The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade

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David Tuch

The Wireless Operator

The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade

David Tuch

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Icon Books
25 September 2025

Biography: historical, political & military; True crime; Drugs trade & trafficking; Organised crime

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 revolutionise 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 invented the modern drug trade with his groundbreaking invention: the drug mothership. Through his ghost fleet of drug ships, Derber eventually become 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.

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Based on newly declassified government files, undercover photographs, an unpublished memoir, and first-hand accounts from both Derber's trafficking accomplices and the agents who pursued them, The Wireless Operator reveals the astonishing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.

AUTHOR: David Tuch is the cousin of Harold Derber. A technology entrepreneur, he was born in New York and received his doctorate from MIT and Harvard Medical School. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife and four children. This is his first book.

By: David Tuch
Imprint: Icon Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781837732456
ISBN 10: 1837732450
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 25 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

David Tuch is a writer and entrepreneur. The Wireless Operator, his debut book, tells the story of his cousin Harold Derber. Born in New York, Tuch has lived in England and France and now resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and four children. www.davidtuch.com

Reviews for The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade

David Tuch brings the remarkable story of Harold Derber - refugee, gun-runner, ethical people smuggler and revolutionary drug-trafficker - out of the shadows. And what a tale it is: an extraordinary life of adventure (and misadventure), and a rollicking good read. * Tim Tate, author of To Catch a Spy *