The 1980s were an interesting time for the world. Emissions regulations were becoming more important, crazy supercars were on the way, and the world as a whole was edging towards the end of the Cold War. In Miami in particular, things were getting pretty spicy, thanks to the drug trafficking world.
The Miami drug war, which ran from 1979 to 1988, was one of the most violent the world has ever seen. The likes of Pablo Escobar, Mickey Munday, and Fabio Ochoa were all involved, as the drug cartels tried to smuggle as much cocaine into the United States as possible.
Somehow, there was a link to the automotive world in all of this. Recently, Brian Finster of SOMO and RM Sotheby’s sat down with Ed Bolian’s VINwiki to discuss how incredible this world became and what took place during those years.
This is not your typical automotive story. It involves drugs, power boats, racing cars, more drugs, and some of the most violent men to grace the planet. It is a truly outrageous world at an equally outrageous time, and hearing the stories sounds like something Hollywood could only dream of.
What Took Place in the Miami Drug Wars?
Miami became infamous for drug money in the 1970s, ’80s, and also into the 1990s. As Finster explained, quite a lot of the drug money actually funded racing teams and powerboat racing teams, such were the huge amounts of cash rolling into Florida at the time. It truly was an utterly bewildering time to be involved in cars and motorsport.
“There is a direct correlation between the cartels and the money laundering operations in Miami in the ’80s and ’90s, to the edifice of a lot of the motor racing that was happening during that time.” Finster got onto these topics after hosting a successful panel event with chef and enthusiast Massimo Bottura, and they wanted to rerun the tour but to get DEA agents in to talk about the Miami drug wars. Ethan Gibson, who runs PR and comms for RM Sotheby’s, used to be a border patrol agent, and he knew someone who used to be stationed in Miami at the time.
A cool event was created, with 1980s vibes, and they even got an undercover agent who worked in Colombia, as well as one who was focused on money laundering operations in Miami. The stories they told at the event were out of this world. One story involved them walking into a home in South Miami that they thought was home to a drug-running operation. The ceiling was bowing in the middle, and after one guy poked it, $30 million in cash came pouring out.
The 1980s Were a Wild Time To Be in Miami
“You’d then go into the garage and see a brand new Porsche 911 and a brand new Mercedes,” said Finster, highlighting the volume of money that was in Miami at the time. Some of the most successful race teams at the time, in series such as sports cars or IndyCar, would have unlimited capital to spend due to the drug money. These teams, and those in powerboat racing, would win races funded by this money, and with additional sponsorship from the likes of Marlboro as well.
The most successful people, the ‘Cocaine Cowboys’, would flaunt their success with cars such as Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and so on, showcasing just how much money they had made from what they were doing. Law enforcement would fight back by seizing the cars, something it still very much does today. It was one of the craziest times to be alive, and we wish we could here more of the stories told at these Sotheby’s events.