International Mystery & Crime

The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade

David Tuch | International Mystery & Crime

David Tuch's The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade chronicles the extraordinary life of Harold Derber, born Hyman Tuchverderber in 1926, Manchester. From his childhood evacuation during the Blitz to his training as a wireless operator in the British Merchant Navy, Derber’s journey spans continents and decades. After fighting in Israel's War of Independence and various smuggling ventures, he arrives in 1960s Miami, where he launches the Freedom Ferry to transport Cuban refugees, a humanitarian mission that pits him against the U.S. State Department and leads to multiple deportations. Undeterred, Derber exploits a legal loophole in the...

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