The Legacy

Back in the day, I ran a legendary marijuana smuggling ring, one of the largest in America. The weed came from Colombia and Jamaica, the hash from Lebanon, and the crew from coastal South Carolina…illicit entrepreneurs who risked treacherous waters, civil wars, incarceration, and sanity to rise to the top.

We were called the Gentlemen Smugglers.

Between 1971 and 1986, we owned the East Coast trade, smuggling over 250 tons of cannabis to the masses. These were the glory days of cannabis and in a very real way, we were the distributors and dispensaries of that time. It was a high stakes game of cat and mouse and an adventure that ended in spectacular fashion; we became the main targets of Operation Jackpot, the opening act in President Reagan’s War on Drugs. I got tagged with the federal kingpin statute – Code §848 Continuing Criminal Enterprise – and spent 11 years in prison. Most of the crew were charged with the smuggling statute – Code §545 Smuggling Goods into the United States – and like me, they paid the price.

We never lost our rogue spirit, belief in the plant, or sense of humor. We’re older and wiser now and ready to do business again, using our platform to support ending needless incarceration for nonviolent marijuana crimes.

Gentlemen Smugglers is founded on the legacy of a bygone era.  In an industry filled with ruthless people and dangerous places, we made our own rules, and we thrived.

Turns out you can be both a gentleman and a smuggler.

Meet the Team

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Barry Foy

The original Gentleman Smuggler. Barry “Flash” Foy was originally from Columbia, SC. He learned the smuggling trade in Florida and soon oversaw almost 200 people, all swept into a mighty rush of cash and cannabis that crash landed after President Reagan launched Operation Jackpot specifically targeting Foy’s crew. Barry Foy was convicted under the 848 kingpin statute and served 11 years in federal prison. He’s ready to do business again…and ready to give back!

Gary Latham

30+ years in leadership roles for the US Government and commercial business in highly regulated markets. Strong track record in private and public sector access startups, middle market, and Fortune 500 History of developing and growing technology, product, and professional service organizations with strong exits. Co-Founded publicly traded cannabis company Mojave Jane and currently runs private cannabis venture Zinc Farms. Executive Director at non-profit focused on working to inspire the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Cathy O'Hara

Meet Cathy, head of People Operations at Gentlemen Smugglers. Cathy is a former journalist turned Tech Pioneer. As the 35th employee at AirBNB, Cathy helped scale the home-sharing startup into the mega star it is today.

Cathy joins GS with a proven knowledge of recruiting, people leadership, community relationship building, customer service operations, workflow planning and project management. Plus she’s just a cool world traveler.

Peter Cardoz

As a passionate cannabis advocate, lifetime food enthusiast and veteran scientist, Peter brings his wealth of knowledge and love for cannabis to the Gentlemen Smugglers team. He started his research career from an early age, eventually conducting research at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, where he become published in Nature Communications.

In 2021, Peter started his own consulting company, Cardoz Blended Gourmet, and a launched a line of gourmet, live resin infused CBD culinary oils.

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