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MIAMI OUTLAW: KID TO KINGPIN
Miami Kid to Kingpin is a gripping true crime memoir rooted in the drug-smuggling underworld of 1970s–1980s Miami. Told by Scott Sherouse—the man who brought Alex DeCubas into the game and whose story was featured in ESPN's acclaimed 30 for 30 documentary Pin Kings—this book traces a world of brotherhood, betrayal, and multimillion-dollar cocaine pipelines that spanned three continents.
From middle school wrestling mats to South Florida docks, Sherouse witnessed and shaped Alex's transformation from a driven kid to an international trafficker. Together, they smuggled illicit drugs and robbed other drug traffickers, while staying one step ahead of the DEA, the Colombian cartels, and the betrayal that would eventually divide them.
Miami Outlaw is part confessional, part cultural history, and part anthropological exposé—a window into the real Miami hidden beneath the tourist gloss and pastel lights. With brutal honesty, Sherouse explores the moral collapse behind the myth of fast money and the American drug war. This is a story of ambition, loyalty, and downfall—the American Dream in reverse.
Perfect for readers of Cocaine Cowboys, Don Winslow, Narcos, and fans of Blow, Scarface, and ESPN's Pin Kings.
From middle school wrestling mats to South Florida docks, Sherouse witnessed and shaped Alex's transformation from a driven kid to an international trafficker. Together, they smuggled illicit drugs and robbed other drug traffickers, while staying one step ahead of the DEA, the Colombian cartels, and the betrayal that would eventually divide them.
Miami Outlaw is part confessional, part cultural history, and part anthropological exposé—a window into the real Miami hidden beneath the tourist gloss and pastel lights. With brutal honesty, Sherouse explores the moral collapse behind the myth of fast money and the American drug war. This is a story of ambition, loyalty, and downfall—the American Dream in reverse.
Perfect for readers of Cocaine Cowboys, Don Winslow, Narcos, and fans of Blow, Scarface, and ESPN's Pin Kings.
824 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 19, 2025
Miami Outlaw: Kid to Kingpin is a brutally honest, immersive true crime memoir that strips away the mythology of the Miami drug era and replaces it with lived reality. Rooted in the cocaine fueled underworld of 1970s and 1980s South Florida, Scott Sherouse delivers a firsthand account of ambition, loyalty, and moral collapse told by someone who didn’t just witness history he helped shape it.
What immediately sets this book apart is Sherouse’s position inside the story. As the man who brought Alex DeCubas into the game, his perspective is intimate, unflinching, and unsanitized. The transformation from middle school wrestler to international trafficker unfolds gradually, making the descent into crime feel disturbingly inevitable rather than sensational. Brotherhood and betrayal sit side by side, reinforcing how thin the line is between loyalty and survival.
The narrative moves effortlessly across continents, dockyards, and backroom deals, capturing the scale of the cocaine pipelines while never losing sight of the human cost. Sherouse doesn’t glamorize the violence or the money; instead, he exposes the psychological erosion that comes with constant paranoia, greed, and proximity to death. The looming presence of the DEA, Colombian cartels, and internal betrayal creates sustained tension throughout the memoir’s expansive scope.
More than a crime story, Miami Outlaw functions as cultural history and social autopsy. It reveals the real Miami beneath the neon glow and tourist fantasy, offering a sobering reflection on the American drug war and the illusion of fast money. This is the American Dream in reverse ambition without guardrails, success without soul, and consequences that linger long after the last deal is done.
For readers drawn to Cocaine Cowboys, Narcos, Blow, or ESPN’s Pin Kings, this memoir delivers authenticity, depth, and hard earned insight that fiction can’t replicate.
What immediately sets this book apart is Sherouse’s position inside the story. As the man who brought Alex DeCubas into the game, his perspective is intimate, unflinching, and unsanitized. The transformation from middle school wrestler to international trafficker unfolds gradually, making the descent into crime feel disturbingly inevitable rather than sensational. Brotherhood and betrayal sit side by side, reinforcing how thin the line is between loyalty and survival.
The narrative moves effortlessly across continents, dockyards, and backroom deals, capturing the scale of the cocaine pipelines while never losing sight of the human cost. Sherouse doesn’t glamorize the violence or the money; instead, he exposes the psychological erosion that comes with constant paranoia, greed, and proximity to death. The looming presence of the DEA, Colombian cartels, and internal betrayal creates sustained tension throughout the memoir’s expansive scope.
More than a crime story, Miami Outlaw functions as cultural history and social autopsy. It reveals the real Miami beneath the neon glow and tourist fantasy, offering a sobering reflection on the American drug war and the illusion of fast money. This is the American Dream in reverse ambition without guardrails, success without soul, and consequences that linger long after the last deal is done.
For readers drawn to Cocaine Cowboys, Narcos, Blow, or ESPN’s Pin Kings, this memoir delivers authenticity, depth, and hard earned insight that fiction can’t replicate.
December 14, 2025
MIAMI OUTLAW: KID TO KINGPIN is a masterfully gripping true crime memoir that immerses readers into the highstakes drug smuggling underworld of 1970s–1980s Miami. Scott Sherouse provides an unflinching account of his life alongside Alex DeCubas, revealing a world filled with ambition, betrayal, and moral complexity. The narrative flows like a cinematic thriller, yet it remains grounded in historical and cultural context, capturing the city’s hidden, dangerous underbelly.
Sherouse’s storytelling is remarkable he balances confessional honesty with an anthropological lens, providing readers with both a thrilling personal journey and a broader understanding of Miami’s cocaine trade and its impact on society. His vivid recollections from wrestling mats to international smuggling routes bring authenticity and raw emotion to the story, making it an unforgettable read for anyone fascinated by the human side of crime and the American Dream gone awry.
Sherouse’s storytelling is remarkable he balances confessional honesty with an anthropological lens, providing readers with both a thrilling personal journey and a broader understanding of Miami’s cocaine trade and its impact on society. His vivid recollections from wrestling mats to international smuggling routes bring authenticity and raw emotion to the story, making it an unforgettable read for anyone fascinated by the human side of crime and the American Dream gone awry.
January 9, 2026
Miami Outlaw Kid to Kingpin is a raw, unfiltered descent into the real drug underworld that shaped Miami in the 1970s and 1980s. Scott Sherouse writes with the authority of someone who lived the life, not observed it from the sidelines. What sets this memoir apart is its refusal to glamorize the chaos. Brotherhood, ambition, paranoia, and betrayal unfold with brutal honesty, revealing the human cost behind fast money and legendary cocaine pipelines. More than true crime, this is cultural history and moral reckoning, capturing the American Dream as it collapses from the inside out. Gripping, unsettling, and impossible to forget, this book lingers long after the final page.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews