Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, And The Sting That Launched The War On Drugs

by Jason Ryan

In the late 1970s and early '80s, a cadre of freewheeling, Southern pot smugglers lived at the crossroads of  Miami Vice  and a Jimmy Buffett song. These irrepressible adventurers unloaded nearly a billion dollars worth of marijuana and hashish through the eastern seaboard’s marshes. Then came their Operation Jackpot, one of the largest drug investigations ever and an opening volley in Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs.   In  Jackpot , author Jason Ryan takes us back to the heady days before drug smuggling was synonymous with deadly gunplay. During this golden age of marijuana trafficking, the country’s most prominent kingpins were a group of wayward and fun-loving Southern gentlemen who forsook college educations to sail drug-laden luxury sailboats across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean. Les Riley, Barry Foy, and their comrades eschewed violence as much as they loved pleasure, and it was greed, lust, and disaster at sea that ultimately caught up with them, along with the law.   In a cat-and-mouse game played out in exotic locations across the globe, the smugglers sailed through hurricanes, broke out of jail and survived encounters with armed militants in Colombia, Grenada and Lebanon. Based on years of research and interviews with imprisoned and recently released smugglers and the law enforcement agents who tracked them down, Jackpot is sure to become a classic story from America's controversial Drug Wars.   “The adventures, the long-gone economy, and the sting that ultimately brought them down and changed US drug policy are meticulously documented and lucidly spun…. Part New Yorker feature-part Jimmy Buffet song. . . . The result is adventuresome, lavish, informative fun.” — GQ   “[A] rollicking story, Ryan manages to pack in one amusing tale after another.... Jackpot is a rip-roaring good read.” — Charleston City Paper   “High times on the high Investigative reporter Ryan recounts the glory days of dope smuggling and their terrible denouement.... A well-told tale of true crime that provides a few good arguments for why it should not be a crime at all.” —Kirkus Reviews    “Reads like an international thriller. . . . chock-a-block with hilarious and hair-raising anecdotes of fast times.” — New York Journal of Books   “[A] thoroughly researched account of Operation Jackpot, the drug investigation that ended the reign of South Carolina’s ‘gentlemen smugglers,’.... Ryan recreates the era with a vivid, sun-drenched intensity.” — Publishers Weekly        

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, True Crime, History, Crime

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[DS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Especially if you're from South Carolina. You may remember the stories, but this book breaks down the experiences of the gentleman smugglers as well as the law enforcement gentleman as well. While people go to jail, the book does endear them all to you. Read it!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that hits close to home (Hilton Head and Charleston, that is). Well worth the read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, fun read. I loved reading about the area and the"good old days"!

[Winston]

DNF. It’s a moral dilemma for me to not finish a book, but I really couldn’t care less about “gentlemen” drug smugglers from South Carolina in the 70s. Sorry book club! This book is bringing my holiday vibe down instead of making it hiiiiiiiigher 🚬💰🛥️🚨✈️

[Paula Zoran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was prompted by a neighbor to read Jackpot after a drive-by shooting on my quaint street and the murder of a 17-year-old male on the street behind me. Moving to Beaufort, SC was a dream come true. The weather, landscape and Southern hospitality was appealing to me. I was told many years ago that the area was not idyllic. A transient area by those in the military. And because of easy access to the water - drugs. The information about the 'gentlemen smugglers' seemed to romanticize their illegal acts. Sometimes I questioned what shameless luxury meant until I read how one smuggler locked his keys in his expensive car. Instead of returning to his home and retrieving his spare keys he took a pocket knife and cut open the soft top. It was easier to replace the top because he had money - a lot of money! People choose illicit acts maybe because they have too much time on their hands, laziness and/or greed. These people are not content. They are not satisfied with themselves. By allowing money to be their god they failed to see the important things in their lives. They chose to ignore their families. They chose to ignore their health. They chose to continue in a way that eventually their choices would effect those who bought these drugs. They perpetuated a dangerous cycle. I doubt many of them sat back and considered how many people may have lost their lives due to their greed. Did they benefit from their unlawful acts? For a time they did. The dirty money provided them luxury - cars, boats, houses, expensive meals, sex, etc. Eventually they were caught. Eventually they lost everything they worked for. Eventually they went to prison. And for some lives were lost. This book was a real eye opener. I am grateful to my parents for providing a comfortable home life and for teaching me to benefit myself by being satisfied with God, family, friends and the necessities of life.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs by Jason Ryan (Lyons Press 2011)(363.45) was an uneven read. The author writes (or wrote) for a Columbia, South Carolina newspaper and has pulled from its archives a long story about 1970's amateur marijuana smugglers from Columbia, South Carolina and Key West, Florida. After introducing this loose confederation of college hippies and Low Country Good-Ole-Boy smugglers and their time afloat in the Caribbean (the author specifically names Jimmy Buffet as one of their compatriots), the author then turns the book into pure tedium as he describes a long federal investigation by dickish agents and the subsequent trials and convictions of the boys. This book would have been a lot more fun if the good guys had actually won. My rating: 6/10, finished 11/17/11.

