George Jung

George Jung
File:Curciojung-01.jpg Jung (left) and Anthony Curcio in La Tuna prison in 2010
Born	George Jacob Jung (1942-08-06)August 6, 1942 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	Weymouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other names	Boston George, El Americano
Occupation	Drug trafficker and smuggler
Criminal status	Deceased
Children	Kristina Sunshine Jung, step daughter Clara Pearson
Parent(s)	Frederick Jung and Ermine Jung
Conviction(s)	Drug trafficking and smuggling

George Jacob Jung (August 6, 1942 – May 5, 2021), nicknamed Boston George and El Americano, was an American drug trafficker and smuggler who was a major figure in the cocaine trade in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jung was a part of the Medellín Cartel, which was responsible for up to 90% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. He specialized in the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia on a large scale. His life story was portrayed in the biopic Blow (2001), starring Johnny Depp as Jung. Jung was released from prison on June 2, 2014, after serving nearly 20 years for drug smuggling.

Biography

Early life

George Jung was born to Frederick "Fred" and Erminalia "Ermine" (née O'Neill) Jung in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Though Jung did not excel academically, he was a star football player and was described by his classmates as "a natural leader." His first arrest was by an undercover police officer, for solicitation of prostitution. After graduating in 1961 from Weymouth High School, Jung went to the University of Southern Mississippi. He studied for a degree in advertising but never completed his studies. Jung began recreationally using marijuana and sold a portion of everything he bought to break even.

In 1967, after meeting with a childhood friend, Jung realized the enormous profit potential represented by smuggling the cannabis he bought in California back to New England. Jung initially had his stewardess girlfriend transport the drugs in her suitcases on flights. In search of even greater profits, he expanded his operation to flying the drugs in from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, using airplanes stolen from private airports on Cape Cod and professional pilots. At the height of this enterprise, Jung and his associates were reportedly making $250,000 a month (equivalent to over $1.5 million in 2023 dollars, adjusting for inflation). This ended in 1974, when Jung was arrested in Chicago for smuggling 660 pounds (300 kg) of marijuana. He had been staying at the Playboy Club, where he was to meet a connection who would pick up the marijuana. The connection was arrested for heroin smuggling; however, he informed the authorities about Jung to get a reduced sentence. After arguing with the judge about the purpose of sending a man to prison "for crossing an imaginary line with a bunch of plants", Jung was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury.

Medellín Cartel

At FCI Danbury during his marijuana trafficking sentence, March 1974, Jung's cellmate was Carlos Lehder Rivas, a young German Colombian man who introduced Jung to the dominant and powerful international drug-trafficking Medellín Cartel; in return, Jung taught Lehder about smuggling. In April 1975, when Jung and Lehder were released, they went into business together. Their plan was to fly hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Pablo Escobar's Colombian ranch to the U.S., and Jung's California connection, Richard Barile, would take it from there. Jung had a security man who would accompany him to the exchanges, where Jung would give the man the keys to a car and half the cocaine, and then leave. A day or two later, they would meet again and exchange keys to cars.

Though only a middle man, Jung made millions off the operation. He came up with the idea to steal single-engine airplanes for transportation and charge $10,000 per kilogram, with five planes going from Colombia to California, carrying 300 kilograms per plane: this equated to $15 million per run for Jung. In the 1970s Jung was earning $3 million to $5 million per day. To avoid the need of laundering his earnings, he kept his money in the national bank of Panama.

By the late 1970s, Lehder had effectively cut Jung out, by going straight to Barile. Jung continued to smuggle, however, reaping millions in profits.

In 1987, Jung was arrested at his mansion on Nauset Beach, near Eastham, Massachusetts. With his family in tow, he skipped bail but quickly became involved in another deal in which an acquaintance betrayed him. With Escobar's approval, Jung testified against Lehder, the latter recently extradited, and Jung was released soon after.

Final incarcerations

After working some "clean" jobs, Jung began working in the drug industry again. In 1994, after reconnecting with his old Mexican marijuana smuggling partner, he was arrested with 1,754 pounds (796 kg) of cocaine in Topeka, Kansas. He pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy, received a 60-year sentence, and was incarcerated at Otisville Federal Prison, in Mount Hope, New York, then was transferred to Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna, in Anthony, Texas. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Jung (Inmate #19225-004) was most recently serving time in the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, New Jersey, with a scheduled halfway house release date of June 2, 2014, though he completed his halfway house and was fully released from custody on November 27, 2014.

Two years after his release in 2014, Jung was arrested for a parole violation on December 6, 2016. Sources close to Jung said in an interview that he had been arrested for making a paid promotional appearance that had been arranged by his manager but not cleared by his parole officer.

According to statements on social media from his then-current girlfriend, Ronda Clay Spinello, Jung was released from a halfway house on July 3, 2017; thus completing his punishment for his 2016 parole violation.

Later work

In September 2014, Jung contributed to Heavy with T. Rafael Cimino, nephew of film director Michael Cimino. Heavy is a fictional story that details how Jung escaped from a Cuban prison and fled to Guatemala.

Relationship with daughter

Jung's relationship with his daughter was at the emotional core of the film, Blow. After being released from prison in 2014, he began patching up his relationship with Kristina Sunshine Jung but "it has since fizzled, in part, he said, because his daughter can't forgive him," according to a local newspaper interview. Kristina was raised alone by her mother Mirtha Jung and is now a businesswoman, writer, and poet. Kristina's 19-year-old daughter Athena died in an auto accident in January 2021.

Death

Jung, known as "Boston George" had been suffering from liver and kidney failure, was receiving hospice care when he died May 5, 2021, at his Weymouth, Massachusetts, home with girlfriend Ronda Clay Spinello and friend Roger by his side. Jung, 78, was preceded in death by granddaughter Athena Karan. Jung's daughter, Kristina Sunshine Jung survives.

See also

• Cocaine Cowboys (2006 documentary)
• Blow (2001 film)
• Illegal drug trade in Colombia
• Norman's Cay
• The Wonderland Gang
• T. Rafael Cimino
• Barry Seal
• Narcos

References

• https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/santa-rosa-teen-died-in-atv-rollover-crash-in-lake-county-driver-arrested/?sba=AAS