1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: Previously on smoked. We stripped the ball and built it 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 1: from the ground up. Won my very first race, however, 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: and that got me the racing bug. He was just 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: considered a really, really good young driver, somebody who kind 5 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: of came out of nowhere. But he was just passed. 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: I think we've got to call an engine and some spas, 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: and there we were. That was bruth under racing, Brandy, 8 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: let me get two first, kind of tense. At the end, excited. 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: Race was six out of people like the Whittington brothers 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,599 Speaker 1: and Randy were getting a lot of notoriety, and there 11 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: was some talk about where their money came from, but 12 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: nothing that you could tend down and write a story 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: about and say, this is happening. To get there in 14 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: the early eighties, first you took a plane to northeast 15 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: Colombia and you took a jeep. Then you'd hike for 16 00:00:57,760 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: a while in a coastal mountain range that's among the 17 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: highest in the world, swatting mosquitoes and passing the men 18 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: with guns guarding the jungle. South American jungles are legendary. 19 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: Critics sorry, imagine that minus the guys with the guns. 20 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: Randy Lania remembers they could take an entire day. So 21 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: the way their security is Columbian forces back in the 22 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: seventies and making sure that their fields stayed safe. So 23 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: it's amazing, amazing things. But when you finally got where 24 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: you were going, you'd see what you came for. A 25 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: mountain side of Santa Marta gold, one of the most 26 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: sought after strains of pot on the American black market, 27 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: White forced Tom. I went down there. I just went 28 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: to visit to see exactly what kind of merchandise I 29 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: was getting. So you like already had to deal with 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: somebody and they said you can come look something like that. Yes, um, 31 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: I wanted to make sure that what I was getting 32 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: was good. It was still up in the mountainous fresh 33 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: Did you test it out? We were there to make sure, Yes, 34 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: I did. Back in the States, Randy had been building 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: a racing career that would soon include the IMPSA title 36 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: the International Motor Sports Association, with a team he financed 37 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: from his own wallet. You have a guy who was 38 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: maturing today as a driver, was Randy Lannaire. I mean, 39 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: he owns the car, he could drive it if he 40 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: wants to. But they're in the Columbian jungle. He was 41 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: competing in a different kind of contest to build a 42 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: drug smuggling network so big it could bring loads others 43 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: could only dream of. Santa Monta goal was captivating to 44 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: the eye because it was a yellow wish and had 45 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: a little nice lyddish color reson in it. The high 46 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: that you got from it was pleasant. It wasn't overbearing, 47 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: so that along with the way it smelled and the 48 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: freshness of it, the Santa Monta goal was very appealing. 49 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: As quickly as he was making a name for himself 50 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: on the track, off the track, Randy was carving a 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: spot in the pantheon of American drug smugglers. That trip 52 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: to the jungle was not Randy's last, and over the 53 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: next few years, an organization the US government came to 54 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: call simply, the company channeled the flow of pot from 55 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: Columbia to the States. So we would take valleys and 56 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: mountain sides. When you're talking tons, we would take the 57 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: whole mountain sides. Yes, it moved so much weed and 58 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: generated so much money Randy could afford to live in luxury. 59 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: Just point for mountain and say I'll take that. Quite 60 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: like that, But something as long as no one found 61 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: out from the Miami Herald and McClatchy studios. This is smoked. 