Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded

Showtime has been running the updated version of Cocaine Cowboys this month. These were ruthless gagnsters in s florida in the '80s, and they were making 100s of millions of dollars in drugs n gun trade. Did the italian mafia down in s florida just look the other way because the "cowboys" were so ruthless or were they involved in anyway? or were they involved w the drug trade once it left miami. This era of miami and the drug trade is much like prohibition in chicago and nyc that is portrayed in Boardwalk Empire and seems on equal level of violence in both eras.

Both episodes were good !!

I don't think the mob was ever too active in Miami were they ?? Lansky lived there but i don't think he was running any rackets there...

I know that one NYC cop who played on the soprano's said that Pablo Escobar's guys in NYC kicked back $10,000 on every kilo they sold to one of the families !!

I remember reading something about a guy that used the name Chris demeo that was involved in ripping off and killing a couple Cuban people from south Florida

The guy with the mustache in cocaine cowboys infers that his uncle is a connected guy a few times in the movie

Are you talking about Chris Rosenberg from the Demeo Crew?

Yeah

It's murky. Either John Riccobono actually had a contract on his life from the mafia and was hiding in South Florida trafficking in cocaine, or his contacts and family in the mafia helped hide his whereabouts, or the mafia knew he was in Florida and was satisfied to leave him there as long as he stayed away from New York and the investigation over the police shooting.

Someone from Cosa Nostra had to know Jon Roberts was carrying on in South Florida. Maybe the upper hierarchy never heard of "Jon Roberts" and took him for an associate that paid tax to the mob to be able to move dope into the USA? They only heard of Riccobono. All conjecture.

Alfa Romeo...I agree with you what you are saying that someone probably knew of him and thought he was kicking up. I mean they had ridiculous sums of money they were dealing with but both the cubans and the columbians were crazy so maybe the italian mobsters stayed clear. There also could have been a bit of arrogance from the NY families thinking that these new "americans' couldnt be very well organized nor know what they were doing. And the alleged mob rule of not dealing with drugs might have had some to look the other way.

lansky's stepson was killed down there

Theres a book called the cocaine cowboys, [good read} john riccobone was deeply connected. the man ahead of escobar was named "don chulo" he was in Columbia. riccobone had ben to Columbia many times, his uncle was "staten island joe" riccobone he was a copo in the Gambino family, his uncle had told him in a meeting in flordia, that he had to kick back to him. john riccoboe just laughed at him, according to the book riccobone never kicked back a nickel to any family. and it never mentioned escobars guys kicking back anything,

holy shit I had no idea about any of that. I call bs tho, at the very least I bet he had to kick up to his uncle. in the movie he said he reached out to his uncle to get some guys down there for a job. I doubt he's able to do any of that doing what he's doing and not sharing anything.

Caught it on showtime over the weekend great doc. I seen it years ago they just put a lot more.shit in it. Wonder if they had any money after they did there bids. Miky the pilot. Seemed like a smart guy. Jon Roberts is OK doesn't come off to much of a dick like l rats in mob docs.

sal bronte, you should really read the book "cocaine cowboys" its different than the movie. the book says he kicked back nothing to anyone. and the Columbians kicked back nothing either. the drug cartels are much more vicious than any mob fanily, remember when a member of roy demeos crew killed a couple of drug dealers, roy had to whack him or else they were going to send in shooters. nobody wanted a war with the drug cartels.

It's called American desperado and it's by Evan wright. He also did generation kill. Very respective researcher/writer. The books footnotes alone could have been a separate book.

I'm not saying everything is true. Nothing ever is with socio paths but this book was by the far the most thoroughly researched book I have ever read. And I've read a few

Just watched it again this afternoon and jon roberts said that at the end he called his uncle up to get 2 connected guys that the columbians called "spaghetti someins" to take out a rat... the NY guys went down to new orleans to do it but said there was too much heat so they left. The Columbians sent up 5 "indians" to do the job and they took out the govt rat then got arrested. Watching the new version again, and this is probably 4th time including original, but it just is amazing the money, drugs, and murder that went on in Miami in this time period. I always thought the NYC "new jack" crack dealers were sophisticated... these guys from munday to roberts to the cubans and columbians were way ahead of the miami pd and the federal govt

the book I read was about john riccobone being tied up to the top Columbian drug lords, his meetings with escobar, his trips to Columbia to see escobars boss don cholo, I thought it was cocaine cowboys, maybe im mistaken as to the title.

Do you remember what politician extorted him?

no, cant recall.

