Crazy Charlie: Revolutionary or Neo-Nazi

(The   following   words   are   not   an   excerpt   from   Ron’s   book   since   writing   it   is   still   in   the   works,   but   a   small   “view”   of   who   Carlos   Lehder was extracted from Wikipedia. Once the manuscript is available this text will be replaced by a true synopsis of the book) Lehder   started   out   as   a   stolen   car   dealer,   a   marijuana   dealer,   and   a   smuggler   of   stolen   cars   between   the   US   and   Canada.   While serving   a   sentence   for   car   theft   in   federal   prison   in   Danbury,   Connecticut,   Lehder   decided   that,   upon   his   release,   he   would   take advantage   of   the   burgeoning   market   for   cocaine   in   the   United   States.   To   that   end,   he   enlisted   his   bunkmate,   former   marijuana dealer   George   Jung,   as   a   future   partner.   Jung   had   experience   flying   marijuana   to   the   US   from   Mexico   in   small   aircraft,   staying below   radar   level,   and   landing   on   dry   lake   beds.   Inspired   by   the   idea,   Lehder   decided   to   apply   the   principle   to   cocaine   transport   and formed   a   partnership   with   Jung.   While   in   prison,   he   set   out   to   learn   as   much   information   as   possible   that   could   be   useful   to   him   in the   cocaine   business.   Lehder   would   sometimes   even   spend   hours   questioning   fellow   inmates   about   money   laundering   and smuggling. George Jung allegedly said that Lehder kept countless files and constantly took notes. Lehder's   ultimate   scheme   was   to   revolutionize   the   cocaine   trade   by   transporting   the   drug   to   the   United   States,   using   small   aircraft. Previously,   drug   dealers   had   to   rely   on   human   "mules"   to   smuggle   the   drug   in   suitcases   on   regular   commercial   flights.   In   Lehder's vision, much greater quantities could be transported directly by small private aircraft, with far less risk of interception. After   their   releases   (both   were   paroled),   Lehder   and   Jung   built   up   a   small   stream   of   money   through   simple,   traditional   drug smuggling   -   they   enlisted   two American   girls   to   take   a   paid   vacation   to Antigua,   receive   cocaine,   and   carry   it   back   with   them   to   the US in their suitcases. Repeating this process several times, they soon had enough money for an airplane. Using   a   small   stolen   plane   and   a   professional   pilot,   they   began   to   fly   cocaine   into   the   United   States   via   the   Bahamas,   increasing their   financial   resources   and   building   connections   and   trust   with   Colombian   suppliers   while   spreading   money   around   among Bahamian   government   officials   for   political   and   judicial   protection.   Their   unconventional   method   of   drug-smuggling   began   to   gain credibility.