62 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: I'm Amy Driscoll, I'm Alex Harris, and this is part two. 63 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: Now let's back up a bit before there was blue Thunder, 64 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: before that old Porsha. I know when I first bought it, 65 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: it was wired with lamp wire, so that's what she 66 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: was talking about. And long before Brandy in nineteen eighties 67 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: style red leather almost looks like Michael Jackson from the 68 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: Bad video. And it's the Rookie of the year six 69 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: indy five hundred jacket with my dad's name embroidered on it. 70 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: When it was just Randy in South Florida and the 71 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: late nineteen sixties, Why don't you stop some things? You 72 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: just got to stop. Drugs are like that. For a 73 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: thirteen year old transplant from Mural, Virginia, it must have 74 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: seemed like the place described in government p S. A 75 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: S may not dru major difference. Absolutely, this is Randy. 76 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: That was the country boy running around in the woods. 77 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: My grandfather, what's the tobacco farmer? They've raised hogs and 78 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: my chopped wood and lovely great childhood. So coming down 79 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 1: here to see the beaches, the surfers, the smoking of 80 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: the weed. Yeah, there's a big difference, a totally different 81 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: climate of attitude. We were love children. Let me exclaimed 82 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: to you were We were flower kids. We were typical 83 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: seventy two hippie flower kids on high school. Charles Podesta 84 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: became friends with Randy as a teenager after Randy's family 85 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,840 Speaker 1: moved to South Florida. We met up with Charles at 86 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:28,679 Speaker 1: a coffee shop in Miami. Smoke we enjoined. It was organic. 87 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: It just kind of grew. It didn't take long for 88 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: Randy to adopt the local lifestyle. He grew a ponytail 89 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: and became a staple at Miami's famous Lovin's at Greynolds Park, 90 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: where hippies protested the Vietnam War and up and coming 91 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: bands played three live shows, including as an Associated Press 92 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: story from the time described it, a quote six man 93 00:05:54,040 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: Combo from San Francisco called the Grateful Dead. I saw 94 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: the smoking pot when I was fourteen years old ninety eight, 95 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: so I thought I was a holdout for a while 96 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,679 Speaker 1: back in them days. Did your parents have any opinions 97 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: about you smoking pot at four team, Yes, of course 98 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: they did. Um the times were different back then. I 99 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: was different teenager with long, long hair and not so 100 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: much anti establishment, but kind of a hippie type of guy. 101 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: So yes, they had a negative viewpoint, but they came 102 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: around eventually they see that it was harmless. Maybe playing 103 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: music too loud might be one of the things, especially 104 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: a young teenager and eating all the cookies. Randy may 105 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 1: have been a hippie, but he was also a capitalist. 106 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: In high school, he earned a few bucks by working 107 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: with his father on construction sites west of Fort Lauderdale. 108 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: Oh that was Sam in the sixties and a lot 109 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: of lot of Luca trees and just cap passed through. 110 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: So they dredged all the lakes out there and they 111 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,720 Speaker 1: housing development. And he went up there with a hammer 112 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: with his dad, Junior. Here's Charles again. And he worked hard. 113 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: Let me tell you, he worked really hard. But he 114 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: was a conscientious worker and a good worker, and he 115 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: worked hard. And it wasn't until some years after that, 116 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: you know, he realized said, well, you know, maybe there's 117 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: another way to make buck or two. Randy told us 118 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: his journey from smoking pot to selling it started on 119 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: those sandy construction lots. Baking in the South Florida Sun 120 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: fifteen years old, summer job, and the construction workers would 121 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: continue to ask me, because I had long if I 122 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: could get them somewhere I Juana, And of course I could, 123 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: so I seen it was a little bit more beneficial 124 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: than a dollar sixty before long joints became ounces and 125 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: it just grew from there. When you see profits and 126 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: coming about like that, seemed like a little bit easier 127 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: to read than dig in, ditchit and a do. Randy 128 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: dropped out of high school and his drug profits soon 129 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: paid for our twenty seven ft speedboat. It could get 130 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: from Miami to the Bahamas in no time, and that's 131 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: gave Randy another idea. Started bringing loads in about nineteen 132 