The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade

by David Tuch

Government agencies and rival factions were closing in. His look-alike had already fallen victim to professional hitmen and his once-powerful allies in Cuban intelligence and the DEA could no longer guarantee his safety. How did a boy from Manchester revolutionise the criminal world and become the largest marijuana trafficker in American history?

This is the never-before-told story of Harold Derber, the debonair British Merchant Navy veteran who invented the modern drug trade with his groundbreaking invention: the drug mothership. Through his ghost fleet of drug ships, Derber eventually become the chief supplier of marijuana to post-war America. This gripping true tale follows Derber from humble beginnings in Manchester, England to his assassination in the sun-kissed streets of Miami. Along the way, Derber's story takes in some of the most significant events of the twentieth century - the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, the Cuban Revolution and the murky shadows of the Cold War.

Shedding light on a litany of plots including arms and refugee smuggling, large-scale stock fraud and Derber's rise to the pinnacle of the drug world, this remarkable transatlantic story paints a complex picture of a singular figure and brings his extraordinary life into focus for the first time.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2025

About the author

David Tuch is an author and entrepreneur passionate about uncovering history's hidden chapters. His first book The Wireless Operator tells the extraordinary true story of his British cousin who rose to become the largest marijuana trafficker in American history.

Originally from New York, David has lived in England and France, and now makes his home in Brookline Massachusetts with his wife and four children.

Readers can keep in touch by E-newsletter or Instagram, or meet an an upcoming event.

Check out The Wireless Operator on Amazon

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rollicking tale about a working class lad from Manchester that reads like the British version of Blow. After many twists and turns, and a knack for staying one step ahead of the law, in the 1970s Harold Derber rose to become the biggest drug smuggler into the USA and such a thorn in the side of the US he was name-checked by JFK. Tuch is a superb story teller and the depth of his research is impressive. I look forward to watching the film that will inevitably follow this remarkable book about a complex, charming chancer. The scale of Derber’s activities should make him more infamous than Howard Marks, who comes across as a petty street dealer by contrast and in that dubious pantheon of British criminal masterminds Derber surely deserves a place.

[AndreaMica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just kept on wanting to know more! They did what?! There is urgency in the writing as there was urgency in the actions. Great stuff!

[Justin Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly exciting and twisted story of a larger-than-life figure from the mid-20th Century. I've read a lot about World War II and the Cold War, but knew nothing about Harold Derber until I picked up The Wireless Operator. He was right in the middle of some of the biggest events of the century, including the battle of the Atlantic, the Cuban Revolution and Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the burgeoning Caribbean drug trade in the 1960s and 1970s. David has done a terrific and thorough job piecing this story together from many different sources, and pinpointing the rise and fall of a fascinating character.

[Snow Leopard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating account of a man who lived a mysterious and high-stakes life. The author deftly takes us through Derber's early years in Manchester and sheds new light on what British children experienced as war broke out. Later, we see how Derber lived a life on the edge of dangers both personal and political.

For any reader interested in untold histories of WWII, this book is a must-read.

[Larry Sosebee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about a cousin of the author. Harold Derber was born in Manchester, England. He was from a poor working class family. The author tells us about Harold's early life at the start of World War II. He went on to become a wireless operator on merchant vessels during the war. After the war he got a US visa, got a ship and went into off shore gambling. After that failed, he started a humanitarian mission to rescue people from Castro's Cuba which took a lot of the book. He next got into marijuana trafficking using a mother ship to bring it out side the 12 mile limit. Small boats came from Florida and NC coast to pick it up. I remember it well back in the 70's. It is well worth a read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This story could have been a crime thriller with all the twists and turns of the best fiction. The fact that this is a true story is mind boggling. Derber lived quite the adventurous life. It’s amazing how many times he managed to get out of trouble just to find himself back into it. The book was well paced and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I wasn’t familiar with what happened to the Cuban refugees in the 60s as I wasn’t born at that time so it was a good education on that subject. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an exciting historical story.

[Sergio Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! A complete and incredible story.

[Tianne Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well take a Jewish boy let him work for the telecommunications and add a war. Now not the normal mix it this sets up what is to come. Twisting and turning as doors open and ways are found. Interest and need to really follow what sometimes was really that happened.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Julius Wiegell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and thrilling

[Stine Wiegell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facinating and thrilling

[Bente Wiegell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fascinating