Episode 4/8: Sex, Drugs, and Lots of Money
Solo SUP-venture Around 365 Islands of Exuma Cay Chain (450km)
“Orgies. Five males, ten females and everybody runs naked and everybody switches partners and everybody drinks and smokes marijuana and alcohol and three days of Sodom and Gomorrah,” recalls Carlos Toro, an associate of Carlos Lehder, about his days on Norman’s Cay. “I remember, specifically, getting out of the airplane, the plane hasn’t even stopped taxiing on the runway, and this Land Rover pulls up. A very beautiful naked woman is driving the Rover, and she’s going to welcome me. Wow, this is the place to be.”
Well, I paddled for about 6 days and 160 kilometers to get to Norman’s Cay and let me tell you: There was no Land Rover welcoming me! Those golden days of Carlos Lehder and his associates are long gone. The intriguing history of the island, however, still visibly lingers in a few ruins and a well preserved aircraft wreck submerged in a bay just a few feet below the surface.
Carlos Lehder Rivas was co-founder of the infamous Medellin Cartel. Carlos handled cocaine transport and distribution, while the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar dealt with production and supply. Lehder bought Norman’s Cay in 1978, forced the locals away, and transformed the island into a drug smuggling hub. He built a 3,300-foot runway protected by radar, bodyguards, and Doberman attack dogs and revolutionized the cocaine trade by transporting the drug to the US using small aircraft, which allowed for much greater quantities with far less risk of interception. Previously the Colombian drug runners had relied on human “mules” transporting the drugs in suitcases on regular commercial flights. According to Wikipedia, in the glory days between 1978 and 1982, this tropical hideaway handled about 300 kilograms of cocaine daily and Lehder’s personal wealth mounted into the billions.
The party came to an end in 1982 when the Bahamian government, in response to pressure from U.S. law enforcement, finally began to crack down on the activities on Norman’s Cay. Eventually, Lehder was captured in the Columbian jungle and extradited to the United States, where he was tried and sentenced to life without parole, plus an additional 135 years. In 1992, in exchange for Lehder’s agreement to testify against Manuel Noriega, the sentence was reduced to a total sentence of 55 years.
Reportedly, Lehder is still detained in a minimum security prison in Florida where he is frequently visited by his family members.
(Pieces of information about Lehder were copied from Wikipedia & PBS Frontline interviews)
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