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In this episode, retired agent Richard “Rich” Garcia reviews his Group 1 Undercover Operation (UCO). Agents set up a bogus company to sell beepers, cell phones, shortwave radios, and other high-technology devices to Colombian cartel drug smugglers transporting shipping drugs from Central and South America to the United States.
The case, code-named “Cat-Com” for Catch Communications, resulted in charges against 93 alleged drug traffickers, including the leaders of three distribution networks.
Special Agent (Retired)
Richard T. Garcia
1980 – 2005
“We found out drug traffickers were dedicated to money. They were loyal to that. Otherwise, they couldn’t care less who they would work with. Not like the mob who is more dedicated to family members.”—Retired Agent Rich Garcia
Rich Garcia served in the FBI for 25 years.
Rich Garcia was a street agent in the Dallas, San Juan, and Miami Divisions. He held management level positions at FBIHQ, Washington Field Office, and the El Paso and Houston Divisions.
He retired as the Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office.
During his career, Rich Garcia received numerous awards for investigative and managerial operations to include the Attorney General’s Award and the Presidential Rank Award. While assigned to FBIHQ as the Section Chief of Operations for the Information Resources Division, Garcia played a significant role in the espionage investigation of FBI spy Robert Hanssen. Garcia managed and monitored his activities prior to Hanssen’s arrest.
Currently, Rich Garcia is the Principal of the 3RB Consulting Group, LLC, which uses its extensive global network to put companies and clients together that need services in Cyber Security, Assessments and Cyber Training.
Rich worked with Bob Levinson, who was held hostage for 13 years and died in the custody of his Iranian captors.
He also responded to the 1986 Miami firefight where agents Jerry Dove and Ben Grogan were killed. The following are inks to case reviews of both tragic events:
Episode 197: Nancy Savage – Robert Levinson, Iranian Hostage RIP
Episode 118: Ed Mireles – Fatal FBI Miami Shootout (Part 1)
Episode 119: Ed Mireles – Fatal FBI Miami Shootout (Part 2)
The following are links to articles about the Cat-Com undercover operation targeting the Colombian Cartel:
The Washington Post – 12/7/1988: 93 CHARGED IN FBI OPERATION DIRECTED AT DRUG CARTELS
New York Times – 04/23/1990: Colombian Cocaine: Tracking Down Dealers – A special report; A Covert and Major Victory is Reported in the Drug War
Associated Press – 12/6/1988: High-Tech FBI Sting Leads to Charges Against 93 U.S. Drug Traffickers
2 Brian Ross News Report Cat-Com (VIDEO download)
Books and Articles
Blow – by Bruce Porter,1993 Chapter 11 – Jacksonville 1987 (Bob Levinson and Rich Garcia develop a scheme to lure Carlos Lehder out of Colombia in order to capture him.)
The FBI – by Ronald Kessler,1993 Chapter 5 – Miami, Super Bowl of Crime (Discussion about the Cat-Com investigation and photo of Undercover Agents and Trafficker Carlos Mario, nephew of Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, aka El Mexicano of the Medellin cartel.)
Kings of Cocaine – by Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Leen, 1989 Chapter 33 – The Henry Ford of Cocaine (Mentioned FBI [Levinson/Garcia] getting Jung to testify against Carlos Lehder)
[…] 224: Rich Garcia – Miami Vice, Colombian Cartel Undercover Sting […]
[…] 224: Rich Garcia – Miami Vice, Colombian Cartel Undercover Sting […]
Jerri, good morning, first, thank you so much for your service, awesome pod-cast [ all of them ]
I Love Crime Podcast Keep Up The Good Word
Thanks for listening!
Consistently excellent!!!!!
You and all the agents, knowledgeable, experienced and experts.. the depth and quality shines through
Now I see this worked. I wrote a long note and the message said to notify administrator or try again.
Anyways, I love these stories but I would love to hear the back story about the drug Cartel involved with
Ronel refineries in Hollywood Florida. I worked for Loren Industries and I was always perplexed how that came about. All I remember was being told not to talk to reporters and we could not leave the building with out our our licenses. I was not even 20 years old when this all went down. When I tell people I was apart of one of the biggest drug take downs lol they think I am crazy. But it was crazy scary at the time. All us innocent workers almost lost our jobs because of greed! The Sun Sentinel has a story from February 25,1989
thank you
Sounds interesting! I’ll see what I can find out.
Please forgive my grammar, I am very dyslexic and forming a sentence can be a struggle when I am trying to get all the thoughts out. My brain goes a mile a minute. :). I sure hope you could find out. I truly grew up in the Miami vice years and it was so interesting.
Thank you again for your time.
Shelly
I tried to email and it said it could not go thru.
Sorry About that. Can you email me directly at jerriwilliamsauthor@gmail.com.Thank you.