In 1886, five men met at San Francisco’s luxurious Baldwin Hotel to discuss a most profitable business: opium smuggling. The exploits of Will Whaley and his partners became the stuff of legend, with tales of landing contraband on deserted shores by the light of the moon, voyages across the Pacific, typhoons and shipwrecks. Their co-conspirator was the notorious Halcyon, a schooner that novelist Jack London once admiringly wrote “sailed like a witch.” Despite the danger, betrayals and mysterious deaths, their success inspired copycats and competitors alike, eager to cash in on the lucrative drug trade. Join author and career law enforcement agent John Madinger as he recounts the incredible story of America’s first organized drug trafficking ring.
John Madinger’s law enforcement career spanned thirty-five years as a criminal investigator and narcotic agent, where he specialized in money laundering, asset forfeiture and financial investigations. He is an expert witness and the author of Money Laundering: A Guide for Criminal Investigators. He has a BA in criminal justice from Indiana University and an MA in history from the University of Hawaii. He currently works for the Department of the Treasury, providing technical assistance around the world.