Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
William Roger Reaves is a former pilot, boat captain, and prolific drug smuggler. He was an associate of Barry Seal (played by Tom Cruise in "American Made") and flew from Colombia to the US for the Medellín cartel.
Reaves claims to have ferried 20-ton loads of cocaine and marijuana over a career spanning several decades. He speaks with Business Insider about meeting Pablo Escobar, working with Barry Seal and Howard Marks (aka Mr. Nice), and how drugs can pass international borders.
He was imprisoned in Mexico, Australia, Germany, Spain, and the United States for over 33 years.
In 2016, he published a memoir from prison, "Smuggler." He now lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, Marie.
For more: roger-reaves.com
This interview was originally recorded in November 2023.
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - The Medellin Cartel
04:07 - The Wake-Up Call
05:47 - Barry Seal
07:39 - The Recruitment
10:10 - The First Arrests
13:07 - Plane Crashes
19:55 - The End of Barry Seal
23:08 - Escape to Europe
24:48 - Prison Breaks
30:11 - The Final Arrest
34:57 - Credits
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#drugsmuggling #drugcartel #HowCrimeWorks
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How Drug Pilots Actually Work (Medellin Cartel) | How Crime Works | Insider
William Roger Reaves is a former pilot, boat captain, and prolific drug smuggler. He was an associate of Barry Seal (played by Tom Cruise in "American Made") and flew from Colombia to the US for the Medellín cartel.
Reaves claims to have ferried 20-ton loads of cocaine and marijuana over a career spanning several decades. He speaks with Business Insider about meeting Pablo Escobar, working with Barry Seal and Howard Marks (aka Mr. Nice), and how drugs can pass international borders.
He was imprisoned in Mexico, Australia, Germany, Spain, and the United States for over 33 years.
In 2016, he published a memoir from prison, "Smuggler." He now lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, Marie.
For more: roger-reaves.com
This interview was originally recorded in November 2023.
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - The Medellin Cartel
04:07 - The Wake-Up Call
05:47 - Barry Seal
07:39 - The Recruitment
10:10 - The First Arrests
13:07 - Plane Crashes
19:55 - The End of Barry Seal
23:08 - Escape to Europe
24:48 - Prison Breaks
30:11 - The Final Arrest
34:57 - Credits
------------------------------------------------------
#drugsmuggling #drugcartel #HowCrimeWorks
MORE HOW CRIME WORKS VIDEOS:
How Underground Sports Betting Actually Works
youtu.be/4OkOLPx8H6w
How Soccer Match-Fixing Actually Works
youtu.be/ZZHwR629-yw
How Multi-Million Dollar Heists Actually Work
youtu.be/Ua9lEJn82PY
Insider's mission is to inform and inspire.
Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: businessinsider.com
Insider on Facebook: facebook.com/insider
Insider on Instagram: instagram.com/insider
Insider on Twitter: twitter.com/thisisinsider
Insider on Snapchat: snapchat.com/discover/Insider/2708030621
Insider on TikTok: tiktok.com/@insider
How Drug Pilots Actually Work (Medellin Cartel) | How Crime Works | Insider
