| George Jung | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6, 1942 Weymouth, Massachusetts |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking and smuggling |
| Status | Serving 15-year sentence |
| Occupation | Drug trafficker and smuggler |
| Parents | Frederick Jung & Ermine Jung |
| Children | Kristina Sunshine Jung |
George Jacob Jung (born August 6, 1942), nicknamed "Boston George", was a major player in the cocaine trade in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jung was a part of the Medellín Cartel which was responsible for up to 85 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States . He specialized in the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia on a large scale. His life story was portrayed in the 2001 film Blow, starring Johnny Depp.
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George Jung was born to Frederick, a German American, and Ermine (née O'Neill) Jung, in Boston, Massachusetts then raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts.[1] Though Jung did not excel academically, he was a star football player and was described by his classmates as "a natural leader."[1]
After graduating in 1961 from Weymouth High School, Jung went to the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He studied for a degree in advertising. He never completed his studies.[1] Jung began recreationally using marijuana, selling a portion of everything he bought to break even.
In 1967, after meeting with a childhood friend, Phillip Eugene Sadler, Jung realized the enormous potential for profits by smuggling the cannabis he bought in California back to New England.[1] Jung's initial smuggling operation had the drugs being transported via his stewardess girlfriend, who would carry them in her suitcases on flights.[1] In search of even greater profits, Jung expanded his operation to flying the drugs in from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[1] using airplanes stolen from private airports on Cape Cod[2] and professional pilots.[3] At the height of this enterprise, Jung and his associates were reportedly making $250,000 a month (equivalent to over $1.6 million today).[1] This ended in 1974, when Jung was arrested in Chicago for smuggling 660 pounds (300 kg) of marijuana. He had been staying at the Playboy Club where he was to meet a connection that would pick up the marijuana. The connection was arrested for heroin smuggling, however, and informed the authorities about Jung in order to get a reduced sentence.[3] After arguing with the judge about the purpose of sending a man to prison "for crossing an imaginary line with a bunch of plants,"[2] Jung was sent to a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut.[1]
| Medellín Cartel |
|---|
| Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria George Jung Juan David Ochoa Vásquez José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha Carlos Lehder Rivas Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez Fabio Ochoa Vásquez José Abello Silva Gilberto Molina Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera Juan Diego Arcila Carlos Alberto Arcila |
At Danbury, Jung's cellmate was Carlos Lehder, a young German-Colombian man who introduced Jung to the Medellín cartel; in return, Jung taught Lehder how to smuggle.[3] When Jung was released, they went into business together. Their plan was to fly hundreds of kilos of cocaine from Pablo Escobar's Colombian ranch to the U.S., and Jung's California connection, Richard Barile, would take it from there. Jung had a security man who would accompany him to the exchanges, where Jung would give the man the keys to a car and half the cocaine, and then leave. A day or two later they would meet up again and exchange keys to cars.
Jung made millions off the operation as only the middle man. He came up with the idea to steal single-engine airplanes for his transportation and charge $10,000 a kilo with five planes going from Colombia to California, carrying 300 kilos a plane. This translated into $15 million a run for Jung. In order to avoid 60% surcharges, as well as a need to launder his earnings, he kept his money in the national bank of Panama City.
By the late 1970s, Lehder had effectively cut Jung out, by going straight to Barile. Jung continued to smuggle, however, reaping millions in profits.
Jung was later arrested in Massachusetts in 1987 at his mansion on Nauset Beach,[4] near Eastham. With his family, he skipped bail, but very quickly became involved in another deal, where he was betrayed by an acquaintance.
After working some "clean" jobs, Jung began to work in the marijuana industry again. In 1994, he reconnected with his old Mexican marijuana smuggling partner and was arrested with 1,754 pounds (796 kg) of marijuana in Topeka, Kansas and faced a 15-year mandatory sentence. He pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy. He was incarcerated at Otisville Federal Prison in Mount Hope, New York,[5] but has since been transferred to Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas.[6]
Porter, Bruce. BLOW: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All. Harpercollins 1993. New York: St. Martin's Griffin (Revised edition) 2001. ISBN 0312267126