The Cuban Connection: Drug Trafficking, Smuggling, and Gambling in Cuba from the 1920s to the Revolution

22 For a series of such cases, see United States of America against Jorge Ernesto ParraValdivieso, Defendant,” 66CR268, RG21NE, Eastern District; American Embassy in Bogota 004

to Ruesmo, American Embassy in Mexico, Bogota 004

, 20 June 1966, RG59, SOC 11-5 COL, Bogota 004

1617; Carl F. Esposito, Acting Customs Agent in Charge, to Commissioner of Customs, New York, 6 July 1966, RG170-71A-3555, Box 8; American Embassy in Bogota 004

to Rueslm, American Embassy in Lima,” Bogota 004

, 21 October 1966, RG59, SOC 11-5 COL, Bogota 004

1862; Carlson, “Smuggling: Subject, A. Joseph Eliezer Antia, B. Ernesto Ardila Paez,” Bogota 004

, 10 March 1967, RG170-71A-3555, Box 8; Richard J. Dunagan, Narcotic Agent, “Investigation of Julian Martinez et al., Bogota 004

, Colombia,” Mexico City, 12 June 1967, RG170-74-12, Box 21; American Consul, Cali, to Department of State, Cali, 14 September 1967, RG170-71A-3555, Box 8; Carlson to Secretary of State, Bogota 004

, 22 December 1967, RG170-71A-3555, Box 8; United States v. Homero Sanchez Pineda, Heriberto Lozano Castro, and Maria Hermelinda Montoya, no. 67-267-CR-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-; United States of America v. Gloria Amparo Velez-Tamayo, no. 68-267-CR-TC, RG21SE, 73A188, Box 656; United States of America v. Jairo de Jesus Ospina-Gomez, no. 68-268-CR-TC, RG21SE, 73A188, Box 656; United States of America v. Arnulfo Baquero Barreto, no. 68-323-CR-JE, RG21SE, 73A188, Box 657; United States of America v. Lilian Gomez de Torres, 68CR274, RG21NE, Eastern District; United States of America v. Ofelia Mejia Ramirez, also known as Josefa Emilia Montoya Zapata, and Maria Gonzales, also known as Maria Hermania Montoya Zapata, Defendants, 68CR383, RG21NE, Eastern District; United States of America v. Jose Pena-Pena, a/k/a Alirio R. Castillo; Gilberto Amaya Contreras; Domingo Diaz Granados, a/k/a William A. Carranza, no. 69-359-CR-TC, RG21SE, 77A0075; United States of America v. Aura G. de Peralta, Eduvigis P. de Conrado, Alcira R. de Torres, Jose A. Malagon Sanchez, and Wilfredo Ocasio, Defendants, 69CR29, RG21NE, Eastern District; United States of America v. Rocio Ramirez Tamayo, Maria Socorro Ortiz Munoz, and John Doe, also known as “Palitraqui,” Defendants, 69CR64, RG21NE, Eastern District; United States of America v. Juan Carlos Velez, 69CR64, RG21NE, Eastern District; United States of America against Norelia Rodriguez Zapata, Defendant, 69CR157, RG21NE, Eastern District; United States of America against Juan Ramirez, also known as Santiago Eduardo Gomez-Restrepo, Defendant, 69CR282, RG21NE, Eastern District.

23 See International Association of Chiefs of Police, Survey, 2.

24 Florida State Board of Health, Annual Report, 1956, 184-86; 1957, 203-5.

25 See ibid., 1961, 193; 1962, 216; 1963, 135 (translated from Spanish).

26 Chilean drug traffickers continued sending cocaine to the United States until the beginning of the 1970s, at times doing so in association with Cubans who lived in the United States. An important case in this respect was that of Oscar Squella-Avendaño, who hailed from the Chilean elite and owned a fleet of cargo planes. SquellaAvendaño’s gang, composed of Chileans and Cubans, was captured in the mid-1970s, after the Chilean had landed one of his planes, with two hundred pounds of cocaine in its hold, at the Miami International Airport. See United States of America v. Marco Osorio, Andrés R. Rodríguez, Jorge Vazquez, Carlos Rojas, Rodolfo Quintanilla, Oscar Squella-Avendano, and Raul de Maria, no. 70-382-Cr-CF, RG21SE, 77 A0076, Box 17; United States of America v. Marco Osorio, a.k.a. Jose Fernandez, Andrés R. Rodríguez, Jorge Vazquez, Carlos Rojas, Rodolfo Quintanilla, Oscar Squella-Avendano, and Raul de Maria, no. 70-572-Cr-CF, RG21SE, 830291, Box 14.

