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Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable
"We were a good family—that's what people forget," Joe Chagra said, "It was the money. You can't know what it does until it happens to you...until everyone is chin-deep in millions of dollars."
Dirty Dealing , a true story, chronicles the rise and fall of the house of Chagra. The Chagra brothers of El Paso were pioneers in smuggling drugs across the Mexican border, and were infamous for their fabulous wealth. But in the end Lee Chagra was gunned down, a federal judge was assassinated, Jimmy and Joe Chagra were imprisoned, and Charles Harrelson (Woody Harrelson’s father) was convicted for Wood’s murder.
When Federal Judge John "Maximum" Wood was gunned down outside his home in San Antonio, Texas in 1979 (the only assassination of a federal judge in more than 100 years) his death sent waves of shock across the country. The FBI labeled it "the crime of the century." Former President Nixon expressed "outrage," calling for quick arrest and punishment. But the crime’s solution would be anything but quick. Dragging on for years and costing $11.4 million, the investigation turned out to be the largest in recent FBI history, surpassing even that of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
Gary Cartwright, senior editor of Texas Monthly and author of several nonfiction bestsellers, details the full history of the events leading up to this crime and the trials that followed in Dirty Dealing . This reprint from Cinco Puntos Press includes a new afterword by the author and black and white photographs of all the players. Complete with shady maneuverings on the part of the federal government and an outcome that Kirkus Reviews has called "straight from Oz," Dirty Dealing is one of the richest and most fascinating of all true crime stories.
Dirty Dealing , a true story, chronicles the rise and fall of the house of Chagra. The Chagra brothers of El Paso were pioneers in smuggling drugs across the Mexican border, and were infamous for their fabulous wealth. But in the end Lee Chagra was gunned down, a federal judge was assassinated, Jimmy and Joe Chagra were imprisoned, and Charles Harrelson (Woody Harrelson’s father) was convicted for Wood’s murder.
When Federal Judge John "Maximum" Wood was gunned down outside his home in San Antonio, Texas in 1979 (the only assassination of a federal judge in more than 100 years) his death sent waves of shock across the country. The FBI labeled it "the crime of the century." Former President Nixon expressed "outrage," calling for quick arrest and punishment. But the crime’s solution would be anything but quick. Dragging on for years and costing $11.4 million, the investigation turned out to be the largest in recent FBI history, surpassing even that of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
Gary Cartwright, senior editor of Texas Monthly and author of several nonfiction bestsellers, details the full history of the events leading up to this crime and the trials that followed in Dirty Dealing . This reprint from Cinco Puntos Press includes a new afterword by the author and black and white photographs of all the players. Complete with shady maneuverings on the part of the federal government and an outcome that Kirkus Reviews has called "straight from Oz," Dirty Dealing is one of the richest and most fascinating of all true crime stories.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
27 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Gary Cartwright
29 books6 followersGary Cartwright was an American journalist and writer. He specialized in true crime stories. In the 1970s Cartwright was among the first writers hired at Texas Monthly. He remained there until his retirement as senior editor in 2010. Cartwright also co-wrote and co-produced movies and television shows. In 1980 his book Blood Will Tell was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America in the category of Best Fact Crime.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 8, 2018
For me this is a personal book, so I might be a little prejudice in my 4-star ("I really liked it"). Spending my formative years in El Paso but leaving it behind in 1974, I missed most all the made-for-TV action of the War on Drugs in my home town.
My move was very fortuitous since some of my closest friends dabbled in the business. It was El Paso in the 70s, after all. As time rolled on a few were swept up in petty crime and general malfeasance. Cartwright's Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable took my understanding of that time of my life to a 'higher level,' shall we say. The games I saw played out between low level police and low level criminals were crude compared to the serious dance going on up the chain. In both cases, however, the motivations of the justice system and of the criminals were the same. On the other hand in my little corner of the world no prosecutors made a name for themselves, the punks they cornered mostly had the shit scared out of them, and no one took a hit out on anyone.
To the extent that my experiences are relevant, Cartwright's book written in 1984 and updated in 1988, is a great retelling of a story that exposes the nature of natural-born criminals along with the unbelievable 'dirty dealing' that law enforcement will engage in to fulfill their conceptions of justice. Yes, Jimmy did put out a hit on a federal judge. But there is much, much more to the story than the headlines. Cartwright's assembles it in a way that slowly draws you to his final understanding of what actually went down.
Especially stunning is Raymond Caballero's in-your-face "A Note to the Second Edition" at the end of the book. It is a great coda to Cartwright's work: "[The Chagra story] brings out just about every flaw in the federal system [of justice]." Not what you expected, was it??
My move was very fortuitous since some of my closest friends dabbled in the business. It was El Paso in the 70s, after all. As time rolled on a few were swept up in petty crime and general malfeasance. Cartwright's Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable took my understanding of that time of my life to a 'higher level,' shall we say. The games I saw played out between low level police and low level criminals were crude compared to the serious dance going on up the chain. In both cases, however, the motivations of the justice system and of the criminals were the same. On the other hand in my little corner of the world no prosecutors made a name for themselves, the punks they cornered mostly had the shit scared out of them, and no one took a hit out on anyone.