[Jerry Peace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating account of the gentleman pot smugglers of South Carolina. I love the Gamecock connection and the flamboyant, almost naive dedication to the high life of excitement and tons of cash. Lots of ostentation and a startling belief in their own invulnerability, along with McMaster's smarmy political ambitions, Reagan's ridiculously counter-productive War on Drugs and the ubiquitous presence of self-serving rats led to their downfall. But an entertaining study of a bunch of guys that eschewed both nine to five drudgery and violence and paid a higher legal price than Wall Street crooks, Russian collaborators and thieves masquerading as legislators.

[Mike Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

An really good book that recaps the wild 70s for the Gentleman Smugglers and the eventual crackdown on them in the 80s as their luck ran out. I probably enjoyed this book even more as it deals with South Carolina's history. But even if you're not from SC, the story is interesting and the writing is well done. Overall it's a very good read that I'd recommend.

[Terry R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs – by Jason Ryan - Completed 11/12/2023
To my wife, J.E.M.; children, B.J.M.; A.N.C.; T.L.L. and their spouses.
This morning coffee book describes in much detail of my early years working for the government. As a Special Agent hired by US Customs during the height of the Jack Pot Smuggling Investigations, we were the people given daily assignments by the Task Force to collect evidence. For example, go to Charleston County Clerk and identify who owns this piece of property and how was it paid for or who made this deposit to this bank. Things like that. As we came on board, we were quickly introduced to the night time waterway surveillance, a waiting game sitting at the mouth of one of the major South Carolina river inlets, watching for boats entering from sea. Mostly boring, long, cold nights. On Page 122, details a successful mission. Louis Jefferson and Mike Bell were very close friends and co-workers. I learned a lot from both of them. They were my boat captains on many a voyage.
After the Jack Pot Task Force closed, any outstanding arrest warrants attached to the case, prevents the case file to be closed. Once the case agent Dave Forbes retired, the old, dusty, very thick file was dumped on another agents desk. When he left I inherited the case. I studied the case file, read all the reports and notes. I knew that Ashley Brunson had an outstanding arrest warrant and that his wife Kathy, lived in Mexico together. I know he was using an alias of a dead man, they both traveled to Hong Kong often where I suspected he kept his cash. I had discovered that their passports had indicated a Seattle address, where renewal passports were sent. Her parents address. I entered the new data into our computer systems and crossed indexed with passport records at State Department.
In June 2007, Brunson crossed at San Ysidro, CA border from Mexico and presented his fictitious dead man passport as identification. He was finely arrested and the case officially closed. I was happy to call Dave Forbes that Brunson had been caught. That is what is not told in the book.
Love Dad, T.R.M.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a ride, from when the high living, big money, island homes, gorgeous boats that the smugglers used and gained from bringing marijuana and hash into the coastal areas of the LowCountry. Would be ground to a halt by the long tedious work of from several government agencies ie DEA, Customs, FBI, etc working together and sharing information tracing the money in order to catch them. Better than most fiction I've read this year. Many of the places mentioned are in and around the coastal area I live. This was back in the day when sentences of 15 - 20 years were handed out to the freewheeling hippies living on their boats or on tropical islands selling marijuana. One family escaped to Australia were shocked to find agents knocking at their door arresting them for eventual extradition. /called the Gentlemen Smugglers as rarely were guns on board. At the end of operation Jack (the money) and Pot (the drugs), alot of people went to prison, had all the property (land, boats, houses, cars, etc) seized by government and law enforcement careers were made.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was mentioned to me during the Murdaught trials as it tells the story of drug smuggling in South Carolina. It details how "gentlemen smugglers" in their late teens managed in the 1970s and 1980s to bring in huge amounts of marijuana and hashish by using the dark and hidden areas of the South Carolina coastline. The story details their capture by a group of agencies working together under the name of "Operation JackPot". The biggest message it sent to me was how hard the work was and how wrapped up in the "adventure" these people became to the point that once they were caught, they were relieved. What a sad way to spend your twenties and thirties and then to end up in jail for most of the next part of your life.