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: years old from the Bahamas, and it just came about 133 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 1: through seeing the niche market that it was available. I 134 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,559 Speaker 1: had access to it, and it just continued to grow, 135 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: from selling to distributing to a joke smuggler one car 136 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: over the Paris Carver fifty. Randy was a young man 137 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: barely out of his teens and still a few years 138 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: from making a name on the racing scene, but in 139 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: his other career he was already an expert. Earlier in 140 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: the sixties who was mostly Jamaican and Mexican weed. And 141 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,359 Speaker 1: then the Colombians got involved and in the late sixties 142 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:54,479 Speaker 1: started bringing in large ships and planes to the Bahamas 143 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: and South Florida. At twenty two, I was a seasoned smuggler, 144 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: already a season smuggler in a crowded field. Attorney General 145 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: Jim Smith is drug smuggling the number one industry in Florida. 146 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: Drug smuggling is probably the number one industry in our country. 147 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: Here's Jim Smith, Florida's Attorney General at the time on 148 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: c SPAN. Estimates are that it may be a fifty 149 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: to sixty billion dollar a year business. Florida still is 150 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: the entry point for much of the marijuana and certainly 151 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: most of the cocaine that comes into the United States. 152 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: Much of the financing of drug smuggling operations takes place 153 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 1: in Florida. It was wild, wild West, yes, no reactive. 154 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: Lots of large scale smugglers, which is became a large scale, 155 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 1: a lot of independent smugglers involved with doing what they 156 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:54,719 Speaker 1: were doing, a lot of cotel people who huge. America's 157 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: public enemy Number one in the United States is drug abuse. 158 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: Andy knew what he was up against. And in President 159 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: Richard Nixon's War on drugs targeted both those who produced 160 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: drugs and those who consumed them. This will be a 161 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: worldwide offensive dealing with the problems of sources of supply 162 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: as well as Americans who may be stationed abroad wherever 163 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: they are in the world, and it will be nationwide. 164 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: In terms of a new educational program. The US government 165 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: cut the supply from Mexico and the Caribbean, but the 166 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: demand only increased. By ninety nine, nearly se young adults 167 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,839 Speaker 1: in the US had at least tried marijuana, and smugglers 168 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: watched as Columbia sees the market. I wanted the best product, 169 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: which was grown in Santa Marta. That's where they grew 170 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: the gold pot. This is Robert Platt Shorton or as 171 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:51,719 Speaker 1: the fed's new him. Bobby Tuna. Federally Diamond charges that 172 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: Robert Platt and Robert business year as a front to 173 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: disguise the true nature of all In the seventies, he 174 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: was something of a pioneer in moving Columbian weed into 175 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: South Florida, and talked to him on a drive through 176 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: his Palm Beach County neighborhood. It wasn't grown in huge 177 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: quantities because Santa Martas to build up and the mountains 178 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: surrounding the town is where the farms were, and I 179 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 1: paid good for it. I came over, I inspected the loads. 180 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: We talked about how it would be packaged and bailed up, 181 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: and how many pounds each bail should be. They even 182 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,359 Speaker 1: had burlet bags made up that said product of Columbia 183 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: or a product of Santa Marta. Santa Marta gold in 184 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: pilots charge with rocketeering expirac. Latshorn's favorite method of smuggling 185 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: was by plane from remote jungle airstrips. When they tell 186 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: you how to find the airstrip, they tell you fly 187 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: over the town, over the church staple, and two minutes 188 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: later you're over this huge plantation and you could see 189 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: they've cleared something about three hundred feet wide, the thousand 190 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: feet long, just grass, and there's cows. They got to 191 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: chase the cows off. The little kid comes out on 192 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: a donkey and he chases all the cows so that 193 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: you can land. Kind of a safety thing because it 194 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: keeps the police or the air force from landing while 195 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: the cows are out there. But safety is a relative 