Pre-Owned Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable (Paperback) 0938317350 9780938317357

The Chagra brothers were pioneers in smuggling drugs across the Mexican border, becoming infamous for their fabulous wealth. But in the end Lee Chagra was gunned down, Federal Judge "Maximum" John Wood was assassinated, Jimmy and Joe Chagra were imprisoned, and Charles Harrelson (Woody's father) was convicted for Judge Wood's murder. A compelling and true account of modern-day banditry. 20 photos. "We were a good family--that's what people forget," Joe Chagra said, "It was the money. You can't know what it does until it happens to you...until everyone is chin-deep in millions of dollars."

"Dirty Dealing," a true story, chronicles the rise and fall of the house of Chagra. The Chagra brothers of El Paso were pioneers in smuggling drugs across the Mexican border, and were infamous for their fabulous wealth. But in the end Lee Chagra was gunned down, a federal judge was assassinated, Jimmy and Joe Chagra were imprisoned, and Charles Harrelson (Woody Harrelson's father) was convicted for Wood's murder.
When Federal Judge John "Maximum" Wood was gunned down outside his home in San Antonio, Texas in 1979 (the only assassination of a federal judge in more than 100 years) his death sent waves of shock across the country. The FBI labeled it "the crime of the century." Former President Nixon expressed "outrage," calling for quick arrest and punishment. But the crime's solution would be anything but quick. Dragging on for years and costing $11.4 million, the investigation turned out to be the largest in recent FBI history, surpassing even that of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Gary Cartwright, senior editor of "Texas Monthly" and author of several nonfiction bestsellers, details the full history of the events leading up to this crime and the trials that followed in "Dirty Dealing." This reprint from Cinco Puntos Press includes a new afterword by the author and black and white photographs of all the players. Complete with shady maneuverings on the part of the federal government and an outcome that "Kirkus Reviews" has called "straight from Oz," "Dirty Dealing" is one of the richest and most fascinating of all true crime stories.