[Ian Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, particularly for South Carolina natives and/or residents that will be familiar with the locations mentioned.

The first half of the book is entertaining as the author lays out the escapades of the “gentlemen smugglers” and law enforcement’s plans to execute Reagan’s “War on Drugs.”

The second half becomes a little repetitive as the focus shifts to the lengthening list of arrests and court cases.

Well researched and laid out, although there are spots where the sheer volume of characters involved makes it difficult to follow who the author’s attention has turned to.

[Chip Keebaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thrill ride of the glory days of South Carolina pot smuggling paired with a depressing and uncritical account of the government’s horrific and ridiculous efforts to imprison everyone involved. The author too often lets the false claims of law enforcement, judges, and senators go completely uncontested, so the book gets pretty gross and absurd fairly quickly.

[Chip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read

Good stories of the Gentlemen Smugglers in South Carolina during the 1970s and ‘80s. Will look differently at the coastal marshes I love to visit along the coast!

[Chris D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am predisposed to like this as a South Carolinian fond of fraud and boat chases. It was a good book, read quickly, and very interesting. At times I was thankful for its narrow focus, but other times I craved more national and historical context.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Background Info…

After being enthralled with all information about the Murdaugh case, I was excited to read this book, recommended by podcasters, that gave some background for the drug happenings in South Carolina…

[Deborah LaRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly, I'm a little biased since I live in the Lowcountry of SC, and can absolutely picture all of the coastal areas he writes about. If I wasn't from here, though, I'd still give it a solid four stars for the way he tells this long, complex story in such a readable way.

[Lyn Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

tough read

There are SO many characters in this book! I lost count about 60% through the book, and I lost interest. Rarely do I skim the last part of a book, but this one got me to give up, and skip to the end.

[Lindsay Schumpert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy story. Really good read being from the area the story takes place in.

[Will Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read especially if you have ties to South Carolina as many of the names and places are familiar.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from 3.5. The first half of the book was a four for me and the second half a three.

[Layne Ruble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book/author that finally got me to read non-fiction after years of only fiction. Great read about "stranger than fiction" crime in my home state.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tedious at times, but still interesting for a SC native.

[Melissa Gilbreth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really crazy story about drug smuggling in South Carolina! It is really interesting how the cases helped Governor McMaster find political clout. I’m glad I read this!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and unbelievable story. I live in the Lowcountry of SC so to know the locations mentioned and what was happening not far from me was jaw dropping. Fantastic book pans telling of the stories.

[Nick Chace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely insane if you know about Mr.Alex.

[Courtney Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. I liked how the story weaved together a story of crime, drug trafficking, and the story of the ones involved.

[Ellen Hudson Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this book. The research and journalism were well done. I found this intriguing because of the South Carolina history. 3.5⭐️

[Lon Smolensky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story very interesting but the book was confusing. The author kept jumping around and at times it was difficult to keep track of which smuggler or lawman he was talking about.

[Bart Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging read, its pretty amazing the things that went on right under the nose of the authorities. Getting an understanding of how the drug trafficking business worked and the paranoia of the principles who were concerned with both the authorities and rival drug gangs putting them out of business. The one thing that stuck out to me was how they were able to integrate in society, have wives & families and appear to the outside world to just be regular folks while dealing in millions of dollars in drugs. The chase scenes and take downs are very dramatic and you get to read both sides as the drug traffickers and police both recount how they participated in the drug war.