

For Reaves, the risk was worth the reward.īut, as we all know, the good times can't last forever. He loved the rush of flying under the radar, dodging the authorities, and making deals with the devil himself. Reaves was motivated by the lure of big bucks and the thrill of danger. Now, you might be wondering how someone like Reaves got into the drug smuggling business in the first place. Together, they smuggled millions of dollars worth of cocaine into the United States, using a fleet of planes and a network of corrupt U.S. He was a key player in Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel and employed the infamous Barry Seal as a pilot in many of his operations. Reaves quickly made a name for himself in the drug smuggling world, working for some of the most notorious drug lords in history. Watch this long-form Lex Fridman interview with Roger Reaves: According to his memoir, Reaves claims that Seal paid millions in bribes to the Clintons when Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas in order to land planes carrying cocaine at Mena, Arkansas.
#Smuggler a memoir roger reaves movie
And, so there’s no confusion, the CIA portrayed in the movie and Cruise calls “boss” is not about Reaves.

Sadly, Reaves’ part in some of the operations was never brought to light in the movie. Now you may not know the name Roger Reaves, but some of his operations were made famous by the movie “ American Made ” when Tom Cruise played Reaves’ employee Barry Seal. That's when he stumbled upon the world of drug smuggling and he never looked back. But when the war ended, he found himself without a job and a purpose. Reaves began his career as a pilot, flying planes for the US military during the Vietnam War. ”įirst things first, who is Roger Reaves? Well, my friends, Roger Reaves is not your average Joe. You can read his account first-hand via his memoir, “ Smuggler. So, let's buckle up and get ready to take a trip down memory lane.

Now, I don't know about you, but being from South Florida, the mere mention of drug smuggling gets my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping. Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a bumpy ride because we're about to dive deep into the wild and crazy life of Roger Reaves, the American pilot who claims he was one of the most prolific drug smugglers in history and I believe him.