196 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: concept for drug smugglers and sometimes the men with guns 197 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: found their way to the airstrips anyway, and the Colombian 198 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,319 Speaker 1: army melted out of the jungle on both sides with 199 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: their rifles and guns drawn. And the first thing you 200 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: hear is tron kilo hombress, tran kilo ambress. Didn't you 201 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 1: realize you're surrounded. They took us to a farmhouse. They 202 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: wanted a six million dollar bribe, and finally my people 203 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: showed up with two bags of cash. It came to 204 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: about forty dollars, not six million. But the soldiers they 205 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: saw those two bags of money, and they turned around, 206 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: pointing their guns at the lieutenant and said, no, we 207 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: take this a good guy, we know this guy, whatever, 208 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: and let you get back in your plane. Ye, in retrospect, 209 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: it was part of the fund, but of course it 210 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: was scary as hell at the time. In a ditch 211 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: somewhere you went home, was very very rich man went 212 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: home and made a bunch of money. By the early eighties, 213 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 1: roughly sev the nation's illegal drugs came in through South Florida, 214 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: and much of the pot came from Colombia. Good evening, 215 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: I'm Ralph Red South Florida has the dubious honor of 216 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: being the cocaine and marijuana capital of the United States. 217 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: Florida's starring role in the drug trade came naturally. The 218 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,200 Speaker 1: Sunshine State was practically made for smuggling, with more than 219 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: a thousand miles of coastline, and once you account for 220 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,679 Speaker 1: rivers and bays and other spots to drop off shipments, 221 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 1: you're looking at more than a thousand miles of shoreline. 222 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: More Colkin pot we're seized here last year than anywhere 223 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: else in the country, but authorities say that's only a 224 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: smudging of what's getting through. It was so common for 225 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 1: tourists to find bales of pot wash up on beaches 226 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: that people started calling the bundles square groupers. A lot 227 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: of the smuggers down here. Before you know, you should 228 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: run boats along along the shore here, Charles Podesta. Again, 229 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: there'd be the square groupers in the water, or the 230 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: planes would come in and they'd be kicking them out, 231 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: and they wouldn't watch where they're flanning, and they'd come 232 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 1: through people's homes and mobile homes. I mean, you know, 233 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: I mean, come on, we lived in wild times down here, people, 234 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: I mean square grouper wasn't a fish. Randy's racing career 235 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: had taken him to lamon an event that it helps 236 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: cement his bold ambitions in the sport, and soon his 237 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: other career would take him on that transformative trip to 238 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: the jungle that would show him a mountain of possibilities. 239 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 1: Bobby Tuna might have smuggled pot by air, but Randy 240 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: for a different mode of transportation, one that kept pace 241 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: with his increasingly audacious goals. I was a boat guy. Yeah, 242 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: I made several trips to South America of my own vessels. 243 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: And how big were those boats that post warman was 244 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: at That trawler yacht named the URSA Major was twenty 245 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: ft wide and displaced over a hundred tons. Wasn't that? 246 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:25,240 Speaker 1: I was good? It was just at times we didn't 247 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: have homeland security. First of all, if you lived in 248 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: South Florida, you had the Coast Guard and you had 249 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: the Florida Marine Patrol. But they were so understaff that 250 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: it was easy to get all their frequencies for our 251 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: little radios and scanners. So just a little bit of 252 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: research and you could see whether the gaps are missing, 253 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: and you just come right in the gaps. The ursa 254 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: major belonged to Ben Kramer, one of Randy's high school 255 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 1: friends who owned that boat business we mentioned last time. 256 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: Apache and Charles, who had also started out as a friend, 257 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 1: had become a trusted insider as Randy's organization got bigger. 