GLAMOUR PROFESSION

When I met Jack, he was a 77 year old exemplary prisoner who had been languishing behind bars for 20 years and counting.

Because he had refused to play ball with prosecutors, Jack told me how his constitutional rights were compromised.

He told me about government wrongdoing in the courtroom that really made my stomach turn, I was sickened.

I know little about law. Yet somewhere deep inside me I knew Jack was not supposed to still be in prison, that his life sentence was a mistake that could be rectified and was past time to do so.

Now honestly, I didn't know how I could know this. But I did.

I began doing the background research for Jack's biography, and this was a major turning point because it would ultimately lead to the revelation that would change everything. It forced me to reach into the farthest depths of my soul to muster the courage to speak up for the man really most everyone had forgotten. You know, courage I didn't even know I had.

I swear I don't think I could have summoned it for myself. I know I couldn't have but for Jack somehow, I found the inner strength and what I had to do.

He was a non violent offender, a self proclaimed pacifist, a caring tender soul who in no way resembled the cold hearted, bad boy, convicts are often portrayed to be. I must say that in addition to my driving need to take action on Jack's behalf, I felt a piercing unaccountable sadness, a heavy pre cognitive grief surrounding the yet unseen events that were to unfold around Jack's final life adventure and my joining him on this path. 

~ MayCay Beeler

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Back in the Jacksonville courthouse, it was a time for the arraignment. We were brought before a judge, the charges against us officially read and asked how we pled. Carlos and I both pled "NOT GUILTY" and the trial date was set.

By this time, we both had attorneys. Mine was a young lawyer from Jacksonville, appointed by the court, who turned out to be quite adept at the law. Carlos, having substantial financial resources, hired two very well known trial attorneys from South Florida. They proceeded to rent an apartment in town and flew home on weekends.

Preparing for a trial of this magnitude was a long drawn out process, taking several months of pretrial hearings and developing a plan for our defense. It was a gala event the day the trial commenced. The courtroom was packed - priority seating going first to security, then friends of the court, media artists, and finally, what few seats were left went to spectators. If it had been a play on Broadway, it would have been a huge success. Standing Room Only!

What followed became the longest running drug trial in United States History.

~ Jack Carlton Reed

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“As the boats reached the shore, every person onboard stood up with some type of weapon pointed at me. They were screaming in English & Spanish for me to lie down on the beach. About that time, the men that Sheldon had seen came running down the isthmus, armed to the teeth.

Some surrounded me; others went off in different directions.

One, who appeared to be the leader of the raid – and who looked & acted American – handcuffed me.

He took out a photo, glanced at it and looked at me hard, saying I was the one they were looking for.

He identified himself as a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration and told me that I was under arrest.

He informed me that I had been indicted in the US in 1981 for drug related crimes along with my friend Carlos Lehder. I was told that he’d been captured two days earlier in Columbia. I was also informed that they had known where I was living for a year and a half, and they didn’t bother with me until they captured Carlos, whom he referred to as the “Kingpin” of the Medellin Cartel.

The DEA agent, now accompanied by another agent, proceeded to our home where they ransacked the place. Most of Noriega’s people were combing the property looking for contraband, I presume. Except for a small stash of pot for my personal pleasure, there was nothing to be found.

They had been looking for a cache of Columbian cocaine and weapons, assuming that I was operating a waypoint for the trans-shipment of drugs from the Cartel in Columbia – through Panama – and as I later learned, to Nicaragua. 

After thoroughly searching our property, and finding nothing, they realized we were living a Spartan lifestyle that could be likened to the story of Robinson Crusoe.”

- Jack Reed

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“Arriving in Columbia, we skipped the normal entry procedure, none of us immigrants having one shred of the required paperwork. We landed at the Armenia Airport, this time without any fanfare. Not being an airport of entry, no customs paperwork was required. 

Initially, we were guests of Carlos Lehder at ‘Bella Horizante’, his picture book ranch sitting on a bluff overlooking the valley below. Pure white cattle contently grazed in a pasture adjoining a large spectacular bamboo grove on one side, and hectares of pineapples on the other. I shall forever cherish the close friendships that I developed with my Columbian amigos.

We saw Carlos often when he had time to spare from his business activities. Being an ambitious and charismatic young man, he had a large following of admirers that encouraged him to enter the political arena in his local area. He was very adept at impromptu gatherings and speaking to his fellow countrymen. He was also busy completing a beautiful hotel that was built on the side of a mountain with a breathtaking view. 

Carlos had purchased an old dairy farm and invited us to take a look at it. It was in close proximity to his hotel. It consisted of a farmhouse and a structure for feeding & milking cows. It was late September, around my birthday, and upon my congratulating Carlos on his latest acquisition, I was shocked when he told me that the farm was his birthday gift to me! I was more than shocked, I was overwhelmed! Sheldon & I need not concern ourselves with the other living options that we’d been considering. Carlos had even taken care of our resident status and furnished us with a live-in helper.”

-Jack Reed

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“Island life wasn’t like it used to be. With the potential threat to the island, uneasiness prevailed.

