanda

• Played by: Angel M. Wainwright
• Appears in season one: "The Pager".

Tywanda was friends with Deirdre Kresson and co-operated with Detective Keely in his initial investigation of Deirdre's death. When the case was re-investigated by William "Bunk" Moreland and Jimmy McNulty Tywanda was happy to help again and gave them useful information about Avon Barksdale.

[edit] Walon

• Played by: Steve Earle
• Appears in season one: "One Arrest"; "Game Day" and "The Cost".

Walon is a recovering drug addict who "Bubbles" and Johnny meet at a narcotics anonymous meeting. They see Walon again in the projects trying to get his nephew to give up drugs. Bubble's conversations with Walon help him realise that he wants to get clean and once he does Walon gives him some advice on keeping clean. Walon is played by singer/songwriter and recovering addict Steve Earle.

[edit] Johnny Weeks

• Played by: Leo Fitzpatrick
• Appears in:

Season 1: "The Target"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest"; "Game Day" and "Sentencing".

Season 2: "Hard Cases" and "Port in a Storm".

Season 3: "Time After Time"; " Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Back Burners"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".

Johnny is Bubble's best friend and a drug addict with notoriously bad luck. In the pilot episode he is beaten nearly to death by Bodie Broadus, Poot and other dealers after trying to pass counterfeit money to D'Angelo Barksdale's operation; this spurs Bubbles to become a police informant.

While in the hospital for that beating, Johnny discovers he is HIV positive. In the season three finale he dies from an overdose and is discovered partially rat-eaten in the "Hamsterdam" free zone that Major Colvin had set up.^[30]

Johnny is based on a young white homeless addict that David Simon met while researching The Corner, this man would follow Simon's subject, drug addict Gary McCullough, around.^[13]

[edit] School system

[edit] Duquan "Dukie" Weems

• Played by: Jermaine Crawford
• Appears in: season four:

Dukie is a middle school pupil.

[edit] Randy Wagstaff

• Played by: Maestro Harrell
• Appears in: season four:

Randy is a middle school pupil.

[edit] Namond Brice

• Played by: Julito McCullum
• Appears in: season four:

Namond is a middle school pupil and the son of Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice.^[31]

[edit] Michael Lee

• Played by: Tristan Wilds
• Appears in: season four:

Michael is a middle school pupil.

[edit] The Docks

[edit] Sobotka family

[edit] Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka

• Played by: James Ransone
• Appears in: season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Ziggy is Frank Sobotka's son and Nick's cousin. Ziggy was ostensibly a dock worker in his father's Stevedores union but he was also involved in other criminal activity. Like most of the port workers Ziggy frequented Delores' bar and his drunken antics were a source of amusement to the customers. He was known for publicly exposing himself. His work on the docks was often poor and his father would regularly fire him and then reinstate him. Ziggy received little work because of a his lack of seniority compared to other union members.

Ziggy had been dealing drugs supplied by "White" Mike McArdle for some time. He sold them at street level using an East side dealer known as Frog. Ziggy had trouble intimidating Frog and often came up short with the money from his packages. Frog would keep the money and tell Ziggy he had been robbed. Eventually White Mike refused to supply Ziggy with further drugs because he knew that he was not a sound investment.

Ziggy often tried to convince his more streetwise cousin Nick into joining him in his drug dealing enterprise but Nick refused. When Ziggy suggested that they steal a container of digital cameras from the docks Nick was more accepting. They worked alongside their friend Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto, a checker, to move the container through the port. Ziggy and Nick visited George "Double G" Glekas, a front man for an international smuggling operation that the Sobotka family had been working with, to offer him the container. Ziggy's research about the street value of the cameras allowed Nick to negotiate a better deal with Glekas. Ziggy upset Glekas by taking his photo with one of the cameras during the meeting and Glekas angrily snatched it from Ziggy and smashed it on the floor.

