Reginald Hawkins was a drug dealer, originally based in New York (where Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs used to work and was familiar with him) but moved to Miami, and employed a minor dealer named Timmy T. to move his drugs while the police were observing, but their cover was blown by an ice cream driver named "Dr. Dinky", so Tubbs and his partner James "Sonny" Crockett tried to deal directly with Hawkins, but Dr. Dinky shows up, claims they tried to rip Hawkins off, and the dealer orders them to leave or die. Hawkins later deals with Victor Escalante, an arms racketeer, to obtain explosives (including plastique), and works with "Dinky", who watches as Hawkins kills two police officers out campaigning for Captain Richard Highsmith. Later another meet is set up between Hawkins an