Real Story from the Frontlines of the Most Dangerous Time in Miami History
The infamy of Miami’s cocaine wars of the 1970s and 80s is forever etched into the darkest chapters of US history, and Lt. Raul Diaz was on the frontlines for all of it. The decorated and controversial law enforcement figure identified the shifting tide in the Magic City when law enforcement lost their grip on crime as a new breed of criminal flooded South Florida to ply their billion-dollar trade.
In a deadly exclamation mark, Colombian cocaine godmother Griselda Blanco and her assassins swept through the city with a bloody and ruthless ambition that left countless dead bodies along the way. Lt. Diaz organized and spearheaded the multi-agency task force CENTAC-26 to combat Blanco and the cartels.
Raul came to the US at age thirteen accompanied by only his younger brother and overcame insurmountable odds after finally finding law enforcement as his calling. He never did things the traditional way, and that wasn’t a popular position in the regulated world of police work.
His successes came at a costly price, both professionally and personally, putting him in the crosshairs of those with an axe to grind, shockingly on both sides of law enforcement. The man profiled in books, documentaries, and the Netflix series Griselda is here to share the story previously told by others—now, finally told by the one man who knows the truth behind every kilo, kidnapping, and corpse.
About Author Lt. Raul J. Diaz
Raul was born in Cuba in 1947 and migrated to the US in 1961. He joined the Miami Metro-Dade Police as a uniform patrolman, worked his way up through the Organized Crime Bureau, Terrorist and Security Unit, Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics, Homicide, and Miami International Airport. During his 13 years of service with MDPD he received numerous commendations and awards from the US Congress; federal, state and local agencies; private citizens and organizations; and foreign governments. Raul retired honorably from the department in 1983 with the rank of lieutenant and entered private practice by founding ICDA Investigations, where he still serves as President and CEO. Raul enjoys fishing, photography, music, reading, and spending time with his two daughters and two grandchildren.
About Author Sean Oliver
Sean has never engaged a drug lord in a shootout but is the author of ten books including his most recent release, Monkey Morales. He has written four Amazon #1 bestselling nonfiction books, as well as three novels in the supernatural thriller genre. Additionally, he has written several screenplays and is a 2021 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition winner in the script category for a pilot called Trixie. Sean is also an actor and voice artist with over a hundred major motion picture and TV credits. He’s directed national television commercials and currently co-hosts Kliq This: The Kevin Nash Podcast with WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash. Sean was born and raised in West New York, NJ, a stronghold of Cuban immigration in the 70s and 80s, and currently teaches in New Jersey where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