Ziggy also accompanied Nick to a meeting to discuss Frank's smuggling of containers through the docks. Ziggy's chatter embarrassed Nick and he vowed not to take him again. The Greeks asked Nick to obtain shipments of chemicals through his work at the port. Unsure what the chemicals would be used for Nick was reluctant to get involved. Ziggy used his share of the money from the stolen cameras to buy a new leather coat and Nick chastised him for flashing his newfound wealth.

Ziggy turned to a drug dealer named Cheese for a fresh supply. Cheese was a lieutenant in "Proposition" Joe Stewart's network of drug dealers. Ziggy continued to use Frog and again came up short on his profits and found himself unable to pay Cheese back. Cheese was more brutal than White Mike and delivered a swift beating to Ziggy and stole his prized car (a Camaro which Ziggy called princess). Cheese threatened to kill Ziggy if he was not able to pay by the end of the week. Nick and La La, a friend from the union, visited Cheese on Ziggy's behalf hoping to bargain the value of the car that Cheese had taken against Ziggy's debt. They found that Cheese had burned the car and was now asking for more money but willing to give Ziggy a little more time. Ziggy was distraught when he heard this news.

Nick went to the Greeks to ask for help with the problem. He found that they were the suppliers of Proposition Joe's entire operation and were able to negotiate with him directly. Nick attended a sit-down with Joe on Ziggy's behalf. Because fo their assocaition with the Greeks Joe agreed to waive Ziggy's debt and give him compensation for the car.

Ziggy helped Nick to research the chemical the Greeks were looking for and found that they were used in the processing of cocaine. Reassured with this knowledge Nick decided to go ahead and steal them as asked. After Nick and Ziggy delivered the chemicals they were offered payment in either narcotics or cash. Knowing the street value of the narcotics was greater Ziggy wanted to take them. Nick opted to receive half in cash and half in heroin. Nick kept Ziggy out of dealing with the drugs and took them to Frog himself. He faithfully delivered a share of the profits to Ziggy each week. Ziggy's pride was hurt by Nick sidelining him and having continued success in an area where Ziggy had failed. Eventually Ziggy refused his share of the money.

Ziggy had a longrunning feud with a dock worker named Maui. Maui took issue with Ziggy stealing from the docks and confronted him. Ziggy responded by hacking into Maui's computer and copying pictures of his genatalia onto it. Maui faked a paternity lawsuit against Ziggy which drove him to a drinking binge. Nick realized that the letter Ziggy had received from a law firm was false and identified Maui as the culprit. Urged on by La La and other Stevedores Ziggy attacked Maui while working at the docks. He was easily overcome by his much larger opponent. As a result of the fight Ziggy was forced to endure another indignity; Maui used a fork lift truck to strand Ziggy on top of a stack of containers. Ziggy purchased a pet duck and brought it to the bar with him, giving it saucers of liquor to drink. The duck died at the bar driving Ziggy into another depressive episode. When Nick approached him he attacked his cousin. Frank found his son wandering the docks alone and the two discussed their Ziggy's childhood.

Ziggy decided to go into smuggling cars with Johnny Fifty. He offered to supply them to Glekas, who reluctantly agreed. Ziggy faked the theft of their cars to look like an outside job by cutting a hole in the port fence and making a track across a grassy area. Rather than using these constructions he drove the cars through the front of the port. When Ziggy delivered the cars Glekas refused to pay him the agreed sum and Ziggy flew into a rage. Glekas beat Ziggy and threw him out of his warehouse. This was the last indiginity Ziggy could endure; he took a gun from his car and shot Glekas killing him and one of his staff. Horrified at his actions Ziggy was unable to drive away and broke down in tears.

He was picked up by Sergeant Landsman of the homicide unit and gave a full confession to the murders. Frank visited Ziggy in prison and apologised for not doing more to help his son, Ziggy told Frank that the union had always come before him. Ziggy was convicted of the murders and was last seen serving out his sentence.^[32]

The actor who portrays Ziggy, James Ransone, is a Baltimore antive and has described the character as representative of the difficulties people face just trying to get by in Baltimore. The character's creators have deemed him "the angry prince of goofs."^[33]

[edit] Frank Sobotka

• Played by: Chris Bauer
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Frank Sobotka was a Stevedores union leader who worked with "The Greek" to smuggle goods through the Baltimore docks. Sobotka became involved in smuggling to fund political campaign contributions to try to sway politicians into funding initiatives that would save the Baltimore port. Sobotka's two main objectives were to have the docks dredged to increase the depth for incoming ships and to re-open the granary pier.