[quote=Binnie_Coll]

I wasn't questioning any if that. I know not even the mob wanted to step on those guys toes(I've read murder machine) what I find hard to believe is his uncle not getting some type of kick just to keep the Gambinos out of it. I haven't read the book so I have no basis for this assumption

Binnie, there are two books. One is American Desperado, and the other is "Columbia: The Cocaine Cowboys". I don't know if that's the one you read or are familiar with.

well, thank you romeo, I believe it was the cocaine cowboys, I recommend the book, and if I may suggest a book to you. [the quiet don} its the story of Russell buffalino, a don that avoided the headlines.

sal bronte, im reading murder machine again,its just mind-boggling to me how the demeo crew could get away with all they did, its as if NOBODY cared {gaggi, castellano, others, as long as roy made money. capeci says they murdered 200. and as long as they got away with they kept doing it.

Binnie-yeah it is crazy to think what they got away with. The vacuum salesman and their murder for hire on the side is especially head scratching. Maybe we sometimes tend to forgot how thick those envelopes Paul and nino got probably were. Roy seemed to be into just about everything and was good at it.......and some things he was great at.


But if I'm Chris and have spent my entire life in Canarsie around people like Roy, Joey, Anthony, Henry ect, be in the drug business no less and not know better than to do ANY of that. There's nobody that dumb or balsy to think they'd get away with that. And then to actually not go on the run after you knew this was a problem. Did he really think the Gambinos were going to go to war with a Cuban cartel over him lol? A guy who can't be made and biggest connection to the family he has is a soldier with a reputation for running a reckless crew in which he's apart of no less lol.

sal, yeah , good thinking, just goes to shoe you where their heads are at, chriss was coked up most of the time, as was Borelli, and maybe senter, and testa too, great observation on chris Rosenberg.

alfa romeo, the book I read is "American desperado" the name is john riccobono and he is jon Roberts, that's what had me confused, jon Roberts real name is john riccobono. great read.

maybe he knew there was no coming back from what he did and didnt want to cause all of his friends to die while he was alive and running and fell on his own sword so to speak






thats actually no less logical than anything else lol

I think you may have a good assumption there, you know there were 5 serial killers including chris in that crew, and, I think in a way they were to some degree all suicidal, and when you kill that many it does something to you, chris or for that matter any of them could not stop killing. and maybe they were sick about it and simply didn't care.

Thanks for that!

The Colombians didnt kick up a dime to anyone. Those coke guys carried more money in their front pocket than Carlo Gambino banked in 50 years. The money those guys made was unfathomable. Although Scarface was fictional, thats really how it was in south florida back in the 70's and 80's.

Belmont, man, I hear you. in "American desperado" the Columbians paid no mind to the mob families, these guys had money and troops. in the book, john riccobono just laughed when his uncle joe { a Gambino capo} told him to pay him, he ignored him. he tells in the book having seen 400 million in u.s. currency, and,he saw those numbers all the time. the coke lords carried the day in the 70s 80s.

I hear you and think that the Columbians at this time may have not had a clue and definitely didnt care about the mafia. Most of the columbians were poor farmers who stumbled upon a gold mine that was perfect for the 80s. That griselda blanco had an army of hitmen in miami taking out anyone who crossed her. This was a modern day version of 1920s chicago

Binnie, wonder if people like John Riccobono sent out word how ruthless these columbians and cubans were and maybe that weighed on the gambinos and others to stay away, but I can't think they were too happy about losing out on any bit of all those billions of dollars being thrown around

so which one is it, american desperado by evan wright or cocaine cowboys the book?

I dont think Riccobono or anybody had to explain to them that the Cubans were just on another level of violence then they were............we all know its disputed as to whether or not Montiglio really played peacemaker between the Cubans and Gambinos during that dispute but that surely implies that there were "Cocaine Cowboys" types in NYC

cheech, its American desperado, jon Roberts is john riccobono. sorry for the confusion, but, I got an excuse, im an old guy,

Are you talking about the Barry Seal murder?

Yeah, he was talking about the Barry seal murder

In an escobar documentary a narcotics cop mentions escobar's guys in NYC kicking back $10,000 for every kilo sold to one of the NY families..In Florida i'm guessing they probably didn't !!

That was a good book btw !!

Just checked it out...It was $5,000 they kicked back not $10,000

I'm not sure Roberts was involved in the Seal murder at all. He was in too deep with many different folks. Even had George H.W. Bush's number in his car or something at the time of the murder. I'm not even sure it was purely the Colombians that killed him (we know they were the shooters). It's a good possibility that the government had him clipped.

