Was Mr Big in the film version of LALD based on real-life American drug kingpins of the early 1970s?

Dragonpol

I think that Mr Big may have been based on certain drug dealers, as an update to the character from the novel, which of course did not concern drugs, but the smuggling of gold coins to finance Soviet operations in the United States.

So, my question remains, was Mr Big, as written by Tom Mankiewicz, based on real life drug kingpins of the early 1970s in America? If so, whom?

Ludovico

Maybe a composite, but then again I think the film Big was more or less an archetype character common to the era, mixed with Bond villain elements.

DarthDimi

Not news + here:
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2843/the-james-bond-questions-thread/p1