NCJ Number
123370
Date Published
1989
Length
310 pages
Annotation
Interviews with members and associates of the Air America cocaine trafficking organization as well as with the Federal agents who investigated the case form the basis of this account of the origins, operations, and downfall of the ring.
Abstract
The narrative explains how Rik Luytjes led the ring and evaded detection by law enforcement officials. It also details the drug pickups and takeoffs at jungle airfields in Colombia, the long flights over the Caribbean, the refueling stops in the Bahamas, and the evening landings in Florida, Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania. The discussion also covers the techniques used to launder or otherwise conceal the income from the drug trafficking and how the wiretaps, surveillance, and use of undercover informants enabled the Federal authorities to apprehend the offenders and end the operation of the ring. The analysis concludes that the members of the Air America ring were not unusual in their greed and that they were merely carrying on the spirit of unchecked free enterprise that has led to so many cases of insider trading, bank fraud, and political corruption in the 1980's. Index.