The Cornbread Mafia A Homegrown Syndicate's Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History

by Higdon, James

• ISBN13: 9780762778232
• ISBN10: 0762778237
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-04-20
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

In the summer of 1987, Johnny Boone set out to grow and harvest one of the greatest outdoor marijuana crops in modern times. By doing so, he set into motion a series of events that defined him and his associates as the largest homegrown marijuana syndicate in American history, also known as "The Cornbread Mafia." Author James Higdonwhose relationship with Johnny Boone, currently a federal fugitive, made him the first journalist subpoenaed under the Obama administrationtakes readers back to the 1970s and '80s and the clash between federal and local law enforcement and a band of Kentucky farmers with moonshine and pride in their bloodlines. By 1989, the task force assigned to take down men like Johnny Boone arrested 69 men and one woman from busts on 29 farms in 10 states, and seizing 182 tons of pot. Of the 70 individuals arrested, zero talked. The who, what, when, where, why and how of it alla tale of Mafia-style storylines emanating from the Bluegrass state, and populated by Vietnam veteran and weed-loving characters caught up in Tarantino-level violence and heart-breaking altruismis accompanied by a soundtrack of Southern rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues. And it is told by James Higdon in action-packed, colorful, and riveting detail.

Author Biography

JAMES HIGDON studied writing at Brown and journalism at Columbia, where he graduated with honors in 2005. He has worked for the Courier-Journal in Louisville and the New York Times; contributed material to The Prairie Home Companion; and researched the NYPD counter-terrorism and intelligence divisions.  His reporting relationship with Johnny Boone landed him in the crosshairs of a federal manhunt, making him the first journalist subpoenaed by the Obama administration. He lives in Lebanon, Kentucky, and Brooklyn, New York.

Table of Contents

Preface: Tina Tells Ike: "It's Gonna Work Out Fine"	p. vii
A County Is Born: Catholic Migration, the Civil War, Prohibition and John Dillinger	p. 3
The Hot Air-Conditioner Incident, the Lebanese Mayor of Lebanon and the Killing of Charlie Stiles	p. 32
The Dark Side of Cornbread, Starring Garland Russell	p. 63
"This Is Some Absolutely Dynamite Pot Here," the Police Said	p. 89
Cornbread in the Tropics, the Cops Don't Trust the DEA and Jimmy Bickett Sees Johnny Boone on Television	p. 130
Growers versus the Drought of 1983, a Rash of Raywick Killings and a Drug Investigation Gone Wrong	p. 150
How the Jesuit College at St. Mary's Became the First Private Prison in America	p. 166
Johnny Boone Becomes "Mr. Grass"	p. 200
The DEA Wants to Know, "Where Did You Get This Lion?"	p. 239
The "Combread" Press Conference	p. 265
"Welcome to the Gladiator Arena"	p. 274
The US Marshals versus James Higdon	p. 304
Notes and Sources	p. 345
Index	p. 366
Acknowledgments and About the Author	p. 376
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