Editorial Content for The Last Kilo: Willy Falcon and the Cocaine Empire That Seduced America
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Willy Falcon and Sal Magluta were considered just another pair of “Cocaine Cowboys” in an area of rampant lawlessness. The longtime friends lived in South Florida and oversaw a narcotics enterprise that imported cocaine from Colombia and Mexico and lavished the addictive powder across parts of the East and West Coasts of the United States. The exact amount that their organization, Los Muchachos, imported has been speculated on over time, but the weight may have been as much as 7.5 tons. Falcon and Magluta’s presence on the drug scene may not have occurred were it not for the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro.
"THE LAST KILO further demonstrates T.J. English’s mastery in the subject of true crime. English animatedly relates the rise and fall of a criminal empire while not sparing the exhaustive details."
The overthrow of the Cuban government at the beginning of 1959 had long-term ramifications for the people of Cuba. The promise of the Castro government soon succumbed to worry as the actions of Castro and his minions became more repressive. The families of Falcon and Magluta no longer felt safe and fled to the friendlier confines of Miami, where a large exile community had taken up residence since Castro’s ascension. Falcon’s entry into the drug trade began after an introduction to an exile legend and CIA asset, Rafael “Chi Chi” Quintero. Initially, Falcon and a friend were aiding the movement to retake Cuba with their first cocaine deal. However, the lucrative possibilities were too good to ignore, and Falcon and his associates became distributors.
Whereas many of the actors in the drug trade were engaged in violent territorial battles, Los Muchachos usually remained removed from the bloodshed. They preferred to cut ties with troublesome associates rather than have them permanently neutralized. They played both sides in obtaining cocaine from the Medellin and Cali cartels in Colombia. Falcon, Magluta and their underlings staved off lengthy incarceration with high-priced legal representation from lawyers well-versed in drug trials.
Despite initial success in their illicit dealings, law enforcement’s scrutiny of Los Muchachos arrived early in a sting that rounded up Falcon and Magluta. Their operations were often shielded by corrupt lawmen, but most cops and prosecutors were straight shooters and desired their arrest and prosecution. The salad days of the organization were in the 1980s when a costly bust could be balanced out by the next day's successful shipment. The turbulence would arrive as former associates were detained and began cooperating. The drama wouldn’t end with a high-profile arrest but served as a mere prelude for what the trial would offer.
THE LAST KILO further demonstrates T.J. English’s mastery in the subject of true crime. English animatedly relates the rise and fall of a criminal empire while not sparing the exhaustive details. He elucidates the complex inner workings of a criminal organization through exemplary research and interviews. He doesn’t make excuses for Falcon and Magluta’s criminal exploits, but he also gives them a dose of humanity that is often removed from the mainstream media and law enforcement portrayals.
Willy Falcon is the dominant presence in this engrossing saga, the charismatic head of an operation that employed family and friends, and supplied a growing demand for a country’s destructive addiction. T.J. English has written another home run of a book in his illustrious career.
Teaser
Despite what Scarface might lead one to believe, violence was not the dominant characteristic of the cocaine business. It was corruption: the dirty cops, agents, lawyers, judges and politicians who made the drug world go round. And no one managed that carousel of dangerous players better than Willy Falcon. Los Muchachos, the syndicate founded by Falcon, thrived as a major cocaine distribution network in the US from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. At their height, Los Muchachos made more than a hundred million dollars a year. T. J. English has been granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of Los Muchachos, sitting down with Willy Falcon and his associates for many lengthy interviews, and revealing never-before-understood details about drug trafficking.
Promo
Despite what Scarface might lead one to believe, violence was not the dominant characteristic of the cocaine business. It was corruption: the dirty cops, agents, lawyers, judges and politicians who made the drug world go round. And no one managed that carousel of dangerous players better than Willy Falcon. Los Muchachos, the syndicate founded by Falcon, thrived as a major cocaine distribution network in the US from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. At their height, Los Muchachos made more than a hundred million dollars a year. T. J. English has been granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of Los Muchachos, sitting down with Willy Falcon and his associates for many lengthy interviews, and revealing never-before-understood details about drug trafficking.
About the Book
From true-crime legend T. J. English, the epic, behind-the-scenes saga of Los Muchachos, one of the most successful cocaine trafficking organizations in American history --- a story of glitz, glamour and organized crime set against 1980s Miami.
Despite what Scarface might lead one to believe, violence was not the dominant characteristic of the cocaine business. It was corruption: the dirty cops, agents, lawyers, judges and politicians who made the drug world go round. And no one managed that carousel of dangerous players better than Willy Falcon.
A Cuban exile whose family escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba when he was 11 years old, Falcon, as a teenager, became active in the anti-Castro movement. He began smuggling cocaine into the US as a way to raise money to buy arms for the Contras in Central America. This counter-revolutionary activity led directly to Willy’s genesis as a narco. He and his partners built an extraordinary international organization from the ground up. Los Muchachos, the syndicate founded by Falcon, thrived as a major cocaine distribution network in the U.S. from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. At their height, Los Muchachos made more than a hundred million dollars a year. At the same time, Willy, his brother Tavy Falcon, and partner Sal Magluta became famous as championship powerboat racers.
Cocaine, used by everyone from A-list celebrities to lawyers and people in law enforcement, came to define an era, and for a time, Willy Falcon and those like him --- major suppliers, of whom there were only a few --- became stars in their own right. They were the deliverers of good times, at least until the downside of persistent cocaine use became apparent: delusions of grandeur, psychological addiction, financial ruin. Thus, the War on Drugs was born, and federal authorities came after Falcon and his crew with a vengeance. Willy found himself on the run, his marriage and family life in shambles, the halcyon days of boat races and lavish trips to Vegas and parties at the Mutiny night club seemingly a distant memory.
T. J. English has been granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of Los Muchachos, sitting down with Willy Falcon and his associates for many lengthy interviews, and revealing never-before-understood details about drug trafficking. A classic of true-crime writing from a master of the genre, THE LAST KILO traces the rise and fall of a true cocaine empire --- and the lives left in its wake.
Audiobook available, read by Christian Barillas
