It was a Sunday morning in Miami when Jerry drove his pickup to an exclusive apartment complex to get the $2,000,000. The friend brought out the money in duffel bags, which Jerry placed inside the truck. After a short conversation, he headed north toward Fort Lauderdale. The interstate was uncrowded as Jerry headed toward home. As he was leaving the city, he glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the flashing blue lights. His first thought was “Oh shit!” He pulled to the side and held his breath as the policeman strolled to the truck, smiling at Jerry. What had happened was that Jerry had moved suddenly across two lanes to access a fork where the interstate split. Jerry explained that he had remembered he was going somewhere and made the move without thinking, but first he had looked in the mirror to make sure the way was cleared. The cop accepted the story and warned him to drive carefully. And Jerry was back on the road.
This was just one of a few close escapes for him. Delivering the cocaine once the plane had landed was tough, and getting the money later was risky. Jerry would land the plane at a remote airport in the southeast, where the cocaine would be offloaded into cars or vans and driven to south Florida, where they would be parked in a lot for the Colombians to pick up, then a phone call telling where Jerry could pick up the money. It wasn’tlike the movies where money would be deposited in an account. This was the 80s and things were done in a more primitive way.
But the problem didn’t stop after the money was delivered. Jerry had to figure out what to do with it. He could launder some, buy exotic cars and houses, airplanes, but the rest---well, he put a lot of it in a closet. When he told me this story, I thought of one of those old marijuana flicks where the men stashed money in boxes while they got stoned in their underwear. He had millions in the closet. Then, one day he had Karla and Bonnie take it in suitcases and board a private plane. This money would later become his bank account when he was awaiting trial. It was from this money he paid his lawyers, etc. It was money the feds never found. Later, Karla, according to Jerry, took most of it.
.
This was just one of a few close escapes for him. Delivering the cocaine once the plane had landed was tough, and getting the money later was risky. Jerry would land the plane at a remote airport in the southeast, where the cocaine would be offloaded into cars or vans and driven to south Florida, where they would be parked in a lot for the Colombians to pick up, then a phone call telling where Jerry could pick up the money. It wasn’tlike the movies where money would be deposited in an account. This was the 80s and things were done in a more primitive way.
But the problem didn’t stop after the money was delivered. Jerry had to figure out what to do with it. He could launder some, buy exotic cars and houses, airplanes, but the rest---well, he put a lot of it in a closet. When he told me this story, I thought of one of those old marijuana flicks where the men stashed money in boxes while they got stoned in their underwear. He had millions in the closet. Then, one day he had Karla and Bonnie take it in suitcases and board a private plane. This money would later become his bank account when he was awaiting trial. It was from this money he paid his lawyers, etc. It was money the feds never found. Later, Karla, according to Jerry, took most of it.
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