Jackpot

Jackpot (2011) by Jason Ryan. The full title of this book is Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs. The first half of the book is a rather lengthy and detailed account of marijuana smuggling back in the late '70s and early '80s in (mainly) South Carolina. The smugglers (and many are named) would take a boat down to Central America and pick up load of dope, then bring it back to a drop-off point in South Carolina. There, it would be transferred to trucks and transported to points inland, where it could be sold at tremendous profit. The second half of the book tells all about Operation Jackpot, a government crusade to bust the smugglers by researching their financial records and finding out where they had money that was unaccounted for. It would be going too far to call this book "exciting," but it was certainly interesting. There are an awful lot of characters to keep track of, both on the smuggling side and on the government side. But it's really not necessary to keep track of them all. This book takes a fascinating look at a microcosm of U.S. society at a certain point in time, and gives a fair and balanced look at both sides in the drug debate. Should marijuana be legalized? Read this book and judge for yourself. Grade: A-