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High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler
Having completed a ten-year sentence for importing seventy-five tons of marijuana into the United States, Brian O'Dea placed a classified ad headed "Former Marijuana Smuggler" in the Employment Wanted section of a newspaper - a typical act for a resilient and impudent man. Among the advertiser's references was the U.S. district attorney who was responsible for his arrest in 1990.
The O'Dea family is well known in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, where Brian's father owned the local brewery before going into politics. But the family's prominence could not protect their middle son. Abused as a child by his local priest, Brian turned to using and selling drugs for the escape and excitement they offered. By the early 1980s, he was operating a $100 million a year, 120-man business, and had developed a terrifying cocaine addiction. Under increasing threat from the DEA in 1986, he quit the trade - and the drugs - and began working with recovering addicts in Santa Barbara. Despite his life change, the authorities caught up with him years later and Brian was arrested, tried, and sentenced to ten years at Terminal Island Federal Penitentiary in Los Angeles Harbor.
A born storyteller, Brian O'Dea candidly recounts his incredible experiences in the streets of Bogota with a false-bottom suitcase lined with cocaine, to the engine compartment of an old DC-6 whose engines were failing over the Pacific, to the cell blocks overcrowded with small-time dealers who had fallen victim to the justice system's perverse bureaucracy of drug sentencing.
Weaving together extracts from his prison diary with the vivid recounting of his outlaw years and the dawning recognition of those things in his life that were worth living for, High tells the remarkable story of a remarkable man in the late-1980s drug business.
The O'Dea family is well known in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, where Brian's father owned the local brewery before going into politics. But the family's prominence could not protect their middle son. Abused as a child by his local priest, Brian turned to using and selling drugs for the escape and excitement they offered. By the early 1980s, he was operating a $100 million a year, 120-man business, and had developed a terrifying cocaine addiction. Under increasing threat from the DEA in 1986, he quit the trade - and the drugs - and began working with recovering addicts in Santa Barbara. Despite his life change, the authorities caught up with him years later and Brian was arrested, tried, and sentenced to ten years at Terminal Island Federal Penitentiary in Los Angeles Harbor.
A born storyteller, Brian O'Dea candidly recounts his incredible experiences in the streets of Bogota with a false-bottom suitcase lined with cocaine, to the engine compartment of an old DC-6 whose engines were failing over the Pacific, to the cell blocks overcrowded with small-time dealers who had fallen victim to the justice system's perverse bureaucracy of drug sentencing.
Weaving together extracts from his prison diary with the vivid recounting of his outlaw years and the dawning recognition of those things in his life that were worth living for, High tells the remarkable story of a remarkable man in the late-1980s drug business.
360 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 28, 2013
f you're looking for a real life adventure, this frank and entertaining memoir brings to mind classics such as 'Blow' and 'Snowblind'. The harrowing sequence where the author, with no flying experience, co-pilots a patched together DC-6 from Alabama to Columbia, enduring engine failures, near misses, corrupt officials and eventually ending up presumed dead, is a classic. His exploits go from comic to ingenious as he always manages to stay one step ahead of the authorities. He eventually pulls together an $100-million dollar organization involving 120 men to pull off one last grand plan before he retires. The plan goes awry because of paranoia and drug use, but before that, the level of sophistication is astonishing. He and his partners, with their astronomical sums of cash, are able to outwit the authorities by buying informants and specialists to monitor the feds monitoring them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2009
Brian O'Dea was a pot and cocaine smuggler from Newfoundland, who eventually was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his activities (after he got clean and got himself out of the business). The story of his smuggling activities is interspersed with his experiences in jail.
Living in CA in the year 2009, it's crazy to think of all the effort made to smuggle pot, and all those people rotting in jail for marijuana-related crimes.
Living in CA in the year 2009, it's crazy to think of all the effort made to smuggle pot, and all those people rotting in jail for marijuana-related crimes.
September 15, 2020
I first bought this book in the Newark Airport in 2009 during a school trip overseas. I saw the irony in my purchase and it made me laugh to see how people reacted to the cover while I read it over the next two weeks. I remembered enjoying it then and I still enjoy it now. While it doesn't scream sophistication or exquisite storytelling, I relish the adventure and emotion in the writing. You've got more stories, Brian, i just know it!
March 12, 2021
Cocain etc. in the 1980s. How and where to get it, how to get it to where it's needed. And how life treats you in prison. This is a great read by a lovable Canadian ex pot-smuggler. Highly recommendable.
September 29, 2009
It's hard to know what to write about "High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler."
Is it compelling? Yes. Does O'Dea write gracefully, and switch easily between the chronology and the patois of prison? Absolutely. Does he touch on the problems of the present penal system, and the injustices of the "war on drugs?" Certainly.
But this book raises more questions than it answers. And the obvious intelligence of the writer is offset by the 20 years of selfish stupid
choices he makes, even as he claims to be saved and enlightened.