Sobotka had a family consisting of his wife, who was never seen, and his son Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka. His brother Louis Sobotka and his nephew Nick Sobotka both lived near by. Both Ziggy and Nick worked in Frank's union. Nick often acted as go-between for Frank and the Greeks passing messages back and forth and giving Frank lists of containers to move to The Greeks. Frank relied on his old friend and fellow union man Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa to move these containers for him and made sure he was always assigned to ships with contraband on board. Ziggy was involved in crime in Baltimore but Frank was largely unaware of his activity and did not include him in his association with The Greeks.^[34]

[edit] Louis Sobotka

• Played by: Robert J. Hogan
• Appears in: Season Two

Frank Sobotka's elder brother and Nick Sobotka's father. Louis was forced to retire early from his trade as a shipwright. He spends his days hypothetically gambling on horses (he never places any money on his bets) and drinking at Delores' bar. He refuses to get involved in the family's smuggling operation. When a warrant is put on Nick for his drug involvement Louis convinces him to turn himself in.

[edit] Nick Sobotka

• Played by: Pablo Schreiber
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Frank Sobotka's nephew. Nick was also a dock worker in his uncle's union. He often had to keep his cousin Ziggy out of trouble. Nick was much more cautious and level-headed than Ziggy, a fact his uncle appreciated. He was involved in his uncle's smuggling operation and often served as Frank's go-between in meetings with Vondas. He would meet with Vondas at the diner which served as the Greek's "office." Vondas would give him the serial numbers of the cargo containers the Greek was bringing into the port, and Nick would convey this information to his uncle.

Nick had a girlfriend, Aimee, with whom he had a daughter, Ashley. They wanted to move in together, but they were unable to afford a place of their own; Nick lived with his parents, and when she spent the night with him, she had to hide from them. Though Nick very much wanted to settle down with her, his lack of steady income led to tensions between them.

Since Nick was one of the younger stevedores, seniority prevented him from getting enough work at the docks. Desperate for cash, he and Ziggy stole a trailer full of cameras, which they sold to the Greek's front man, Glekas. This brought Nick to the attention of Vondas, who asked him if he could procure large quantities of certain chemicals. Ziggy was immediately interested, but Nick was more conscientious, fearing that the chemicals would be used to make bombs. After some research on the internet, he discovered that they would be used to process drugs, and he agreed to the deal.

Ziggy was into drug dealing and invited Nick to join in, but at first Nick angrily refused. Later, when Ziggy's ineptitude nearly cost him his life at the hands of Proposition Joe's nephew Cheese, Nick asked Vondas to intervene. Vondas sent Sergei "Serge" Malatov, who forced Cheese to back off at gunpoint. Sergei then helped Nick negotiate a settlement with Prop Joe himself.

When the two cousins brought Vondas the chemicals he had requested, Nick asked for payment half in cash, half in heroin. Since Ziggy had proved incompetent, he began selling the drugs to local dealers, with much more success than his cousin. He was spotted meeting with the dealer Frog by Herc and Carver, who were doing surveillance of drug dealers near the port. When the drugs he'd received for the chemicals ran out, Vondas put him in contact with "White" Mike McArdle, who became his new supplier of heroin.

Eventually a warrant was issued for Nick's arrest. The police raided his parents' house, shortly after Ziggy was arrested for the murder of Glekas. Though Nick was not home, his parents were aghast when the police found drugs and cash in his bedroom.

Later that day Vondas approached Nick with an offer to help Ziggy, in exchange for his and Frank's silence. The young Sobotka eagerly conveyed the offer to his uncle. Frank told Nick he would go see the Greek alone. Just before the meeting, the Greek learned that Frank had offered to testify against him, and he had the elder Sobotka killed. A grieving Nick turned himself in to the police, agreeing to become a witness against the Greek and his gang. As his uncle had, he refused to incriminate members of his union. When Daniels' detail interrogated him he identified the Greek in a photograph, giving the detail its first picture of its main target.

At the end of season two, Nick, Aimee, and Ashley entered federal witness protection.^[35]

[edit] Joan Sobotka

• Played by: Elisabeth Noone
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide" and "Hard Cases".

Joan is Louis' wife and the two live with their grown son, Nick. Joan bemoans her families drinking habits and tries to encourage Nick to get as much work as possible at the port. She refuses to make breakfast for him if he is not up in time for work. Nick often has his girlfriend Aimee to stay but hides her visits from his parents. Louis is aghast when the police serve warrants and search her home looking for Nick and find drugs and cash.

[edit] Dock workers

[edit] Big Roy

• Played by: Richard Pelzman
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Duck and Cover" and "Bad Dreams".

Big Roy is a ponytailed white stevedore who is actually much smaller than his colleague Little Big Roy. Little Big Roy was part of the crowd of Stevedores that witnessed their murdered union leader Frank Sobotka being pulled from the docks.

[edit] Nat Coxson

• Played by: Luray Cooper
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; " Hot Shots"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; and "Port in a Storm".

Nat is a bald headed African American stevedore who is a union president and is dubious of Frank Sobotka's political maneuvering. Nat is a firm believer that the unions should focus on repairing the disused grain pier before it is bought by property developers. He opposes Frank's efforts to have the canal dredged as he believes that this is a goal beyond their reach. Nat is concerned about Frank's surge in income and spending on campaign contributions and hiring a lobbyist. He questions Frank about the source of the funds and when Frank refuses to answer Nat cautions him about the risks of showing so much money.

Nat is an advocate for Ott in the forthcoming union election. He expects Frank to stand down to let Ott take his place as the unions have an arrangement that Polish and African American leaders will alternate. Frank asks Nat to allow him to continue for a second term to try and achieve his political goals and Nat is dubious. When Frank is murdered Nat is horrified along with the other Stevedores. Nat's worst fears are realized when the grain pier is converted into condominiums.

[edit] Chess

• Played by: J. Valenteen Gregg
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide" and "Duck and Cover".

Chess is a slight, senior, African American stevedore who is often seen drinking at Delores' bar. He questions Frank Sobotka about the source of his political capital at a union meeting.

[edit] Ringo

• Played by: Unknown
• Appears in: Season Two

Stevedore who received a cash supplement from Frank Sobotka when he threatened to resign from the union because oof the lack of work available.

[edit] La La

• Played by: Kelvin Davis
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide" (uncredited); "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds" and "Port in a Storm".

Bald African American stevedore from Frank Sobotka's union. La La has little superiority amongst union men and therefore struggles to find work. When Frank got into a feud with South Eastern police district commander Major Valchek La La was arrested on a DWI stop when leaving Delore's bar along with several other union members. He is a friend of Nick Sobotka and accompanied him to try and talk a drug dealer called "Cheese" into giving back their friend Ziggy's car.

[edit] Little Big Roy

• Played by: Doug Lory
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Little Big Roy is a large, balding, Polish crew chief from Nat Coxson's IBS longshoremen's union. He is often seen drinking in Delores' bar with other union members. Frank Sobotka borrowed Little Big Roy's union card in order to work a ship to clear his head after he was arrested. When Frank's body was pulled out of the docks Little Big Roy was there to watch with the other devastated Stevedores.

[edit] Maui

• Played by: Lance Irwin
• Appears in: Season Two

Checker from Frank Sobotka's union who had a relationship with Off. Beadie Russel. Beadie reconnected with Maui to get information about smuggling from the docks; he refused to inform on his fellow union men but told her to check the port's computer system for information. Maui had a long running feud with Ziggy Sobotka that ended with maui humiliating Ziggy by forcing him on top of a container and stranding him there.

[edit] Moonshot

• Played by: Harold L. Able, Sr.
• Appears in: season two: "Ebb Tide".

Moonshot is a large, bearded, senior, African American stevedore. He is often seen drinking at Delores bar.

[edit] Ott

• Played by: Bus Howard
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds" and "Port in a Storm".

Moustached older African American stevedore from Frank Sobotka's checkers union. Often seen drinking in Delores' bar. Ott was arrested on a DWI charge as part of Major Valchek's vendetta against the union. He was released on bail later the same day. Frank's response was to have Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa steal a surveillance van from Valchek's district parking lot; Ott helped to load the van into a container to be shipped around the country.

Ott was set to take over from Frank as union leader when the next election came around as per the Stevedores arrangement that the position swap between a Polish and African American president after each term. Ott was supported by his friend Nat Coxson, president of another local union. Ott realized that Frank planned to run again and was angry that he was not honouring the agreement. When Frank was murdered Ott withdrew his candidacy to show support for him.

[edit] Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa

• Played by: Charley Scalies
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Checker from Frank Sobotka's union who assists him in moving contraband through the port. Horse was responsible for stealing Valchek's surveillance van in the unions feud with the police major. Horse was arrested and put on trial following the details investigation of smuggling through the Baltimore docks although the outcome of his trial was not shown.^[36]

[edit] Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto

• Played by: Jeffrey Pratt Gordon
• Appears in season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Spamanto is a young checker from Frank Sobotka's union. Spamanto is caucasian and wears a long beard. He received his nickname for drinking over fity beers on his 25th birthday and is often seen drinking in Delore's bar. Spamanto assists Nick and Ziggy in stealing from the docks for The Greeks. He refuses to get involved in the drug trade with Nick and Ziggy. Spamanto was indicted by a grand jury as part of the investigation in to smuggling at the docks but gave very little information and escaped uncharged.

[edit] The Greeks

[edit] Eton Ben-Eleazer

• Played by: Lev Goren
• Appears in: Season Two

Eton ran The Greeks' drug operations in Baltimore. Eton was Israeli rather than Greek. He was arrested and put on trial following the detail's investigation of smuggling through the Baltimore docks, although the outcome of his trial was not shown.

[edit] George "Double G" Glekas

• Played by: Ted Feldman
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Hard Cases"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds" and "Storm Warnings".

Glekas runs a warehouse and appliance store for The Greeks under the name Pyramid indsutries. The company was used as a front to move their stolen goods from the docks. Glekas was shot and killed by Ziggy Sobotka in a dispute over payment for stolen cars. Ziggy confessed to the murder and was shown serving time for the crime.

[edit] Sergei "Serge" Malatov

• Played by: Chris Ashworth
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; " Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Serge acts as a driver and muscle for The Greek. Sergei was Ukrainian although people often assumed he was Russian and many called him Boris. He was responsible for picking up containers of stolen goods from the port and taking them to The Greek's front warehouse. Sergei was supposed to collect a container carrying prostitutes but when the Greek's crewman on board the ship that delivered the cargo failed to signal him he abandoned the container. The Greeks later learned that the girls had all suffocated and Sergei was sent to the ships next destination to find the crewman. He used fake ID to infiltrate the Philadelphia port and captured and interrogated the crewman but was unable to extract any useful information. When The Greek and Spiros arrived the crewman told them everything about how the girls were killed and Spiros murdered him. Sergei was charged with disposing of the body and The Greek instructed him to make sure there was no face or fingerprints.

Sergei was convinced to inform on The Greek when security camera footage of him assualting and abducting the crewman was discovered by a police detail investigating the deaths of the girls.^[37]

An ongoing joke with the Sergei character involved how he hated being called by the nickname "Boris."

[edit] Sam

• Played by: Unknown
• Appears in season two: "Collateral Damage".

Sam was a Turkish crewman aboard the container ship "The Atlantic Light" who acted as an inside man for [[List of characters from The Wire#"The Greek"|The Greek's smuggling operation. When bringing a container full of young women destined for the sex industry to Baltimore Sam let them out of the container and prostituted them to the rest of the crew himself. When one girl refused to participate she was beaten to death and thrown overboard. Because the other women witnessed the murder Sam locked them back in the container and cut off their air supply by hammering closed the air pipe. When the ship docked and the container was unloaded he was supposed to signal the driver, Serge, that it was safe to take the container. When Sam failed to give the signal Serge left the docks and the container was moved into the stacks. Port officer Russell discovered the bodies, eventually triggering a homicide investigation.

