NARRATOR: When he was 10 years old,

Dimas Salaberrios saw the movie, "Scarface",

and knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life-- become

a drug lord.

DIMAS: As a kid in New York-- I grew up

in Queens, which had the largest middle-class population

of African-Americans.

You know, my mother was a school principal.

My father was a captain of correction.

So it was always like a really well-rounded environment

with a lot of love.

And then around 10 or 11 years old,

crack cocaine started to hit our community in a huge way.

You know, when you had a middle class family,

these were not poor people on drugs.

But these were people of great influence.

I mean, there were some drug blocks

that made $150,000 a day.

So you could imagine the impression

that this had on a young person's mind.

NARRATOR: His entry into the drug culture

came at the age of 11.

DIMAS: Walking down my junior high school hallway,

a friend pulled me to the side and said,

do you want to buy some drugs.

You know, I realized quite quickly

that that little pill was like a hallucinogen and it had power.

And I told him, I said, I never want to use it again.

But I'll be very interested in selling it.

Instead of playing around and having fun after school,

I started to go to his neighborhood.

And we started to sell marijuana right in that community.

NARRATOR: Dimas maintained a strict business mindset

and avoided using the drugs he sold.

Instead, he sought the highs that came with status.

DIMAS: For me it was fame, money, and power.

So when I went into the drug world, I was really very young

but I was able to out-think even the competition that

was around me.

So I started to make more money than all those around me.

And I fell in love with that.

And then very quickly realized in order

to make the money like Scarface, I

had to dip into the cocaine business.

And that's when I started to sell crack cocaine.

NARRATOR: By his mid-teens, Dimas

had adopted the street name, Daylight,

and had become one of the most respected drug dealers

in the neighborhood.

But as business expanded, so did the criminal charges

against Dimas.

When he was 16 years old, Dimas was

sentenced to a military shock program

at one of the most notorious jails in the country, Rikers

Island.

DIMAS: Rikers Island was tough.

I mean, people would slice you with razor blades.

I fought there almost every other day.

And, you know, it was one of the toughest things

that I ever experienced.

NARRATOR: Dimas was released after serving a year.

He tried to live a clean life, but the reality

of working for minimum wage hit hard.

DIMAS: The only job I was able to get

was working at a fast food restaurant.

And I'll never forget, I worked so hard

that whole week and my check was $75.

When I was used to making $1,000 an hour, and unfortunate

I went back into the drug world.

NARRATOR: It wasn't long before Dimas violated his parole.

But instead of returning to jail,

Dimas fled to North Carolina.

At only 23 years old, Dimas felt the consequences of his drug

dreams catching up with him.

DIMAS: I mean to be a fugitive, it has a lot of-- I mean,

that's a lot of pressure.

You know, fear was just a reality

that you live with in the drug world.

I mean, my whole from age 11 on, I

had to figure out in seconds was someone coming to buy from me?

Was someone coming to rob me?

Was the person coming towards me a undercover cop?

I mean, 30 of my friends were murdered in the drug world.

NARRATOR: Dimas grew increasingly

paranoid and fearful.

But a run-in with another drug dealer's girlfriend,

who was known for being a witch, put Dimas over the edge.

She popped out and grabbed my arm

and did some kind of spin move, and next thing I

know hours later, I started to lose my mind.

It was so scary.

I can feel this overwhelming presence

of evil and darkness inside of me.

NARRATOR: Some neighbors heard about Dimas' distress

and offered to help in one specific way.

DIMAS: Three elderly women, three praying women that

ran a Bible study together, had asked my girlfriend,

could we pray for him.

Do you think he would allow us to pray for him?

They said, are you ready for prayer?

I said yes, and they just started to pray for me.

The power of God hit me so hard, I really felt free.

And I really felt liberated.

And I really felt the love that came from heaven.

And my eyes were opened in a way that I knew I could never

go back to the world.

NARRATOR: Eventually, Dimas completely left

the drug business.

DIMAS: When I realized that Jesus gave me

my right mind back, I said I'm going all out for God.

Then I started to seek, where's a church I can go to?

There was an instant attraction to talk to God,

and to read his word.

NARRATOR: Nine months after turning his life around,

Dimas felt led to return to New York and face his past.

He turned himself in and confessed his crimes,

knowing that he could face at least seven years in prison.

But when he stood before the judge to be sentenced,

her response was surprising.

DIMAS: She said, the man that I'm looking at looks

so different than the person that I'm reading about.

She said, I'm going to do something I've never done.

I'm going to release you.

Continue doing what you're doing.

And I never want to see you in this place again.

NARRATOR: Dimas honored her request

and never returned to crime.

Today, Dimas is married with two daughters.

And is a pastor in New York, ministering to the same streets

where he used to sell.

He has written a book called, "Street God",

to tell others about the difference

Christ made in his life.

The same boldness and energy that I

used to give to the dark world, I

give so much more now to Jesus Christ.

I left from being a street god, to serving

a God who loves the streets.

I want anybody that's watching this,

that feels like they're trapped, to know God

can turn that situation around.