Cowboy Mafia

by Roy Graham

''Cowboy Mafia''-The fascinating true story of the largest marijuana smuggling operation in history and subsequently the largest forfeiture of attachable assets under the laws of (RICO)u.s.c-18-1962.Texas and Florida cowboys smuggling with a fleet of Cigarette offshore powerboats,85-ft.shrimpboats and vast horse ranches in Ocala,Florida,Newton,Georgia,Denton,Tx.Muscles Foster former rodeo cowboy and trainer of six-time world champion cutting horse Cutterbill, Les Fuller the Marlboro man model in the 80's along with a host of cowboy sidekicks had the perfect logistical operation,gooseneck trailers moving forty pound bales of alfalfa hay concealing forty pound bales of Jamaican and Columbian red bud marijuana.In the early eighties the cowboys were operating at the watershed of technology,no gps satellite tracking systems.It was all about out running any and all.When the Marlboro man lit the Cigarette offshore racer it was sustained speeds in excess of 100 mph through the straight of Florida.Alternating between south Florida and High Island,Tx.with powerboats and shrimpboats,the change-up kept the coast guard off guard.The run from High Island,Tx on the Texas gulf coast was to the shores of Santa Marta,Columbia some 3,000 miles and 18-days round trip.The haul being 40,000 pounds of Columbian red bud.Muscles Foster as foreman of Texas oilman,rancher Rex Caubles' vast four thousand acre ranches had the perfect cover operation.This scale of operation isn't feasible with todays technology.The unintended consequence?

301 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2003

Reviews

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found some of the events interesting and some even comical. However, as a schoolteacher I simply could not ignore the numerous errors. I pulled out my pen and corrected every single one. I couldn't bear the thought of someone else reading this book after me and pausing to figure out each error. It really takes away from the flow of the storyline. Too bad this writer couldn't hire an editor to proofread. I think he had a good story to tell but just needed some help.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chances are, I only liked this so much because I live within miles of the old Cauble Ranch and drive by its ruins ever day. I grew up hearing stories of Rex Cauble and Cutter Bill, so it was interesting to actually see an opinion from someone who was close to him. That being said, I had to restrain myself from going through this entire book with a red pen. The grammar and spelling are atrocious.

[Syd Landis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, not a bad read, however it was poorly written as far as typos, language, etc.- Roy Graham was closely connected to the situation. Was reading Catching the Katy, another book about the Cowboy Mafia, which was more entertaining and dives into some of the underlying, but not as informative. There is an HBO special due out soon concerning it.

[Mark Bunch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another interesting book on Cowboy Mafia that operated out of Texas but tentacles reached into Florida and East Tennessee. This includes John ruppel of Gatlinburg Tennessee and has settings on a Newport farm.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roy Graham worked as a personal pilot for Rex Cauble, who was a multi-millionaire oilman, who employed cowboys as ranchers. These cowboys transported marijuana using shrimp boats in the late 1970s. In 1981, a grand jury indicted Rex Cauble, as the government believed he was the financial backer for these marijuana smugglers. This book is Graham's version of the story and his testament wherein he strongly believes that Cauble was innocent and the government was just after his millions. Who knows? Regardless of whether he is right or not, Graham proves his faith in his friend and former employer, by this tribute.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book receives three stars because it is an amazing true story that has been botched by atrocious writing and editing.
The story itself is almost too far fetched to be real. Rags to riches cowboys, million dollar horses, private jets, shrimping boats, farmhand dope smugglers, the "Marlboro Man", 45,000 pounds of Colombian red bud, a prosecutor with a chip on his shoulder, plea bargains, insanity, suicide, and prison- its all here! Sounds like a winner right? Well, guess again...
Even with all the story has to offer Mr. Green and his lack of an editor make this a hard pill to swallow. Run on sentences, capitalization and punctuation errors all hurt the story and Mr. Greens dull writing style doesn't help any.
Try it out if you are really interested in Texas history or true crime stories otherwise wait until they make another book or a movie about it.
Story: 5/5
Writing style: 1/5
Overall: 3/5

[Walt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a poor book.
It loosely discusses the downfall of a large marijuana smuggling ring. However, there is virtually nothing about the smuggling operation or distribution.

Instead, the book is an unabashed defense of a wealthy Texan convicted in the case. I sympathize with the author's bias against the RICO laws; but the author does not present any evidence to clear his protagonist. Indeed, he does not even address the evidence used to convict the man. Half of the book is page after page of the author saying the man is innocent. Maybe it is true; but one cannot learn anything about the case from reading the book.

[Mike Ely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr. Graham should have gotten an editor. There is a story there but it takes a lot to work through it. I do not share the same sentiment as the author as far as the people involved in this endeavor. They are all criminals and should all receive punishment no matter how brave and skillful they were.

[Hector · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little long-winded.