Chemical Cowboys

by Lisa Sweetingham

  In Los Angeles, DEA's Michele Figura Dyer and Deanne Reuter and LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division's Mike Whelan provided important information and insights for the chapters dealing with the murder of Allon David Giladi and the Los Angeles Ecstasy investigations. DEA agent Jose Martinez and Robbery-Homicide detectives George Diaz, Dennis English, Ron Ito, and retired detective William Cox also provided valuable help and guidance.

  Special thanks to DEA's Linda Miller Davis and Michael Sanders for their firsthand insights on Operation Snowcap. I am also grateful for the time and expertise of DEA's Edward Alvey, Ken Dinino, Gerald Graves, Steve Luzinski, Mike Mancuso, Andrew Petyak, and Don Rospond as well as AUSA Ben Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida, and Judith Friedman at the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs.

  Linda Lacewell has a lot better things to do now that she's on the executive staff to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, serving as counsel for economic and social justice. So I'm grateful to her for taking my early-morning phone calls and late-night e-mail queries.

  Thanks to Defense Attorney Ben Brafman for his graciousness while indulging my pointed questions about a case that's more than a decade old.

  Thanks to Defense Attorney Bob Mann and his co-counsel Dana Harrell, as well as retired prosecutor Russell Sollitto for digging into their memory banks about the murder trial of Ron Gagne.

  My sources abroad were many, but in particular, I'd like to give thanks to Chris Kabel, Chris Urben, and Sandra Radice at DEA's Brussels office. In The Hague, country attaché Jeffrey Boobar and agents Kevin Flood and David Larson provided important insights about DEA's role in the Netherlands, as well as that country's privacy laws, drug policies, policing challenges, and Ecstasy investigations.

  It was my greatest fortune that DEA supervisor John McKenna introduced me to Israeli National Police commander Gadi Eshed, head of the research division at the intelligence section of the intelligence and investigations department. Eshed facilitated crucial interviews and was my tireless guide to the criminal underworld, providing informative tours of the sites of police operations, Mafia warfare, and historical locations that I've described in the book. Eshed and his wife, Anat, also showed me the beauty of the Israeli countryside and coastline, endearing me to their home in a lasting way.

  A very special thanks go to Eshed's partners, the men and women of the Israeli National Police. Commander Avi Noyman of the central unit, central district, provided riveting details about police operations on the Israeli gangsters and about his private struggles as he and Eshed chased after Rosenstein and his cohorts. Retired major general Yosef Sedbon took time out of his busy schedule as vice president of Ramat-Gan College to meet with me and discuss the challenges he faced as the Tel Aviv district commander during the Second Intifada. Retired major general David Tsur, the former Tel Aviv district commander and a veritable action hero who has held some of the most dangerous military positions in Israel, provided thoughtful insights about the mechanisms of organized crime. Retired Israeli police officer Amram Edri regaled me with cinematic stories of the early days of Israeli gangster warfare. I'm thankful to have been able to highlight a fraction of Edri's adventures in the book.

  I'd also like to offer my deepest gratitude for the time and expertise of Chief Superintendent Dvir Shai Bareli, head and public order coordinator of the research division intelligence section; Chief Superintendent Alon Magen, head of the intelligence section of the Tel Aviv central unit, Tel Aviv district; Chief Superintendent Orit Shapira-Heiman, head of the criminal research section; Superintendent Yifat Steinberger, assistant to the head of the intelligence branch; and Superintendent Yehuda Twersky, head of the money laundering squad, investigations and intelligence department.

  There are many people who provided constructive guidance on the writing and editing of Chemical Cowboys. I am beholden to Will Murphy, my editor at Random House, who believed in the project from the start and worked diligently to try to keep me from boring my readers. Special thanks to Lea Beresford, who provided excellent notes on early drafts, and Courtney Turco, who patiently guided me through the final drafts. The supremely talented Catherine Quayle made tremendous editorial contributions and helped me to refine the work.

  I am most fortunate to have Kathy Robbins and the folks at the Robbins Office on my side. Many thanks to Rick Pappas for his keen legal mind, to Kate Rizzo for spreading the word and the work far and wide, to Ian King for his astute editorial suggestions, and to my eloquent agent David Halpern, a wise guide and a cherished friend.

  Speaking of friends, I would be remiss if I did not mention those who provided so much counsel and encouragement. Namely, Dan Stockenberg for his belief in me and the book when I wasn't so sure; Dennis Mukai for his artistry and empathy; Carol Pogash for being my sounding board and intellectual inspiration; Catherine Elsworth for her infectious laughter; Lara Lenington for always seeing the good; Michele O'Donnell for being my closest confidante; Janet Wexler for being generous of heart and ever-present in my thoughts; Efrén García and Efraín Talavera for their translations of Peruvian news reports and for nourishing me with sangria and ceviché; Jeff Gomez and Mark Pensavalle of Starlight Runner for their early and ongoing support of me in this project; and Judith Crist, my beloved mentor, a woman of style and wit.

  Without family, there is no reason. I am grateful to my mother, Bodie, for instilling in me a sense of wonder. To Ron and Jenny Sweetingham for their love and support. To Stephen Strum for nurturing my early curiosity. To Bill Rendall for his kindness. To Adam Strum for being a poet and a gangster. To Wolf Rendall for reminding me to chase adventure.

  Finally, I relied on several anonymous sources who have, at times, lived on the wrong side of the law. They know who they are. Thank you for your trust.

  There are countless publications and case studies about the Drug War and drug addiction in America. How we move forward on both fronts deserves thoughtful and evolving discourse. I have chosen to not engage in the debates in Chemical Cowboys, deferring to those who live and work on the front lines. But I do hope that the experiences of the men and women who shared their personal struggles with drug abuse for this book serve to illustrate at least one important point: an imperative step on the long road to overcoming addiction is mending and nurturing the bonds to one's own family and community.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  LISA SWEETINGHAM, a senior staff writer at CourtTV.com, travels around the country reporting on high-profile trials. An award-winning graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism, she has covered such notorious cases as the Scott Peterson murder trial, the Michael Jackson molestation trial, and Robert Blake's murder trial, as well as the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. Sweeting-ham's work has appeared in The New York Times, Spin, Health Affairs, and Venice.

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