Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja
Encyclopedia
Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja is a 2011 documentary by director Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys
) and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur
. The term square grouper was a nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes in South Florida in the 70's and 80's. In sharp contrast to the brazenly violent Cocaine Cowboys
of the 1980s, Miami's marijuana smugglers were cooler, calmer, and typically nonviolent. Square Grouper paints a vivid portrait of Miami's pot smuggling culture in the '70s and '80s and its major players: the smuggling Black Tuna Gang
, the pot dealing Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
and the tiny fishing village Everglades City.
sect known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
formed in Jamaica
. The Coptics’ beliefs were typical of any fundamentalist Christian organization…with the exception of one. The Church believed that marijuana (or “ganja
,” as they called it) was their sacrament…and all members, including children, smoked it around the clock. The Church started a massive marijuana export operation and expanded throughout the 70’s, eventually becoming the largest employers and landowners in the struggling Caribbean
nation.
In 1975, the Church bought a mansion on Miami’s exclusive Star Island
. Initially, the Church received recognition as a legitimate religious organization by the government. But as the media caught wind of the group and their rather unorthodox religious ceremonies, things started to change. Ultimately, a 1979 60 Minutes
piece featuring footage of young children puffing large “spliffs” of marijuana caused public outrage and compelled the government to finally put an end to the Coptics . Soon after, many Church members were indicted and eventually convicted of smuggling large quantities of marijuana.
to the U.S. and using the Fontainebleau Hotel
as their base of operations. At the same time, the Drug Enforcement Agency were facing budget crises and possible dissolution and used Platshorn and Meinster as their targets to justify their continued existence. On May 1, 1979, Attorney General Griffin Bell
held a press conference announcing the indictment of Platshorn and Meinster and several of their associates, labeling them as the “biggest marijuana smugglers ever,” and claiming they were responsible for the import of at least a million pounds of marijuana—ten times the amount the organization actually moved. Platshorn was sentenced to 64 years in prison and Meinster to 54, making them the longest serving marijuana prisoners in American history.
began to phase out commercial fishing
, the mainstay of the Everglades City economy, folks took to marijuana smuggling.
The DEA
decided they had to put a stop to the smuggling. They executed two large, highly publicized raids in 1983 and 1984, leading to the arrest of nearly 80% of the adult male population of Everglades City.
.
Cocaine Cowboys
Cocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine and resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida in the 1970s and...
) and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur
Rakontur
Rakontur is a Miami-based media studio founded by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben in 2000.-History:Rakontur's feature documentary debut, Raw Deal: A Question of Consent, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, making Corben one of the youngest directors in Sundance history...
. The term square grouper was a nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes in South Florida in the 70's and 80's. In sharp contrast to the brazenly violent Cocaine Cowboys
Cocaine Cowboys
Cocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine and resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida in the 1970s and...
of the 1980s, Miami's marijuana smugglers were cooler, calmer, and typically nonviolent. Square Grouper paints a vivid portrait of Miami's pot smuggling culture in the '70s and '80s and its major players: the smuggling Black Tuna Gang
Black Tuna Gang
The Black Tuna gang was an American marijuana-smuggling organization active in 1970s Miami. The group were responsible for bringing in around 500 tons of marijuana into the United States over the course of 16 months....
, the pot dealing Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church is a mansion of Rastafari movement which flourished in the 1970s in Jamaica and was incorporated in Florida in 1975...
and the tiny fishing village Everglades City.
Synopsis
In 1979, the U.S. Customs Service reported that 87% of all marijuana seizures in the U.S. were made in the South Florida area. Due to the region's 5,000 miles of coast and coastal waterways and close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America, South Florida was a pot smuggler's paradise. Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja is a colorful portrait of Miami’s pot smuggling scene of the 1970s, populated with redneck pirates, a ganja-smoking church, and the longest serving marijuana prisoner in American history.The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
In the early 1970s, a fundamentalist ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
sect known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church is a mansion of Rastafari movement which flourished in the 1970s in Jamaica and was incorporated in Florida in 1975...
formed in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The Coptics’ beliefs were typical of any fundamentalist Christian organization…with the exception of one. The Church believed that marijuana (or “ganja
Ganja
Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
,” as they called it) was their sacrament…and all members, including children, smoked it around the clock. The Church started a massive marijuana export operation and expanded throughout the 70’s, eventually becoming the largest employers and landowners in the struggling Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
nation.
In 1975, the Church bought a mansion on Miami’s exclusive Star Island
Star Island
Star Island is one of the Isles of Shoals that straddle the border between New Hampshire and Maine, seven miles from the mainland in the Atlantic Ocean. Star Island is the largest of the four islands in the group that are located in New Hampshire...
. Initially, the Church received recognition as a legitimate religious organization by the government. But as the media caught wind of the group and their rather unorthodox religious ceremonies, things started to change. Ultimately, a 1979 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
piece featuring footage of young children puffing large “spliffs” of marijuana caused public outrage and compelled the government to finally put an end to the Coptics . Soon after, many Church members were indicted and eventually convicted of smuggling large quantities of marijuana.
The Black Tuna Gang
Robert Platshorn and Robert Meinster moved to Miami to get in on the lucrative marijuana business. They started to smuggle small loads from ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to the U.S. and using the Fontainebleau Hotel
Fontainebleau Hotel
The Fontainebleau Miami Beach or the Fontainebleau Hotel is one of the most historically and architecturally significant hotels on Miami Beach. Opened in 1954 and designed by Morris Lapidus, it was considered the most luxurious hotel on Miami Beach, and is thought to be the most significant...
as their base of operations. At the same time, the Drug Enforcement Agency were facing budget crises and possible dissolution and used Platshorn and Meinster as their targets to justify their continued existence. On May 1, 1979, Attorney General Griffin Bell
Griffin Bell
Griffin Boyette Bell was an American lawyer and former Attorney General. He served as the nation's 72nd Attorney General during the Jimmy Carter administration...
held a press conference announcing the indictment of Platshorn and Meinster and several of their associates, labeling them as the “biggest marijuana smugglers ever,” and claiming they were responsible for the import of at least a million pounds of marijuana—ten times the amount the organization actually moved. Platshorn was sentenced to 64 years in prison and Meinster to 54, making them the longest serving marijuana prisoners in American history.
Everglades City
Everglades City, a tiny fishing village 80 miles west of Miami, has always been outlaw country. The majority of the town's 500 residents are from five families, with almost everyone related in some way. The region's coastline is a vast labyrinth of mangroves known as the Ten Thousand Islands. The unique geography, coupled with the fact that only locals knew how to navigate it, made the town a picture-perfect location for smuggling. And folks in Everglades City smuggled their way through history. In the early 1900's, they smuggled endangered animals. During the prohibition era, they took to rum running. And when drugs flooded South Florida in the 70's and 80's and the National Park ServiceNational Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
began to phase out commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
, the mainstay of the Everglades City economy, folks took to marijuana smuggling.
The DEA
DEA
DEA is the commonly used acronym for the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States law enforcement agency.DEA or Dea may also refer to:- Organizations :* DEA , UK development education charity...
decided they had to put a stop to the smuggling. They executed two large, highly publicized raids in 1983 and 1984, leading to the arrest of nearly 80% of the adult male population of Everglades City.
Distribution
Square Grouper premiered at the 2011 SXSW film festival and was distributed by Magnolia PicturesMagnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor, and is a holding of 2929 Entertainment, owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films....
.