258 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,960 Speaker 1: The very first two loads were offshore off Melbourne and 259 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 1: pulled up right outside the shore and ran a little 260 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: zodiacs back and forth to the beach and then had 261 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: a bunch of people down on the beach and they 262 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: grabbed things and drive him up to a house that 263 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: we had rented. The US government later estimated that first 264 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: load was fifteen thousand pounds and amount there acquired some 265 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: real planning to unload undetected, and then the neighbor's next 266 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: door We went ahead and they want a trip to 267 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: Disney World. Amazing, wasn't it, because there was the only 268 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 1: house next door to this house. So we arranged for 269 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 1: a lovely surprise for them to win a beautiful trip. 270 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: Ball paid expenses to Disney World then and it was 271 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: just during that time period it was amazing. Amazing coincidences 272 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: come to play, and with the Colombian trade route established, 273 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: business was about to get good. It might be helpful 274 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: to understand everyone's roles here. Randy put up the cash 275 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: for the first Columbian load. From then on he was 276 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 1: the logistics guy. Yes, I made sure he got from 277 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 1: the boat to some distribution destinations and then from their 278 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: other people would be in charge. My hands was done 279 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: left it left the port. Think of Ben Kramer as 280 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 1: a supply guy. He was the one with the contacts 281 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: on the ground in Columbia. Here's a friend and partner both. Yeah, 282 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 1: we grew up together kinda. We didn't get a chance 283 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,679 Speaker 1: to interview Kramer. He's in prison in Illinois. The warden 284 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 1: wouldn't let us speak to him and said allowing the 285 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: interview could quote jeopardize safety and security. But he did 286 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,439 Speaker 1: send us a letter he said some things need quote 287 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,080 Speaker 1: some light on them. We'll tell you more about that 288 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: letter later on. Charles Podesta was the money guy. Yeah. 289 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 1: I don't know why I became the bookkeeper, and I 290 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,080 Speaker 1: really wasn't the bookkeeper. Trust me because the guy that 291 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 1: was good at math with Randy. Let me tell you 292 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,920 Speaker 1: that guy was brilliant, but he did bring something important 293 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: to the group. Charles looked like a businessman. Randy did not. 294 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,439 Speaker 1: He had a long ponytail, and all of his friends 295 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: were hippie looking. And because I was in business, I 296 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,119 Speaker 1: addressed in a suit and time. So there came a 297 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,679 Speaker 1: time when he needed to rant house, stash house, and 298 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: of course, why better than a very sophisticated looking guy 299 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,159 Speaker 1: a suit and tie to go do that. And so 300 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: that's how our business intersection happened. Later that year, Randy's 301 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: smuggling team brought in a second load from Columbia, bigger 302 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: than the first and worth about six million dollars. Much 303 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: like with his racing career, Randy's goals for his illegal 304 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: operations were always on the rise. Faster cars, bigger loads, 305 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: more money. As there anything goes. The more you do something, 306 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: you evolve the process and you see better ways to 307 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: accomplish your goals and what you're trying to achieve. From 308 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: buying a pleasure boat seven foot magnum, taken that to 309 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: the Bahamas, and then that became a sixty five to 310 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: an eight foot to its hund foot barge and just evolves. 311 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,760 Speaker 1: That's right, a barge, a flat bottom ship the length 312 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: of a football field with plenty of room for pot forgets, 313 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: dash houses with the barge. Randy's outfit needed warehouses to 314 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,639 Speaker 1: store the pot, and court records say he had them 315 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 1: all over the country, as far away as Warsaw, Kentucky 316 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: and Allentown, Pennsylvania. The center of the barge is already 317 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: laid out hollowed for manifests, which was at cargo, and 318 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: that's where cargo was from Venezuelan cement to Brazilian wood, 319 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:49,679 Speaker 1: Brazilian nuts. The loads were getting enormous at times, topping 320 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:53,199 Speaker 1: a hundred thousand pounds, and the method they chose to 321 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 1: smuggle the pot into the country was ingenious. Tucked into 322 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: secret compartments in the barge. So they have ballast tanks 323 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: down the side six stories high wide. The lead was 324 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,479 Speaker 1: in the ballast. They also needed larger ports for the barge, 325 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: and they found them in New York, New Orleans, and 326 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: San Francisco. I put all the weed from the ballast 327 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: into a continualised trailer, had a crane pick it up, 328 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: lifted up on my flat bed trailer, take the trailer 329 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:27,080 Speaker 1: to my warehouse, and have forklifts on the lifted trailer 330 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,479 Speaker 1: and boom it over to the back of a traction 331 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: trailer in hallel. So here's your here's your barge. Here's 332 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: Charles again, sketching on a paper placement at the cafe. 333 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 1: He draws three vertical lines through the barge, showing where 334 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: customs agents would reach into the ballast tanks with poles 335 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: to see if they hit anything funny. So what these 336 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: guys had brilliantly done is they did off chambers. Then 337 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: they put planks, so they had these off chambers outside 338 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: of these holes, so when they put the pole down, 339 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: you wouldn't see the chamber. So they had chambers all 340 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 1: around barge. And they were taking Louis and putting in 341 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: the chambers and sealing the chambers. How much would that hold, 342 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 1: hundred thousand, hundred thousand pounds peper take you know, a 343 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: few ounces quality control? Of course, today it's fast action 344 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: from the streets of Miami, Florida, featuring GTV racing cars, 345 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,680 Speaker 1: fast and exotic. By the time Randy race at Miami 346 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: Grand Prix, his organization had hundreds of people involved. There 347 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: were some probably people in the organization that called the company. 348 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: He asked me if I did it now, But there 349 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,880 Speaker 1: were some people that worked for me that would call 350 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: it the company. No matter what they called it, they 351 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 1: were prolific no, not that I'm trying to swell my head, 352 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: but on the size of it, there was no other 353 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: smugglers bringing in the amount that we were at one time. 354 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:02,120 Speaker 1: Sixty thousand hells out of time. How much money would 355 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: an you A lot, a whole lot. The Columbians really 356 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,440 Speaker 1: didn't get their act together until they saw the Americans, 357 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: until we went down there. I'd go down there a 358 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,120 Speaker 1: week or two before to let them know, Yeah, we're 359 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,879 Speaker 1: really serious. Yeah, where the barge is coming. You get 360 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: your people ready. On the Colombian side, Charles said, it 361 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: was also a huge operation. So here's how how that 362 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: goes down. First, you get cleaners by the Columbians to 363 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,720 Speaker 1: be able to park into a little cove, okay, and 364 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: the coves there's mountains, there's hills next story to you, 365 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: and you have a window. You've got fine when it 366 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 1: gets dark till when it gets light. After that you 367 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,639 Speaker 1: have no more protection. So all of a sudden, you 368 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: see these trucks, dump trucks driving down the mountains, a 369 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,919 Speaker 1: lot of them, and you see all these men. So 370 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 1: now on the barge. We got like thirty people upon 371 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,159 Speaker 1: the barge and they're pulling the bales up one at 372 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: a time, and then they had to go down into 373 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 1: the hole, down to the secret compartments that were inside, 374 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,280 Speaker 1: and then the compartments had to be sealed. It took 375 00:22:57,359 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: hundreds of people. They were hand handing each bail. But 376 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 1: I also want you to know that we were in 377 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 1: quality control. Okay. We insisted that if we're going to 378 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: take this risk, we're bringing crap up to you know, 379 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: we want good week, and so I always they always 380 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: delivered really good week. That we'd bought Randy and his 381 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: wife and daughter the fast life he'd seen at Lama, 382 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 1: I lived a super fast life. By past the fast life. 383 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: I went into super mode with Leo Jets and the 384 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 1: conchords and have a private plane wait for me in Heathrow. 