As the authorities later deduced, the sordid scene lay directly in the Cessna’s flight path. Nearby was a duffel bag that had originally contained roughly 75 pounds of cocaine the unfortunate animal had apparently gotten into the blow and overdosed. In November 1985, a hunter discovered a dead 175-pound black bear in Chattahoochee National Forest. Thornton had directed the aircraft toward the Atlantic Ocean and set it to autopilot before making his ill-fated jump.īut Thornton, as it turned out, wasn’t the only casualty of his final smuggling run. He had apparently died when his parachute failed to open after he jumped from his plane, which authorities later discovered about 60 miles away and identified using a key found on Thornton’s body. He was heavily armed, wearing a bulletproof vest, and carrying thousands of dollars in cash and about 77 pounds of cocaine (later valued at around $14 million) in a duffel bag strapped around his waist. That ended on September 11, 1985, when police discovered Thornton’s dead body in a driveway in Knoxville, Tennessee. The story of Cocaine Bear starts with a body in a driveway.Īndrew Carter Thornton II had been a paratrooper, a police officer, and a lawyer before turning to drug smuggling, moving loads of cocaine into the U.S. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!īearpacker is Backpacker’s annual celebration of bear safety, science, and stories.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |