Smuggler's Blues: The Saga of a Marijuana Importer

by Jay Carter Brown

Mobsters, murder, betrayal, and revenge are the raw components of this candid look into the day-to-day life of a modern-day marijuana smuggler. Told from the viewpoint of an impressionable young entrepreneur named Jay Carter Brown, the book quickly draws the reader into the gritty underbelly of the international drug trade. The story begins with minor-league smuggling scams between Canada and the Caribbean that soon escalate to multi-ton shipments of grass and hash from the Caribbean and the Middle East. All goes well for a time, but as the stakes grow higher, the inevitable setbacks occur. When Jay teams up with a crusty old bank robber named Irving, he also inherits a host of other felons who come out of jail to visit his new partner, ex-cons such Randy the hit man who liked to practise his fast draw in front of a mirror; Simon, the drug-running pilot; and Chico Perry, who smoked reefer in his pipe while robbing banks and shooting it out with the cops. Drug-runners, police, jealous friends, and rival gangs all contribute to this extraordinary story told by a young man who became involved at the highest levels of the drug trade, and lived to tell about it. Smuggler’s Blues is a rare opportunity to experience life in another world ― a world where survival relies on brains, brawn, and a generous measure of good luck.

Genres: Crime, True Crime, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Mikelkpoet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow moving at first; I thought that I was going to put it down around page 30, but the book is, now, starting to interest me: we'll see.

--Sept. 3, 2009

I finished the book today. It was by no means the best book that I have ever read, but it was interesting enough to stay with for a week, and finish. There were several days in that week, where I did not pick, "Smuggler's Blues," up, because there were other more interesting things to do than read it, which would not occur with a top notch book, a book that I could not put down, a book that became a priority in my existence.

The accounts of how Mr. Brown snuck tons of pot in from Jamaica to Canada were fairy exciting, and his near brushes with death, at the hands of a former "business" partner were key to my interest in the book.

--Sept. 10, 2009

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was pretty good. I enjoyed reading the whole thing. The topic was a little bit off for me but the more I got into it the more interesting I found it. I caught myself having conversations about smuggling with friends and family. I also felt a bit like a criminal reading it throughout my travels.

As far as suggestions go, I'm not sure I'd read a second book by this author. But it was definitely a thriller.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: It's got exciting action! I'm a weirdo who likes logistics and Stratton is a master problem solver. His BFF is Norman Mailer.

The Bad and the Ugly: He uses the word "cunt" alot, I don't find the word offensive but it's not the sexiest word. His girlfriend calls him "daddy" and sometimes just "dad". He likes "black African-American women" why does he say that?

He's not a likeable guy but most drug smugglers. aren't. Not a total waste if time but not highly recommended.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not the best literature, this amazing true story reads like an action novel. It's an extraordinary dissertation on the drug trade in the late 20th century, with great descriptions of the seedy underbelly of the drug crime world and the characters that inhabit it.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a slow read at first. Like many of the other reviews, I thought I would put it down, BUT I gave it a go and the story picks up and turned out to be a good read !