Sam's ship was held at it's next port, Philadelphia, by the police so that the crew could be questioned. He jumped ship but was picked up by Serge on orders from the Greek. The Greek interrogated Sam personally and, once he learned what had happened, had him executed by Vondas. The Greek ordered Sergei to remove Sam's hands and head.

The homicide investigators eventually deduced what had happened to the girls in the container and managed to identify Sam's body through his tattoos solving their original case. They also charged Serge with Sam's murder after tying him to Sam's abduction with security camera footage. However, both The Greek and Vondas escaped any repercussions of their involvement.

[edit] Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos

• Played by: Paul Ben Victor
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

Vondas is The Greek's second-in-command and acted as a buffer between the Greek and his illegal activities and using a small cafe as his base of operations. The name Spiros Vondopolous is one of a range of identities that he has available to him.

Vondas is Frank Sobotka's point of contact for his smuggling with The Greek. He was even-tempered and patient, often having to soothe an increasingly angry and frightened Sobotka as the Baltimore police began a serious investigation into Sobotka's union. He also handled much less savory tasks: when a sailor in the Greek's employ, Sam, murdered fourteen girls meant for work as prostitutes Vondas killed the man once the Greek had interrogated him. Vondas managed the Greeks' drug dealing through their Iranian lieutenant Eton Ben-Eleazer. His own personnel involved in the smuggling operation included driver and enforcer Serge and warehouse front operator George "Double G" Glekas.

He often met with Nick Sobotka, who frequently served as Frank's go-between, and Vondas took an almost paternal interest in the younger man. Impressed with Nick's intelligence, he gave him the task of stealing a shipment of chemicals. He intervened in a dispute over a debt between Nick's cousin Ziggy and a drug dealer supplied by the Greeks, Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff. Despite a personal dislike for Ziggy her ordered Serge to argue his case to Proposition Joe, Cheeses' uncle and superior. Vondas' distrust of Ziggy proved correct when Ziggy killed Glekas in an argument over payment for stolen goods. Ziggy was arrested soon afterwards and Vondas distanced the murder from the rest of the operation by removing all evidence of the business from the warehouse.

When the Lieutenant Daniels' port detail began investigating the Greeks activity Frank Sobotka realized and tipped Vondas. The Greek ordered Vondas to shut down the smuggling temporarily and replace all of his personnel's telephones. The Greek withdrew from their meeting place at the cafe and began meeting Vondas in hotel rooms.

Vondas escaped arrest when the detail began rounding up the members of the Greek's smuggling ring. When Sobotka was arrested Vondas suggested that they could broker his loyalty by having a witness against Ziggy change his story. He put the proposition to Frank through Nick. Frank had already agreed to testify against the Greeks but decided to meet with them for Ziggy's sake. The Greek learned of Frank's agreement through his inside man at the FBI, agent Koutris, and had Vondas murder Frank.

Following the murder Vondas left the country under a fake passport with the Greek. Before Vondas left he met with Proposition Joe to ensure him that the Greeks operation would continue to supply him using new personnel after a short break to avoid the investigation.^[38]

[edit] "The Greek"

• Played by: Bill Raymond
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Undertow"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm".

"The Greek" is a mysterious figure who organized smuggling through the Baltimore docks. He is known only by his nickname, which is an excellent alias as he is not actually Greek. The Greek's given name is never said on the show, and his actual background and ethnicity are never identified. He operates all of his business through his friend Spiros "Vondas" Vondopolous maintaining a barrier between himself and his associates. He is a quiet, unassuming and thoughtful man but is cunning and ruthless. While in Baltimore he operates out of a small diner and later by meeting in hotel rooms.

