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The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate's Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History
In the summer of 1987, Johnny Boone set out to grow and harvest one of the greatest outdoor marijuana crops in modern times. In doing so, he set into motion a series of events that defined him and his associatesas the largest homegrown marijuana syndicate in American history, also known as the Cornbread Mafia.
Author James Higdon - whose relationship with Johnny Boone, currently a federal fugitive, made him the first journalist subpoenaed underthe Obama administration - takes listeners back to the 1970s and ‘80s and the clash between federal and local law enforcement and a band of Kentucky farmers with moonshine and pride in their bloodlines. By 1989 the task force assigned to take down men like Johnny Boone had arrested 69 men and 1 woman from busts on 29 farms in 10 states, and seized 200 tons of pot.
Of the 70 individuals arrested, none talked. How it all went down is a tale of Mafia-style storylines emanating from the Bluegrass State, and populated by Vietnam veterans and weed-loving characters caught up in Tarantino-level violence and heart-breaking altruism. Accompanied by a backdrop of rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues, this work of dogged investigative journalism and history is told by Higdon in action-packed, colorful, and riveting detail.
Author James Higdon - whose relationship with Johnny Boone, currently a federal fugitive, made him the first journalist subpoenaed underthe Obama administration - takes listeners back to the 1970s and ‘80s and the clash between federal and local law enforcement and a band of Kentucky farmers with moonshine and pride in their bloodlines. By 1989 the task force assigned to take down men like Johnny Boone had arrested 69 men and 1 woman from busts on 29 farms in 10 states, and seized 200 tons of pot.
Of the 70 individuals arrested, none talked. How it all went down is a tale of Mafia-style storylines emanating from the Bluegrass State, and populated by Vietnam veterans and weed-loving characters caught up in Tarantino-level violence and heart-breaking altruism. Accompanied by a backdrop of rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues, this work of dogged investigative journalism and history is told by Higdon in action-packed, colorful, and riveting detail.
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Published June 25, 2012
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About the author
James Higdon
5 books14 followersJames Higdon is a graduate of St. Augustine School, Marion County High School, Centre College, Brown University's MFA writing program, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
His first book, The Cornbread Mafia, was published in hardcover in 2012, in paperback in 2013, and in revised paperback in 2019. His second book, The Nearly Forgotten History of Portland, Kentucky, was published in 2018.
He is currently co-founder and chief communications officer for Cornbread Hemp, a CBD brand that offers USDA organic CBD products from Kentucky.
His first book, The Cornbread Mafia, was published in hardcover in 2012, in paperback in 2013, and in revised paperback in 2019. His second book, The Nearly Forgotten History of Portland, Kentucky, was published in 2018.
He is currently co-founder and chief communications officer for Cornbread Hemp, a CBD brand that offers USDA organic CBD products from Kentucky.
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