To the extent that my experiences are relevant, Cartwright's book written in 1984 and updated in 1988, is a great retelling of a story that exposes the nature of natural-born criminals along with the unbelievable 'dirty dealing' that law enforcement will engage in to fulfill their conceptions of justice. Yes, Jimmy did put out a hit on a federal judge. But there is much, much more to the story than the headlines. Cartwright's assembles it in a way that slowly draws you to his final understanding of what actually went down.
Especially stunning is Raymond Caballero's in-your-face "A Note to the Second Edition" at the end of the book. It is a great coda to Cartwright's work: "[The Chagra story] brings out just about every flaw in the federal system [of justice]." Not what you expected, was it??
May 25, 2012
Back in the late 70's as I moved to El Paso and began college, the Chagra brothers, Charles Harrelson and Federal Judge John Wood all dominated the local media for years. Entangled alongside the main cast you have a lengthy list of supporting characters that could make any reader's head spin. Gary Cartwright does a great job of putting the pieces together to create a comprehensive and coherent story. Through it he exposes an underside of El Paso, of Texas and the American Southwest; whose tendrils reach faraway in all directions. This is the the kinda stuff you normally read about in fiction. It's a tale of drug dealing, murder for hire, jail breaks, sensational trials, high rolling gambling, governmental corruption, and just about any kind of outlawed activity you can think about. You can't help but to connect the dots of the current state of affairs regarding the drug trade and wars, of having somehow evolved from the widespread corruption outlined in Dirty Dealing. Thus making this a viable read to gain some grasp of the illogical approach we continue to call the "War on Drugs".
A great summary reflecting this cast of characters occurs when Assassin Charles Harrelson is being questioned by the Prosecutor who depicts him as an acknowledged killer and card cheat. To which Harrelson replies, "You can call it cheating if you wish, sir. But the people I play with are like me. We cheat each other. I just cheat better."
A great summary reflecting this cast of characters occurs when Assassin Charles Harrelson is being questioned by the Prosecutor who depicts him as an acknowledged killer and card cheat. To which Harrelson replies, "You can call it cheating if you wish, sir. But the people I play with are like me. We cheat each other. I just cheat better."
April 8, 2010
An easy to read account of the rise and fall of the Chagra family in the El Paso legal and drug smuggling communities and the murder of a federal judge. The journalistic style manages to balance an interesting narrative, many scattered characters, and a realistic feeling. Possibly only 3 stars if you're not a lawyer in El Paso/interested in drug smuggling in the late 1970s.
November 9, 2019
Having known this family well, I appreciate that Gary Cartwright stuck to the truth. Watching this terrible event unfold has been a lifelong painful memory. What happened to this family was shocking.
I just read Jamail Chagra's daughter's book about her family. Not very well written, but directly from her sore heart.
I just read Jamail Chagra's daughter's book about her family. Not very well written, but directly from her sore heart.
May 7, 2017
This book is a little dated, but it was on my husband's bookshelf and I had intended to read it for a number of years. Extremely well written, Gary Cartwright was an excellent writer, right up there with Molly Ivins on the list of great Texas journalists.
December 20, 2009
This book was interesting to me because of my job. It might be interesting to others because of the main criminal, Woody Harrelson's father, who killed a federal judge.
December 2, 2012
Interesting!
April 17, 2013
Amazing as it seems to me, I know the people in this book.
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http://bozotexino.org
February 9, 2017
Found this book fascinating since it all took place in my hometown.
May 31, 2017
Incredible crime story of drugs, murder and the legal system. Reads like a novel.
February 26, 2020
Chilling account of the murder of a federal judge in El Paso in the 1970s. Three brothers involved in these of drugs, the law and the drug smuggling money led to the slow destruction of their lives. Charles Harrelson (father of Woody Harrelson) was an active participant in the smuggling activities and ultimate demise of Judge Wood. History right next door!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2020
I bought this "True Crime" drama because the time period intrigued me and because I recently moved to Southern New Mexico. It is expertly written and researched. If your interested in this particular event and all the scandalous occurrences, you'll love the detail. For my taste it was slightly tedious in its detail and I skimmed many of the chapters. Otherwise it's a fascinating read.
July 21, 2020
Hard to believe this took place about 50 miles from where I live. It's so foreign to me that it almost seems unreal but it was true and probably is still going on. At times I wasn't sure whether to root for the government or the Chagras,both were unscrupulous. Interesting book.
June 18, 2022
Just finished reading this book after having it for years. We lived in El Paso while this stuff was going on so recognized some of the names.
Cartwright does a good job of telling of the out of hand drug smuggling and law enforcement during this time. Very tumultuous times.
Cartwright does a good job of telling of the out of hand drug smuggling and law enforcement during this time. Very tumultuous times.
August 2, 2022
Interesting read because I grew up with the children of the "Columbus Air Force".
January 1, 2009
Kind of like blow... but dirtier and more lebanese.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews