Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Swimming weed from Mexico to U.S. brought big money - and trouble - for California student athletes
During the 1970s, a group of swimmers from Coronado High School in California ran a small weed smuggling operation that grew into a $100 million global enterprise. They swam 25-pound packages of marijuana from Mexico to the U.S. The story of the Coronado Company is told in the new book titled “Deep Water: From The Swim Team to Drug Smuggling.”
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readDuring the 1970s, a group of swimmers from Coronado High School in California ran a small weed smuggling operation that grew into a $100 million global enterprise. They swam 25-pound packages of marijuana from Mexico to the U.S. The story of the Coronado Company is told in the new book titled “Deep Water: From The Swim Team to Drug Smuggling.”
Pictures below courtesy of Coronado High School yearbook. Click to enlarge image.
Eddie Otero was a water polo player, swimmer and lifeguard.
He was the first recruit in the Coronado Company.
Lou Villar was a coach and Spanish teacher at Coronado High School.
He helped greatly expand the Coronado Company's business.
Coronado Police Officer Dennis Grimaud first tipped
off the DEA about the Coronado Company's activities.
