First, a shameless commercial message: Check out my earlier book, THERE IS NO HOPE HERE, a story about a remarkable young woman who saw the poverty in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky and decided to take matters into her own hands. You can find the book at Amazon in either Kindle or paperback.
Now, back to this book. Jerry has told me many stories about the ordinary citizens who were eager to help in his enterprises. For instance, there was the problem of purchasing airplanes when he began smuggling marijuana, and before he met Hank Maierhoffer. His first airplane was purchased through the help of man from Maryville, Tennessee. Although I’m sure the story is true, since I haven’t been able to totally verify it, I won’t mention the man’s name here or certain details such that his identity might be compromised. Anyway, he was just one of many because Jerry never had a shortage of “honest” people to help in his smuggling endeavors. He said they were readily available but few wanted to get their hands dirty, so they were willing to give him money for a piece of the action if they didn’t have to do anything. That was fine with him. Jerry already had a pipeline with a local bank to help with any needed financing---yes I know names but again they are not verified, and I’m really not that interested—so money wasn’t that much a problem but he couldn’t just go out and purchase an expensive airplane because it would draw suspicions. He needed a front man.
So he found one.
Not only did the man front for the plane, he helped Jerry “clean” the marijuana that Jerry brought it in from Jamaica. Baled marijuana comes with stems and other pieces not suitable for smoking, so there is a lot of labor involved to clean it up, then to package it for sale. Jerry assured me that the man was well-known in the community and considered a fine fellow.
He was just one of many fine fellows who worked with Jerry. These included bankers, lawyers, a man who would later become a state senator, police---the list is long and curious. Greed makes strange bedfellows, indeed. Another helper was a local banker who, for certain considerations, helped Jerry place his money without detection. Then there was the police in a nearby county to ensure he could land his airplane without interference. This connection helped him escape the DEA in a noted shootout on one occasion.
I could continue but the picture by now is clear. When you look around you never know for certain what you're seeing. Je
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