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In DeLorean's Shadow: The Drug Trial of The Century by The Sole Surviving Defendant

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The John Z. DeLorean Case, was recognized worldwide by international newspapers and news outlets as, “The Drug Trial of the Century.” It still owns that headline four decades later. The ramifications of the DeLorean trial led to a tsunami of criminal prosecutions that tore through the cocaine cartels and the vast criminal underworld in a series of massive arrests. It resulted in the seizure of over $26,000,000 and the confiscation of dozens of planes, yachts, mansions, exotic cars and more. It would destroy drug networks and lead to the arrest of a vast number of smugglers, drug dealers and murders including the killers of Barry Seal. Eventually, it would lead to the arrest of Manuel Noriega and the Ochoa Brothers as well as the death of Pablo Escobar.

John Z. DeLorean was found innocent by the jury, yet the case was a blockbuster success for the FBI, DEA, DOJ and the Colombian Government.

As the sole surviving defendant, I know the many untold enigmas of the case, I have the secret FBI, DOJ and DeLorean Files that validate what I write about. For a period, John DeLorean and I merged our defenses. His hope was that I would fight the case in a jury trial so he could learn what the government had against him. He gave me, via my attorney, copies of his extensive files and intended to have his legal team help represent my defense.

The producer and director of Framing DeLorean and the founder of the DeLorean Museum have authenticated my files. I never released the thousands of pages in my files in detail for fear of reprisal. However, most of the players have died. For the first time, I am sharing excerpts from these files in this book and tying their relevance to the untold secrets and mysteries of the United States Government’s conspiracy to takedown John Z DeLorean, a titan of the automotive industry. The case commanded the full attention of the highest levels of the FBI, DEA, CIA, IRS, DOJ, Attorney General’s Office, Interpol, Number 10 Downing Street, and Ronald Reagan’s White House.

Few knew that the case involved Pablo Escobar, who wanted to buy an initial $100,000,000 stake in DMC. Nor that he intended to invest hundreds of millions more to turn it into a platform for funneling vast amounts of cocaine into the European Continent.

The defendants were John Z. DeLorean, creator of the DeLorean Motor Car, Morgan Hetrick, a Texas Maverick who claimed to be the #1 cocaine smuggler on the West Coast, and myself, a Vietnam vet, navy bomb disposal frogman, pilot, and the author of this book.

I pled guilty and only testified against myself. In prison, I made a commitment of faith that opened a path to incredible adventures and to a "Hope that never Surrenders."

This is a true story written in the intensity of the moment. It contains real depictions of the criminal underworld and of life inside prison walls. This story may be disconcerting to some yet is necessary to convey the magnitude of where choices can lead those who would dance the criminal waltz. As an international motivational speaker and writer, I tried to share this work in a way that would be acceptable for teens.

Prepare to take a wild journey into darkness, and then to discover the wonderful gift of a spiritual commitment in the darkness of prison. I would come out a changed man and just two years later, watch in amazement as my childhood dream morphed into this ex-inmate's reality as a chief diver and expedition leader for Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau and his son, Jean-Michel Cousteau.

This is a work about my hope in Jesus Christ that never surrenders. I do not preach my commitment but let the facts speak for themselves. This book is often described as lifechanging. We all need hope in our lives.

In January 2017, Stephen Arrington received a Full and Unconditional Presidential Pardon from President Barack Obama

418 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2015

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1 review
July 22, 2016
He can finally tell the complete story without fear, hopefully.

I was Steve's Commanding Officer of the Navy EOD Detachment at the US Navy Pacific Missile Test Center in Point Mugu, California. Steve was assigned to my EOD Set as a support diver. This was his first assignment to a diving billet after graduating from the US Navy Diving School in Washington DC. The Detachment was involved in recovering test fired missiles in waters over 150 feet deep. Operations were intense and often. Steve had to learn the ropes quickly without a lot of supervision. This he did. He became one of my best divers and was recommended to attend EOD School. While at Point Mugu Steve meet Morgan Hetrick , which turned out to be the beginning of his fall. This book details his exciting adventures to the dark side. I highly recommend that teenagers read this book. Hopefully they will learn where illegal drug use can take you.
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