The book opens with a chapter about O'Dea's Newfoundland childhood, and the molestation he suffered at the hands of an unnamed Catholic brother. It ends with the same brother attending O'Dea's mother's funeral. The assumption is that all the horrible things between happened because of this abuse.
Really? Because I know a number of people who were molested as children, and they didn't grow up to sell untold millions of dollars' worth of drugs, ruining or possibly ending countless lives.
O'Dea lays claim to success as a mover and shaker in the drug world, arranging deals, hiring and even piloting boats in the Carribean. He spends time in Bogota. He meets and seduces exotic women. (He even marries three of them.) He accepts Jesus as his personal savior and continues in the drug trade. He fathers two children. He does a lot of drugs. He blows a lot of money. He goes to rehab a couple of times. He has a heart attack around his 40th birthday.
This narrative is interspersed with chapters set in federal prison, where O'Dea eventually ends up. He chronicles the tedium and danger and injustice of The System. He does so in an educated voice, one that obviously had some opportunities that his fellow prisoners did not. While he explores the many hypocracies of the justice system and the so-called war on drugs, O' Dea never once acknowledges the true harm--including the harm to himself and his loved ones--he inflicted by being a large scale drug importer. Apparently, because the drug laws are archaic and expensive, O' Dea feels exonerated. I truly could not tell, at the end of this book, whether he feels he did anything wrong, ever.
I give "High" 3 stars for style as it is well written. All told, though, I couldn't really like this book because I couldn't like the person writing it.
Is it compelling? Yes. Does O'Dea write gracefully, and switch easily between the chronology and the patois of prison? Absolutely. Does he touch on the problems of the present penal system, and the injustices of the "war on drugs?" Certainly.
But this book raises more questions than it answers. And the obvious intelligence of the writer is offset by the 20 years of selfish stupid
choices he makes, even as he claims to be saved and enlightened.
The book opens with a chapter about O'Dea's Newfoundland childhood, and the molestation he suffered at the hands of an unnamed Catholic brother. It ends with the same brother attending O'Dea's mother's funeral. The assumption is that all the horrible things between happened because of this abuse.
Really? Because I know a number of people who were molested as children, and they didn't grow up to sell untold millions of dollars' worth of drugs, ruining or possibly ending countless lives.
O'Dea lays claim to success as a mover and shaker in the drug world, arranging deals, hiring and even piloting boats in the Carribean. He spends time in Bogota. He meets and seduces exotic women. (He even marries three of them.) He accepts Jesus as his personal savior and continues in the drug trade. He fathers two children. He does a lot of drugs. He blows a lot of money. He goes to rehab a couple of times. He has a heart attack around his 40th birthday.
This narrative is interspersed with chapters set in federal prison, where O'Dea eventually ends up. He chronicles the tedium and danger and injustice of The System. He does so in an educated voice, one that obviously had some opportunities that his fellow prisoners did not. While he explores the many hypocracies of the justice system and the so-called war on drugs, O' Dea never once acknowledges the true harm--including the harm to himself and his loved ones--he inflicted by being a large scale drug importer. Apparently, because the drug laws are archaic and expensive, O' Dea feels exonerated. I truly could not tell, at the end of this book, whether he feels he did anything wrong, ever.
I give "High" 3 stars for style as it is well written. All told, though, I couldn't really like this book because I couldn't like the person writing it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2009
I thank the Amazon vine program for the chance to read this book.
Told in alternating locations and times, High is the very personal story of Brian O'Dea, who was the son of a somewhat prominent family in Newfoundland who eventually became a very high-rolling international drug smuggler. It took the DEA a long time, but finally O'Dea was arrested and put into prison at Terminal Island near Long Beach, California. His story is one of many highs (literally) and then the lows of hitting bottom, losing everything, and then being put into the US Federal Prison system, where for many, hope is nonexistent.
High is funny at times, while being serious all of the time. O'Dea's writing style is real, giving his readers small punctuated glimpses into the drug trade, prison life, and the reality of often overblown sentencing laws for first-time drug offenders. He never shies away from admitting his mistakes, and gets a bit introspective at times while trying to just hang on and make it through another day. It also highlights the often absurd points about the US war on drugs, especially on the part of officials in other countries who supposedly have a stake in combatting the trafficking of illegal substances. The only thing I didn't really like about this book was that it seemed too condensed -- I know there's more that's not being told.
The book is well written, and didn't come across as a "poor pitiful me" kind of story which it easily could have. Au contraire, it is more of a look at a man who screwed up, paid the price, and got himself out of the hole of his former existence. I'd recommend it to people who are interested in personal or inspirational memoirs, or people who are interested in reading about the drug trade.
Told in alternating locations and times, High is the very personal story of Brian O'Dea, who was the son of a somewhat prominent family in Newfoundland who eventually became a very high-rolling international drug smuggler. It took the DEA a long time, but finally O'Dea was arrested and put into prison at Terminal Island near Long Beach, California. His story is one of many highs (literally) and then the lows of hitting bottom, losing everything, and then being put into the US Federal Prison system, where for many, hope is nonexistent.
High is funny at times, while being serious all of the time. O'Dea's writing style is real, giving his readers small punctuated glimpses into the drug trade, prison life, and the reality of often overblown sentencing laws for first-time drug offenders. He never shies away from admitting his mistakes, and gets a bit introspective at times while trying to just hang on and make it through another day. It also highlights the often absurd points about the US war on drugs, especially on the part of officials in other countries who supposedly have a stake in combatting the trafficking of illegal substances. The only thing I didn't really like about this book was that it seemed too condensed -- I know there's more that's not being told.
The book is well written, and didn't come across as a "poor pitiful me" kind of story which it easily could have. Au contraire, it is more of a look at a man who screwed up, paid the price, and got himself out of the hole of his former existence. I'd recommend it to people who are interested in personal or inspirational memoirs, or people who are interested in reading about the drug trade.
September 2, 2013
I'm going to start off by mentioning that I heard Brian speak at a conference I attended a year ago. I purchased the book then, but didn't get around to reading it until now. The smuggling stories outlined in the book are the basis of his presentation, so other than providing more details, there wasn't much new for me in that 'exciting' portion of the book. I got the sense during his presentation and while reading the book that Brian is quite a 'story-teller' and that many aspects of his life are probably embellished. It was interesting reading about how his spirituality evolved throughout his life. I don't recall him really talking about that much during his presentation (perhaps he did and I just don't remember). What I really enjoyed in this book were the chapters about his time in prison. He didn't really touch on this during his presentation. I found these chapters to be very real and compelling. As part of my job I have met and worked with many people who have had problems with the law, and have been in jail. It was very fascinating for me to get a glimpse into this life. I read one of the other reviews, where the reviewer stated that he hated the prison chapters because they were very repetitive. I think that's why they are so good. Having the count and recount all the time just shows how boring and repetitive life is in prison. Note: In my opinion, the book would have been an easier read if it was edited a bit more thoroughly. There were sections that were pretty rough.
January 22, 2012
Brian O'Dea is larger than life character whose tales of growing into and out of the drug trade are a reflection of his generation and his times. Involved at the early onset of international drug movements, O'Dea and his assorted friends and acquaintances had the right combination of skill, fearlessness and carelessness to undertaken what became huge drug trafficking schemes. Serving his time and moving on with his life provided the perspective with which to write this account. The writing is a unique style, short paragraphs filled with colloquial interactions and thoughts that weave a story behind a larger narrative. The historical jumping back and forth provides some changes of pace but occasionally interrupts momentum at an inopportune moment.
February 3, 2016
High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler by Brian O'Dea (Other Press New York 2009)(Biography) is the tale from the 1980's of a former marijuana and cocaine importer who eventually crashed and burned. Written in the tradition of the great story Snowblind: A Brief Career in the Cocaine Trade by Robert Sabbag, it shares some of the adrenaline rush of the smuggler's lifestyle with those of us who wish that we had taken the opportunity to be later-day pirates. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 9/14/12.
June 28, 2014
Early in the book mentions is made of the cruise ship (page 27) when viewed docked along side. Cruise ships are very tall and I can see them without difficulty from my sailboat and I am not on the main channel. The prison is even closer to the main channel than I am but the cruise ships don't dock there. The main outside yard at the prison is across from the Terminal Island docks and there are plenty of containers ships there.
Some of the misadventures are quite amazing specially the DC-6 yarn.
Some of the misadventures are quite amazing specially the DC-6 yarn.
May 23, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, it not only gave me insight into the life of a Pot Smuggler and the dangers and may I say excitement involved, but more especially gave me insight into the human spirit and the how Brian won the battle. I also liked the humor and empathy shown for those whose lives have not gone the way they probably hoped they would. I would like to see this book in every school library and fact on the curriculum.
July 15, 2016
Brian O'Dea loves to tell a story, and you can feel that in this book. His adventures in smuggling are at times jaw dropping, and his time in prison is heart breaking. For someone who is unlikely to ever follow the same path, it's an insightful glimpse into how the huge population of incarcerated people live.
August 5, 2016
Well written book. Written with chapters alternating between Brian's life and prison and his life before being locked up. The chapters detailing his life outside of prison were definitely far more enjoyable and I found myself racing through the prison chapters to hear the next bit of his life's adventures.
Recommended read for anyone who has dabbled in the devils dust.
Recommended read for anyone who has dabbled in the devils dust.
October 12, 2016
Brian O'Dea's tale is heartfelt and incredible. If anything the man undersells the incredible events that spill forth on the page making the reader wonder what exactly could happen next to top the amazing and horrifying things that unspool at the beginning of this tale. I loved it.
August 15, 2011
This was an interesting read.
April 27, 2012
Not bad, the smuggling stories are great, while the prison chapters are repetitive!
December 25, 2019
One of the most amazing books I have ever read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews