In the summer of 1987, Johnny Boone set out to grow and harvest one of the greatest outdoor marijuana crops in modern times. By doing so, he set into motion a series of events that defined him and his associates as the largest homegrown marijuana syndicate in American history, also known as "The Cornbread Mafia." The author, whose relationship with Johnny Boone, currently a federal fugitive, made him the first journalist subpoenaed under the Obama administration, takes readers back to the 1970s and '80s and the clash between federal and local law enforcement and a band of Kentucky farmers with moonshine and pride in their bloodlines. By 1989, the task force assigned to take down men like Johnny Boone arrested 69 men and one woman from busts on 29 farms in 10 states, and seizing 182 tons of pot. Of the 70 individuals arrested, zero talked. The who, what, when, where, why and how of it all, is a tale of Mafia-style storylines emanating from the Bluegrass state, and populated by Vietnam veteran and weed-loving characters caught up in violence and heart-breaking altruism. It is accompanied by a soundtrack of Southern rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues, and it is told in action-packed, colorful, and riveting detail.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 345-365) and index.

A county is born : Catholic migration, the Civil War, Prohibition and John Dillinger The hot air-conditioner incident, the Lebanese mayor of Lebanon and the killing of Charlie Stiles The dark side of Cornbread, starring Garland Russell "This is some absolutely dynamite pot here," the police said Cornbread in the tropics, the cops don't trust the DEA and Jimmy Bickett sees Johnny Boone on television Growers versus the drought of 1983, a rash of Raywick killings and a drug investigation gone wrong

How the Jesuit College at St. Mary's became the first private prison in America Johnny Boone becomes "Mr. Grass" The DEA wants to know, "where did you get this lion?" The "Cornbread" press conference "Welcome to the gladiator arena" The US marshals versus James Higdon.