Cocaine Cowboys
| Cocaine Cowboys | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Billy Corben |
| Produced by |
Alfred Spellman Billy Corben David Cypkin |
| Starring |
Jon Roberts Mickey Munday Jorge "Rivi" Ayala |
| Music by | Jan Hammer |
| Cinematography | Armando Salas |
| Edited by | Billy Corben David Cypkin |
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
US April 26, 2006 (Tribeca Film Festival) October 27, 2006 (limited) |
|
Running time
|
116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben, and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine and the Miami Drug War (the resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida, in the 1970s and 1980s). The producers of Cocaine Cowboys use interviews with law enforcers, journalists, lawyers, former drug smugglers, and gang members to provide a first-hand perspective of the Miami drug war.
Cocaine Cowboys chronicles the development of the illegal drug trade in Miami during the 1970s and 1980s with interviews of both law enforcement and organized crime leaders, in addition to news footage from the era. The film reveals that in the 1960s and early 1970s, marijuana was the primary import drug into the region. During the 1970s, marijuana imports were replaced by the much more lucrative cocaine imports; as more cocaine was smuggled into the United States, the price dropped, allowing it to turn "blue collar" and become accessible to a wider market.
Drug importers reveal several of the different methods used to import the drug into Florida. The primary methods of transport were aircraft or boats. The drug importers also reveal the complexity of their importation methods. The logistics involved included the purchase and financing of legitimate businesses to provide cover for illegal operations, the use of sophisticated electronic homing devices, and other elaborate transportation schemes.
The film also addresses the difficulty importers sometimes had storing all the money they made, resulting in their setting up a relationship with Noriega in Panama, as well as buying up entire neighborhoods of houses, putting money into infrastructure, as well as investing in side projects, such as race horses.
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