385 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:31,879 Speaker 1: So as soon as I can get there, I'll just 386 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: get off the plane and go right to my private 387 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: plane from England to Italyite to France to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, 388 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:44,159 Speaker 1: Switzerland with a tourist toppling through the Europe, hitting the 389 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 1: wine countries and um enjoying the good food and customs. 390 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 1: By then, he'd gotten married to his high school sweetheart, Pam. 391 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,920 Speaker 1: I'm not her when she was about fifteen. I think 392 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: I was seventeen. She went to Hollywood Hills High scho 393 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: Goal and another there in Hollywood rock concerts, and so forth. 394 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,159 Speaker 1: They tied the knot when he was twenty one thousand 395 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:12,200 Speaker 1: times day, notteen seventy six. I'm a romantic somewhat. Charles 396 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: attended the wedding and ended up behind the wheel of 397 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: the limo. I went ahead, and he wanted a limousine, 398 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,920 Speaker 1: but at that time was a little difficult to get 399 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 1: one without a driver, because you know, they wanted to 400 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: puff a little bit. And and so through another friend, 401 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: I got a car out of Palm Beach and I said, okay, 402 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: I'll drive it, don't worry, and they let me. Was 403 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: the chauffeur driven car out of a little flower in 404 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,920 Speaker 1: Hollywood Catholic Church. A few years later, at Charles's wedding, 405 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:39,399 Speaker 1: Randy was his best man. I actually, you know, I 406 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: was going through some pictures, and I probably have a 407 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 1: lot more, but I saw one that was done on 408 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,399 Speaker 1: the wedding day and I'm in my white John travol 409 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: to suit, red shirt, and there and there, and they 410 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 1: were in their clothes and I just looked at it. 411 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: And of course Randy had a big mustache and longer. 412 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:58,679 Speaker 1: You know, Pump tied to Tonytown. But we had so 413 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: many wonderful experiences and times together, you know, and little 414 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: parties you know that we had attend. Eventually, Randy took 415 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 1: some of his drug money and bought a spacious new 416 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: home north of Miami, where he and Pam raised their daughter, Brandy. 417 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: But I don't know the exact acreage now as an adult, 418 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,719 Speaker 1: i'd maybe guess something between five and six acres. This 419 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: is Brandy Lanier, very seventies at the time when we 420 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:26,960 Speaker 1: lived there, half mirror and half wood walls, and the 421 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: back porch area was done like a sunken chip, which 422 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:32,719 Speaker 1: was pretty neat. It was on a canal. We had 423 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 1: a gazebo. I used to fish off of that and 424 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: for a while we kept one of our horses in 425 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: the barn, and then for a while was just bunnies. Yeah. 426 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: As quick as the money flowed in, it flowed out. 427 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 1: When I was five, my parents threw a Safari theme 428 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:53,160 Speaker 1: birthday party and it included Jessica the elephant who came 429 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: from Miami Zoo, and we had elephant rise in the backyard. 430 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: And then it was pretty neat because after that if 431 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,640 Speaker 1: you into Miami Zoo. Jessica was one of the elephants 432 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 1: that was there, so we got to go back and 433 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: visit her. After I spent my money on planes and 434 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: jets and boats and yachts and parties and Europe and houses, 435 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:19,959 Speaker 1: shopping centers, race car tracks, mobile home parks, restaurants, so 436 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: restaurants on me buying a restaurant. On that, Randy was 437 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,879 Speaker 1: spending and laundering a lot of cash. He bought another 438 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 1: home in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies, and he 439 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:33,639 Speaker 1: and his partners helped finance the Bell Gardens Bicycle Club, 440 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:37,719 Speaker 1: a massive poker card room just outside Los Angeles. And 441 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 1: of course Randy spent his money on racing. I had 442 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: no budget. Didn't matter as much as Porsche wanted to spend. 443 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: I think spend with racing. The top flight teams, on 444 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:53,320 Speaker 1: the big budget teams, they can rent tracks to testing, 445 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: research and development. It's not just talent and scale. You've 446 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 1: got to have the war withal too. Get out there 447 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: and do the research that's needed to get to cause 448 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: around the track at the vasti laps possible. Um. I 449 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: mean I heard a few things, but I didn't Keith 450 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 1: Layton was Glue Thunder's crew chief. He remembers how the 451 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: money made a lot of things possible for the team, 452 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: even if you didn't want to think about it at 453 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: the time. I knew there was stuff there, but I 454 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:27,080 Speaker 1: didn't really want to delve into it. I mean, a 455 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: lot of the bills will pay with cash. So the 456 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,760 Speaker 1: salary for all the crew, I would be given ten 457 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,960 Speaker 1: dollars to go and pay everybody, which you know, the driver, 458 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 1: go off to the race track and give him big 459 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: envelope full of money. Whereas most teams it's always given 460 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: checks or you you don't pay the guys for two weeks. 461 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 1: The money comes at the end of the month from 462 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: the sponsor sort of thing. You know, guys were paid 463 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:56,080 Speaker 1: well because we win. We gave everybody a bonus and 464 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: that makes a big difference because the morale and everybody's 465 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: got the same goal. Who went I could pack that 466 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: more money. Um, So that was directly because of the 467 00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: money that was available from what was going on behind 468 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: the scenes. Randy was struggling a young family, a secret career, 469 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 1: and an increasingly public one. It was like I was 470 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:19,159 Speaker 1: living like a couple of lives. Family life, racing, life, 471 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,760 Speaker 1: smuggling life. Oh yeah, hard to keep most upward, and 472 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: sometimes they collided. He missed the second race blue under 473 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 1: entered the one his teammate Don Whittington. One. Randy was busy. 474 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: I was Atlanta. I missed Atlanta Grand Prix And where 475 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 1: were you instead? I was in northern California bringing a 476 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: load in? And how big was the load? Was it worth? 477 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: Missing the race? Punds? How much was that worth? Forty 478 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: four million bucks? It was quite the year for Randy Linier. 479 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: We're a moment away from his start here at Riverside 480 00:28:54,480 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 1: is Randy Lanier and that particular load I ran down 481 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: and one day l a Grand Prix within days of 482 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: getting it all in the end, a most exciting rights 483 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: six out right, I say. Flew back to Fort Lauderdale 484 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 1: and battle Yacht. So when I was looking at boats, 485 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: I was thinking, man, things are going pretty good. So yeah, 486 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: you feel like you're own a coup for the world. 487 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: But his super fast life was about to catch up 488 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 1: to him. How big of a boat did you buy? 489 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: That one was a sixty ft sixty ft sport fishing 490 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:36,360 Speaker 1: one that was just fishing list the name. That name 491 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 1: was called real or E l nice, Is that the 492 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 1: one you got caught on? That was the one that 493 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: I ended up getting caught off. I'm Amy Driscoll. I'm 494 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 1: Alex Harris. This podcast is produced by Kara Tabor and 495 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: Davin Coburn and McClatchy Studios and The Herald's Emily Michow 496 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: and Matthias Ackner, and thanks to Christine demon Tay at 497 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 1: w l r N Studios. For lots more on this story, 498 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: including a wild tale of Florida's other pot smugglers, go 499 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 1: to Miami Herald dot com slash smoked. To continue supporting 500 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,600 Speaker 1: this kind of work, consider a digital subscription to The 501 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: Miami Herald VI is it Miami Herald dot com slash 502 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 1: subscribe for more information, leave us a rating and a 503 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: review on Apple Podcasts. On Part three of Smoked, Indianapolis 504 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 1: and the Feds come calling indian there was two guys 505 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 1: always there, and that was the FBI. I keeping watching 506 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: what they were doing. And this was the candy store. 507 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: I mean, you want to see dope, Mr Vice President, 508 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: You want to see guns, We got plenty of them 509 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: for you. I will fire only as long as it 510 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: takes to bring your vessel to stop where My street 511 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 1: goal was a leibi flash well Ferrari or color. That 512 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,760 Speaker 1: one was a raspberry color, one of the old five. 513 00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 1: So you're a really low profile. Sometimes I'm not too sharp. 514 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 1: Is tool in shan