Mountain of Evidence • 2021 • episode "S1E3" • Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami

50:48

In the 1970s and '80s, friends Willy Falcon and Sal Magluta leave humble beginnings behind as they allegedly ascend to the top of Miami's drug trade. They launder their profits through offshore bank accounts and front companies in the Bahamas, Netherlands Antilles and Republic of Panama. Back home in South Florida, Magluta and Falcon hide their fortunes using banks they secretly control. With loans from these banks, they then build up an empire worth billions.

2021 • People

44:46

'Los Muchachos' lawyer is murdered by Columbian hitmen. The FEDs find the ledgers that outline how all their money is moving. Now the heat is on when Willy & Sal get 'popped' for 75 tons of cocaine. The two major criminals are considered untouchable and have repeatedly eluded justice for years: Falcon has been arrested twice and charged at least three times with drug and firearms offenses - but he has never been in prison for more than a week. As the authorities close in, the "Cowboys" are left with three options: flee, flip or face the music. But Willy and Sal won't go down so easily.

2021 • People

40:33

Magluta was recognized and arrested by a few police officers in an office supply store in 1988. But few days later he is released after his court file has undergone a few changes. It suddenly says that he has already served a 14-month prison sentence. Everything changes in 1991: On a rainy October afternoon, a 25-man team from the U.S. Marshals raid a mansion near Miami Beach and takes Sal Magluta away in handcuffs. Hours later, the same team took Willy Falcon into custody at a house in nearby Fort Lauderdale. In the two buildings, investigators found almost a million US dollars in cash, a kilo of gold and small amounts of cocaine. As their high-profile trial begins, Willy and Sal attempt to neutralize witnesses against them in a variety of ways — some legal, others not so much.

2021 • People

47:02

Salvador Magluta and Augusto Falcon are indicted by a grand jury in April 1991 on a variety of crimes. However, after a lengthy trial, Judge Federico Moreno found the two accused not guilty. In the wake of a stunning verdict, questions arise about the jury's credibility, and a subsequent investigation into Magluta and Falcon's finances reveals that they bribed several senior judges, and one juror in particular soon adopts a very creative legal defense.

2021 • People

43:28

Sal takes uncharacteristically desperate measures in the face of new federal charges, an unearthed paper trail and increasing pressure on a confidant. Sal has his day in court — again — Willy decides to go his own way. Facing a surefire prosecutorial case against them, Sal and Willy had their lawyers publish a veritable "hit list" of federal witnesses, many of whom were quickly assassinated. Moreover, despite having their narcotics assets frozen, they found a means of circumventing the law and using those illicit funds to pay for their expensive council. Understanding that wasn't enough to secure their exoneration, they then also bribed three jurors to swing the verdict in their favor—a scandal that compelled prosecutors to carry on a subsequent investigation to indict the jurors and use them against Sal and Willy.

2021 • People

46:13

After two decades, can the government finally make the charges stick? Falcon reaches an agreement with the prosecutor's office and "only" gets 20 years. In November 2018, AP News, among others, reported that Augusto Falcon was deported to the Dominican Republic after serving a 20-year sentence for money laundering. Although raised in Florida, Falcon has never held US citizenship. Magluta is ultimately sentenced to almost 200 years in prison. He is still serving his 195-year sentence in a Supermax federal lockup in Colorado. According to media reports, Falcon's younger brother is now also in prison: Gustavo "Taby" Falcon was sentenced to eleven years in prison in 2018 after being on the run for almost 26 years.

2021 • People