Also I think the hit was in Baton Rouge and not NOLA.

Yeah… Barry Seal is who Rafa(I believe) demanded that John R. have hit. He wanted John to do it, or John to source it. Barry Seal was an ex-CIA pilot and cartel mule who was set to testify in front of a senate sub-committee on cartel operations in exchange for federal immunity.

He also had state charges that a judge REFUSED to grant him immunity on, thus exposing him. Seal had 24 hour, round the clock protection. John called in the hitters, who decided the job couldn't be done, and the Columbian triggers came in to do the job.

I used to live in Broward County and actually attended a screening in Miami of Cocaine Cowboys, along with a Q&A with the Rakontur fellas and John Roberts. John R. sidestepped any discussion about his association with NY Cosa except to basically repeat what he said in CC. I HIGHLY doubt that no money exchanged hands, or that there wasn't a cocaine supply deal at the least, between Cowboys and NY. Why would NY have agreed to hit Barry Seal if there at least wasn't a working relationship??? All in all the screening was a pretty cool experience. If I am not mistaken Billy Corbin is going to open a Rakontur associated night club or something. I left Florida in 2011 though, so I am not too sure the specifics on all of that.

It was in BR Dixie. I think the Colombians got caught on the interstate driving away or something right?

Pablo Escobar - King of Cocaine (part 1)

7:55 mark !!!

They caught them on the way out, I forget in what conditions though. That's why I think the government was in on it, they were caught pretty quickly.

hey, dilorenzo, you know your stuff!! good for you, man, the money those guys made in coke, they had stacks of bills higher than jacks beanstalk.

Thanks BC...I just remembered that part because I was surprised, but like you said, they were making so much money, who needs a war with a major crime family...They're not gonna miss that $5,000 a key !!

hey, dilorenzo, you know your stuff!! good for you, man, the money those guys made in coke, they had stacks of bills higher than jacks beanstalk.

sorry about the double post, my bad.

g

very cool!!! Im w you on how roberts could just go to NY and try and hire hitters if they didnt already have something going on....

I have Cocaine Cowboys 1 & 2. Does Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded add substantially to those? Worth picking up if you already have 1 &2?

Its all updated stuff on there i didnt like 2 as much as first one but I think this may have new stuff w mickey munday on it and they have "rivi" the hitman appealing his life in prison sentence

Reading up on Barry Seal and his involvement with both the drug running or the CIA and that is one heck of a story in itself.

RELOADED adds about 40 minutes of footage. It really isn't worth picking up if you have 1&2. RELOADED makes no mention of the events that took place after Griselda went to prison.

One thing that was NOT mentioned, which I think SHOULD have been was that on the very day Griselda walked out of Prison in 20xx, Rivi got stabbed up. I can't believe they left that out. It goes to show the power that Griselda STILL had, which is actually quite fucking fascinating. American Cosa Nostra has rats living out in the open… The Columbians and Mexicans are as wild as ever.

I actually had an affinity for Rivi. He seemed like a cool, personable motherfucker, psychopathic tendencies aside.

affinity for Rava? did you read the book?

I am talking about Jorge "Rivi" Alaya. He was extremly charismatic and seemed like a genuinely entertaining dude with a gift for orating some crazy times in history. I'm familiar with "Rafa" Salazar… He was a fucking nutcase. Which is who I assume you are talking about.

You're right. I read it wrong. My apologies. But Rivi is a psycho as well. More Articulate than the average Colombian. But a psycho nonetheless.

But yes. Sorry. Read it wrong

Thanks Merlino and IlLupo77. I'm probably going to check it out on netflix or where ever else it's available.

No worries, man. Yeah, Rivi is definitely a psycho, a charismatic psycho.

No worries, man. Yeah, Rivi is definitely a psycho, a charismatic psycho.

That stuttering unibrow? I politely disagree. They should have nicknamed him machine gun, because that's what his head looked like while he stuttered trying to express his ignorance. Rivi is pathetic. The guy is a mass murderer and avoided the death penalty as if it was plague. Somehow, even if he never told on another gangster, I think that makes him a type of rat.

Yes he was involved in all kinds of shit and was lucky he wasn't dead long before that. He had major ties to about anything imaginable.

And I agree on Rivi, he looks like a dude you see in a bar that you can carry on a conversation with then you see on the news he went nuts and killed someone an hour later.