27 On the substantial number of drug trafficking cases in the Miami area that involved Americans, see United States of America v. Nathaniel Chatman, no. 11.610-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 371; United States of America v. John Beverly, no. 11.707-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 374; United States of America v. Robert S. Hyman, alias Bobby Roman, no. 11.468-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 365; United States of America v. Walter Hirnyk Jr., no. 11.696-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 374; United States of America v. John Doe Alias Pee Wee (True name: Ellis Lee Wallace), no. 11.619-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 372; United States of America v. Bernard O. Smith, no. 11.717-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 374; United States of America v. George Hurd, no. 11.961-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916, Box 383; United States of America v. Ulysses Walker, no. 11.964-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 384; United States of America v. Gladys Wallace, no. 11.928-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 382; United States of America v. Charles Edward Grier, no. 12.048-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 400; United States of America v. Joseph Vitale, no. 12.060-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 402; United States of America v. Joseph Vitale, no. 12.061-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 403; United States of America v. Eugene T. Pinder, no. 12.065-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 403; United States of America v. David Frank Rossiter, no. 12.106-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 404; United States of America v. James Oblesby, no. 12.269-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 412; United States of America v. Gerald Milton Seidler, no. 61-128, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 404; United States of America v. Sanford Ralph Abramson, no. 53-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 427; United States of America v. Herbert Raymond Bridges, no. 142-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 431; United States of America v. Al Levy, no. 195-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 435; United States of America v. Arthur Curtis, no. 311-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 441; United States of America v. Richard Greenfield, no. 340-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 443; United States of America v. Wille B. Harris, alias Harris Goodblack, no. 632-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 462; United States of America v. Robert Lee Cason, no. 590-62-M-Cr, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 461; United States of America v. Martin L. Karp, Robert Smusz, alias Lefty, and Edward C. Delaney, no. 63-58-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 467; United States of America v. Marvin Roscher and Barry Landsman, no. 63-112-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 470; United States of America v. Anthony John Novello , no. 64-172-Cr-CF, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-; United States of America v. Eddie Lee Kirkland, no. 63-206-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 471; United States of America v. Jerome W. White, no. 63-207-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 471; United States of America v. Delfina Davis, no. 63-216-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 471; United States of America v. J. L. Jordan, no. 63-274-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 476; United States of America v. Phillip Anthony Roker, no. 63-447-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 489; United States of America v. Hyman Lesnick, no. 63-642-Cr-CF, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-; United States of America v. Aceie Casey Pearman, alias ‘TC,’ no. 64-309-Cr-DD, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 525; United States of America v. Sally Lin Holtzman and Edward Leonard Rapp, no. 64-485-Cr-CF, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 536; United States of America v. Edward Mitchell, with Aliases, no. 65-62-Cr-EC, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 577; United States of America v. Martin J. Matza and Candence Elizabeth Witlin, no. 66-60-Cr-WM, RG21SE, Criminal Case Files, 1916-, Box 601; United States of America v. William E. Adams and Kenneth Latimer, no. 66-247-Cr-DD, RG21SE, 73A188, Box 610; United States of America v. Arthur Franklin Dukeshire, no. 67-159-Cr-CA, RG21SE, 73A188, Box 629; United States of America v. Scott E. Harris, Armand Allen Rice, Blythe Lynn Vigo, and Ariel Nicolas Arenado, no. 69-89-Cr-WM, RG21SE, 71A0075, Box 2.