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Cubans And Drug Trafficking In Miami
The Deadly Connection Between Cubans and Cocaine in MiamiMiami has long been a hub for drug trafficking, especially cocaine smuggling from Latin America. And for decades, Cuban criminals have played a major role in Miami’s cocaine trade, from the infamous “Cocaine Cowboys” era of the 1970s and 80s to the present day. In this in-depth article, we’ll explore the history and impact of Cuban drug trafficking organizations in Miami, and what law enforcement is doing to combat this persistent problem.The Rise of the “Cocaine Cowboys“Back in the 1970s and early 80s, Miami was the main entry point for cocaine being smuggled into the United States from Colombia. A group of Cuban exiles who had fled Fidel Castro‘s communist regime saw an opportunity to make fast money and live the high life by trafficking cocaine. These flamboyant, violent criminals became known as the “Cocaine Cowboys.”
The original Cocaine Cowboys were part of Cuban-American crime groups that took over the cocaine trade from the American Mafia.
Prominent figures included:
- Griselda Blanco, the “Godmother of Cocaine,” who pioneered many of the smuggling and distribution tactics used by the Cocaine Cowboys
- Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon, who ran a massive cocaine smuggling operation and were known for their speedboat racing
- Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, a notorious hitman for the Cocaine Cowboys who admitted to 35 murders
These Cuban traffickers worked closely with the Medellín Cartel in Colombia to bring huge quantities of cocaine into south Florida. They used everything from small planes to cigarette boats to smuggle the drugs, often bribing officials to look the other way. The money was astronomical – a single drug run could bring in millions of dollars in profits.The Cocaine Cowboys lived large, buying mansions, exotic cars, and gold jewelry.
But their extravagant lifestyle came at a high cost. The 1970s and 80s saw a huge surge in violence in Miami as rival groups fought over control of the cocaine trade. Machine gun shootouts and grisly murders became commonplace. The Dadeland Mall massacre in 1979, where two rival cocaine dealers shot it out in broad daylight, was a turning point that brought national attention to the drug violence engulfing Miami.
Cracking Down on the Cocaine Trade
By the mid-1980s, the cocaine epidemic was devastating communities across America. The Cocaine Cowboys‘ rampant smuggling had helped make cocaine widely available and relatively affordable.
In 1982, Vice President George H.W. Bush came to Miami and declared south Florida a “battlefield” in the war on drugs. The federal government launched a massive crackdown on cocaine traffickers over the next few years.
A joint federal and local task force, the South Florida Drug Task Force, was formed to coordinate investigations and prosecutions of cocaine smugglers. Federal agencies like the DEA, FBI, and U.S. Customs Service devoted major resources to combating the cocaine trade in Miami. New tough federal drug laws were passed with harsh mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking.Many of the original Cocaine Cowboys were arrested and imprisoned during this period. Griselda Blanco was arrested in 1985 and spent nearly 20 years in prison. Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon were indicted in 1991 for smuggling 75 tons of cocaine, kicking off a decade-long legal saga. Both eventually received long prison sentences. Other Cuban traffickers were killed, often in violence related to the drug trade.