Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border & the Assassination of a Federal Judge : An American Parable - Softcover

Cartwright, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0938317350 ISBN 13: 9780938317357

Publisher: Cinco Puntos Pr, 1998

"We were a good family--that's what people forget," Joe Chagra said, "It was the money. You can't know what it does until it happens to you...until everyone is chin-deep in millions of dollars.""Dirty Dealing," a true story, chronicles the rise and fall of the house of Chagra. The Chagra brothers of El Paso were pioneers in smuggling drugs across the Mexican border, and were infamous for their fabulous wealth. But in the end Lee Chagra was gunned down, a federal judge was assassinated, Jimmy and Joe Chagra were imprisoned, and Charles Harrelson (Woody Harrelson's father) was convicted for Wood's murder. When Federal Judge John "Maximum" Wood was gunned down outside his home in San Antonio, Texas in 1979 (the only assassination of a federal judge in more than 100 years) his death sent waves of shock across the country. The FBI labeled it "the crime of the century." Former President Nixon expressed "outrage," calling for quick arrest and punishment. But the crime's solution would be anything but quick. Dragging on for years and costing $11.4 million, the investigation turned out to be the largest in recent FBI history, surpassing even that of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Gary Cartwright, senior editor of "Texas Monthly" and author of several nonfiction bestsellers, details the full history of the events leading up to this crime and the trials that followed in "Dirty Dealing." This reprint from Cinco Puntos Press includes a new afterword by the author and black and white photographs of all the players. Complete with shady maneuverings on the part of the federal government and an outcome that "Kirkus Reviews" has called "straight from Oz," "Dirty Dealing" is one of the richest and most fascinating of all true crime stories.

Review:

."..It makes for good reading. In this Cartwright classic, the feds run amok in search for evil-doers, a federal judge gets murdered, and a whole mess of other folks get sent off to prison. Meanwhile, the drugs keep coming and nothing changes."--Molly Ivins

"Fast-paced, sure-footed nonfiction that packs all the intensity and dramatic qualities of a good novel.... Journalist Gary Cartwright's diligent research has produced a rich evocation of the lives of the Chagra family... A sharp and often startling disclosure of personal folly and government corruption"--Booklist

""Dirty Dealing", by Gary Cartwright: Dope smuggling, brotherly love, and the assassination of a federal judge, all leading to the biggest investigation in FBI history. Best of all, the "Texas Monthly" writer makes this true story read like a novel."--GQ Recommends

""Texas Monthly" staffer Cartwright knows his territory, and this story of 'greed and fear' and life on the border (in all senses) will hook a wide audience"--Kirkus Reviews

"Not an uplifting story. But it does show that when a government has $11.4 million to spend on a case, and isn't finicky about its methods, or about releasing criminals to jail the innocent, it can put people behind bars. Cartwright has carefully researched his story and tells it well."--Newsweek

"Cartwright's undisguised distaste for certain law officials and agencies is sure to irk some readers; however, his ultimate ability to tell a good story should make Dirty Dealing palatable to even the most stalwart law-and-order types." --Amazon.com, Tjames Madison

"A hell of a story about drugs, corruption and violence, told by a virtuoso."--Playboy
..".It makes for good reading. In this Cartwright classic, the feds run amok in search for evil-doers, a federal judge gets murdered, and a whole mess of other folks get sent off to prison. Meanwhile, the drugs keep coming and nothing changes."--Molly Ivins

"Fast-paced, sure-footed nonfiction that packs all the intensity and dramatic qualities of a good novel.... Journalist Gary Cartwright's diligent research has produced a rich evocation of the lives of the Chagra family... A sharp and often startling disclosure of personal folly and government corruption"--Booklist

"Dirty Dealing, by Gary Cartwright: Dope smuggling, brotherly love, and the assassination of a federal judge, all leading to the biggest investigation in FBI history. Best of all, the Texas Monthly writer makes this true story read like a novel."--GQ Recommends

"Texas Monthly staffer Cartwright knows his territory, and this story of 'greed and fear' and life on the border (in all senses) will hook a wide audience"--Kirkus Reviews

"Not an uplifting story. But it does show that when a government has $11.4 million to spend on a case, and isn't finicky about its methods, or about releasing criminals to jail the innocent, it can put people behind bars. Cartwright has carefully researched his story and tells it well."--Newsweek

"Cartwright's undisguised distaste for certain law officials and agencies is sure to irk some readers; however, his ultimate ability to tell a good story should make Dirty Dealing palatable to even the most stalwart law-and-order types." --Amazon.com, Tjames Madison

"A hell of a story about drugs, corruption and violence, told by a virtuoso."--Playboy

Synopsis:

Describes the unusual personalities in a Texas case involving gamblers, smugglers, a crooked lawyer, and the largest FBI investigation in history.

• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0938317350
• ISBN 13: 9780938317357
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 390