Carlos (Lehder) sensed the threat of a possible attempt to kidnap him. Two men were recruited from Germany to be his personal bodyguards. Gone were the days of leisurely BBQ’s on the beach and diving on the pristine reefs and adjoining islands. This – combined with the frequent raids disrupting our lifestyle – prompted Sheldon & me to consider taking a look at moving to another part of the world. 

We considered British Columbia. With a reputation of being one of the most beautiful places on earth, this locale was fetching. After discussing our idea with Carlos, he agreed, knowing the island had lost its charm, and now only had value for conducting business. We took care of our affairs, and Morgan sent us on our way in one of our business jets. He promised he would be our first visitor if we liked Canada & decided to stay.

There were 3 passengers on this trip – Sheldon, myself, and Norman – the Golden Retriever I had purchased for Sheldon’s birthday on one of my many trips to Florida. He was a cuddly puppy then and had grown into a handsome 75-pound bundle of joy. He was our constant companion. After checking out of the Bahamas, we flew directly to Toronto where we spent the night. The next day, we completed the final leg of our trip flying across Canada to Calgary. 

We eventually found an old mining community called Kimberly, located in one of the valleys. It was a charming little village maintaining a Bavarian motif. With great determination, we finally found a cabin the shore of a beautiful lake at the foot of the Rockies. We settled into our new home, purchased a Bronco to negotiate rough winter terrain, ordered a couple chords of firewood, and fell into a relaxed mood once again. This was a completely different environment, one that we had never experienced before. Like the island, this was another unique lifestyle, much superior to ‘establishment’ living.”

-Jack Reed

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In the late 70’s Norman’s Cay would become part of criminal lore, as Carlos Lehder turned it into a drug smuggling paradise. Jack Reed would soon join Carlos on the island and a lifelong friendship began.

Meanwhile, MayCay Beeler takes us behind the scenes of her research on Buccaneer.

That included traveling to Columbia to meet with members of the operation, and developing an interesting relationship with the infamous George Jung.

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‘Stringbean' is a long-time acquaintance I had been associated with many years before the start of this adventure, which commenced in the mid-seventies. Having been affiliated with a small air charter business, I had become a pilot in the early 60’s and had been an influence on Stringbean’s learning to fly. He used his skills basically to smuggle Mexican pot into Southern California where we both resided While I initially used my flying skills in honest work; I too would become a pot smuggler.

At this particular point in time, Stringbean was flying for a dealer called ‘Poppa Charley.’ Stringbean introduced me to Poppa & his girlfriend that I will refer to as ‘Mom.’  She & I lived in the same neighborhood of Huntington Beach. Mom was a flamboyant lady who loved to party, do drugs socially, and hang out with drug dealers & smugglers. Long-term relationships were difficult for her to maintain, having been married 8 times & giving birth to 3 children. One of her children was Sheldon.

Before meeting Sheldon, I had been a failure with the ladies. I was a liar, a cheat & a playboy. I tried & tried to live out the customary roles society expected of me with conventional jobs & relationships, even marrying my high school sweetheart, but failed miserably because I was so unfulfilled.

I eventually came to realize I was allergic to traditional family life and the drudgery of the establishment, so much so, I abandoned my family, friends & acquaintances in my search for a higher quality of life.

During my smuggling career, I kept in touch with none of my family, making new acquaintances as my career progressed.” ~ Pilot Jack Reed

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Norman's Cay is an island 210 miles of the Florida Coast in the Bahamas Exuma chain.

Having gained notoriety in the late 70s as a staging point for drug smuggling, Norman's Cay was immortalized in Blow, a 2001 motion picture starring Johnny Depp.

From '78 through '82, Norman's Cay was the epicenter of the world's largest smuggling operation. It was the tropical playground of drug czar Carlos Lehder, partner to Pablo Escobar, founder of the Medellin Cartel.

Cocaine was flown in from Columbia by private aircraft, then reloaded into other aircraft, and flown to locations in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.

We continue tracking MayCay's story as she encounters the world of Norman's Cay and its nefarious inhabitants.

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In recent years, the cocaine gold rush by Colombian cartels in the 70s and 80s, has become gangster mythology.

We've been inundated by shows like Narcos, Cocaine Cowboys, American Made and others that have attempted to tell the stories of Pablo Escobar, Giselle de Blanco, Barry Seal and Carlos Lehder and the Medellin Cartel.

Pilot Jack Carlton Reed, was a world record holding drag racer before making the decision to begin smuggling cocaine in the 70s.

After being introduced to Lehder, he would move to Norman's Cay and for almost four years assisted him on the infamous Bahamian island that the government claims moved tons of cocaine into the United States.

Jack Reed would eventually be the Co-defendant to later in the longest running drug trial in American history.

Convicted and given two life sentences, he would refuse all interview requests, book and film offers, until a fellow pilot and journalist named MayCay Beeler, convinced him to tell his story.

The two would form an indelible bond, leading to rewriting his memoirs for Beeler's book The Buccaneer and MayCay questioning how a non-violent offender could be given multiple life sentences.

In Criminal Minded Media's new podcast Glamour Profession we take a look at Jack Reed's adventures and give listeners the real story of Norman's Cay.

We also take a deep dive into the drug trial of Reed and his close friend Carlos Lehder.

Finally, MayCay Beeler our co-pilot in the telling of this epic story tells listeners about her two year battle with the government to see Jack Reed released from prison.

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