Synopsis
Shortlisted for BEST NEW AUTHOR at THE TRUE CRIME AWARDS 2026
"A propulsive and illuminating biography. Tuch's deep dive is suspenseful and well researched, shedding fascinating light on a shadowy 20th-century figure." — Publishers Weekly
"An intriguing portrait of a real-life trafficker teeming with enterprise and international crime." — Kirkus Reviews
Government agencies and rival factions were closing in. His look-alike had already fallen victim to professional hitmen and his once-powerful allies in Cuban intelligence and the DEA could no longer guarantee his safety. How did a boy from Manchester revolutionize the criminal world and become the largest marijuana trafficker in American history?
This is the never-before-told story of Harold Derber, the debonair British Merchant Navy veteran who pioneered the modern drug trade with his groundbreaking invention: the drug mothership. Through his ghost fleet of drug ships, Derber eventually became the chief supplier of marijuana to post-war America. This gripping true tale follows Derber from humble beginnings in Manchester, England, to his assassination in the sun-kissed streets of Miami. Along the way, Derber's story takes in some of the most significant events of the twentieth century - the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, the Cuban Revolution and the murky shadows of the Cold War.
Based on newly declassified government files, undercover photographs, an unpublished memoir, and first-hand accounts from both Derber's trafficking accomplices and the agents who pursued them, The Wireless Operator reveals the astonishing origins of the modern narcotics trade. Bringing his extraordinary life into focus for the first time, this gripping transatlantic tale offers a complex portrait of a singular criminal mastermind who operated at the fault lines of state power, secrecy, and organized crime - and whose legacy still echoes in today's global war on drugs.
About the Author
DAVID TUCH is an author and entrepreneur passionate about uncovering history's hidden stories. His debut book, The Wireless Operator, tells the extraordinary true story of his cousin Harold Derber—one of the largest marijuana traffickers in American history. Originally from New York, David has lived in England and France, and now makes his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and four children.
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