Black Tuna Gang

[1] The gang operated at least at one time from a suite in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, and arranged bulk deliveries to a boathouse.

They frequently used creative and unconventional methods of communication and organization, such as sending an associate a box of diapers as a coded message to signal they were ready to go ahead with a drug deal.

The gang was eventually brought down by a joint FBI-DEA effort known as Operation Banco, which traced numerous transactions through South Florida banks until finally their accountant was caught making a large deposit in a Miami Beach bank, and also obtained information informants, such as Wade Bailey of Wilmington, NC, from within the gang.

[1] In spite of this, a total of 8 members of the gang, Platshorn and Meinster among them, were convicted and received lengthy prison sentences.

[1] The Black Tuna Gang was featured as part of the Rakontur documentary film Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja.

One of the gold medallions worn by the Black Tuna Gang to signify membership (Text by Drug Enforcement Administration ).