The Greek's smuggling operation includes importing sex trade workers, illicit drugs, stolen goods and chemicals for drug processing. He uses Sergei "Serge" Malatov as muscle and to run containers back and forth from the port to his warehouse. The warehouse is owned by Pyramid enterprises, a front organization, and managed by George "Double G" Glekas. The Greek supplies the major drug dealers in East Baltimore and uses Eton Ben-Eleazer to move his drugs out to them. His drug dealing contacts include the influential "Proposition" Joe Stewart as well as smaller organizations like those run by "White" Mike McArdle and Petey Dixon. The Greek pays union Stevedores to move containers through the Baltimore port for him and organizes their activity through Vondas. His sex trade interests in Baltimore include a brothel run by a madam named Ilona. He protects himself from federal investigation by having an agent inside the FBI, a man named Koutris.

The Greek began to draw police attention in Baltimore when his contact at the docks, Frank Sobotka, became the target of an investigation. At the same time a container of dead young women intended for the sex trade was discovered at the docks triggering a high profile homicide investigation. The container belonged to The Greek and the girls were killed by a crewman onboard The Atlantic Light, the vessel that had been due to deliver them. The ship's crew had been paying the girls for sex and when one of the girls refused to participate she was killed and the crewman responsible dumped her overboard and stove in the air supply on the top of the container to kill the remaining women. The Greek tracked the crewman down and had him killed, first interrogating him personally to find out how he had ended up losing the valuable resource that the women represented. Serge was responsible for finding the man but it was Vondas who killed him. The Greek expressed a distaste for the crewman's Turkish nationality but spoke his language fluently. The body was dismembered in The Greek's preferred fashion - removing the head and hands to hinder identification.

The police investigation linked the murder to Serge and the drug operation to Eton, White Mike and Proposition Joe (although they were unable to find evidence against Proposition Joe). The port smuggling was thoroughly investigated and when police began tracking The Greeks containers as they left the port he was warned by Frank Sobotka and began to close down his operation temporarily. The Greek and Vondas decided to leave Baltimore when arrests were made against Sobotka, Ilona, Eton, White Mike and Serge. They contacted Sobotka to try to ensure his loyalty by offering help for his son, imprisoned for shooting Double G in a stolen car deal gone awry. Sobotka agreed to meet with The Greek and also offered to co-operate with the police. The Greek learned of this from Agent Koutris and had Sobotka killed and his body dumped into the docks. Frank's nephew, Nick Sobotka, was involved in the smuggling operation as a go-between and was driven to co-operate with the police by his uncle's death. He was able to identify The Greek and Vondas but with no further information the investigation fizzled out.

Before leaving Baltimore Vondas met with Proposition Joe to confirm that they could continue to supply him keeping some of The Greek's business interests alive in the city. Later Proposition Joe entered into a bargain with other drug dealers, called the co-op, to share The Greek's product with them in exchange for reduced violence and sharing of territory.^[39]

[edit] Others

[edit] Aimee

• Played by: Kristin Proctor
• Appears in: Season Two

Nick Sobotka's girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, Ashley. Aimee could not stay overnight at Nick's home because he still lived with his parents. Aimee hopes to get a place for her young family to share and encourages Nick to go house hunting with her despite his lack of income from his dock work. She is shocked when she discovers a bundle of cash in his basement room, but he explains it by telling her that it comes from a new warehouse manager position. Aimee was at Nick's home when the police raided it and found a stash of heroin. She accepted his misdeeds and went into protective custody with him; the two finally sharing a home for a night.

[edit] Delores

• Played by: Jill Redding
• Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; " Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"

Delores is the owner of the bar frequented by the Stevedores. She has a great respect for union leader Frank Sobotka and holds cash to be handed to workers in his union who are struggling for money on his behalf. She has an uneasy friendship with Ziggy because he is constantly exposing his genatalia in her bar.

[edit] Bruce DiBiago

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Two

Frank Sobotka's lobbyist with heavy political contacts,

[edit] Jerome Lewandowski

• Played by:
• Appears in: Season Two

Polish priest in the East side who receives donations from both Frank Sobotka's stevedore's union and Major Valchek's police union.

[edit] References