Customer Reviews

Deep Cover

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Fact: The U.S. government traffics narcotics, and also lets drug-dealing nations and cartels go unmolested, if it is the politically expedient thing to do. Yet at the same time, the Federal government was at the time of writing, and still is today, waging a "War on Drugs." As most knowledgeable Americans are now aware, this was a facade, and much more distressing, an act of hypocrisy. The so-called War on Drugs has allowed the U.S. government to further erode citizens' rights, unjustly seize property, and further establish a 1984ish "Big Brother," America. This book should be read.

Author Michael Levine noted many interesting insights into the D.E.A., how it functions, and how this bureaucratic machine plays role in relation to foreign policy, and the political pressures that guide and influence this agency. Levine was considered to be the D.E.A's number one undercover agent, having arrested over 3,000 individuals over twenty-five years.

Seeking truth, and having passion for his career, and strongly believing in the mission statement of the Drug Enforcement Agency, He wrote in a very direct manner which I appreciate. What he observed in the agency was contrary to his life's work, and he had the courage and drive to speak out about it. In certain instances, the more a D.E.A. agent penetrated into serious drug operations, the more anxious and admonishing the bureaucratic "suits" who ran the agency in Washington D.C. became.

When he and the agency came to close to nailing major drug kingpins, some with high political status in some South American nations, the agency basically shut the operation down. Some of the Cold War alliances the U.S. had with nation-states were similar to it's relations/alliances to drug-dealing countries and cartel kingpins. The Cold War made strange bedfellows politically and this transgressed into the War on drugs.

The most appropriate thing to do is prosecute United States political figures, Military, D.E.A., and C.I.A. bureaucrats for trafficking and conspiring to traffic narcotics. Of course we all know, that isn't going to happen. Yet we must fill our prisons with nonviolent, small-time working stiffs, casual drug users, to serve out mandatory minimum sentences.

I am a retired DEA Field Division SAC. Levine's book, like his radio program, is objective and doesn't pull any punches. The lack of cooperation between organizations is well-known to anyone inside and Levine describes this infighting with brutal candor. The cost to Americans who expect more of their government is painfully high. Well-researched and documented.

Deep Cover, by Michael Levine, is a true account of an actual international drug sting operation. Michael recounts the operation from an ordinary start, a nail-biter of an ascent, to a frightening climax. So engrossing is this chapter of Michael's work, I read it in one sitting on a trans-atlantic flight. I was left with stunned admiration for this point-man in the war on drugs. I'm glad he is on our side.

Fact: The U.S. government traffics narcotics, and also lets drug-dealing nations and cartels go unmolested, if it is the politically expedient thing to do. Yet at the same time, the Federal government was at the time of writing, and still is today, waging a "War on Drugs." As most knowledgeable Americans are now aware, this was a facade, and much more distressing, an act of hypocrisy. The so-called War on Drugs has allowed the U.S. government to further erode citizens rights, unjustly seize property, and further establish a 1984ish "Big Brother," America. This book should be read.

Author Michael Levine noted many interesting insights into the D.E.A., and how it functions, it's role in relation to foreign policy, and the political pressures that guide and influence this agency. Levine was considered to be the D.E.A's number one undercover agent, having arrested over 3,000 individuals over twenty-five years. Having passion for his career and strongly believing in the mission statement of the Drug Enforcement Agency, He wrote in a very direct manner which I appreciate. What he observed in the agency was contrary to his life's work, and he had the courage and drive to speak out about it. In certain instances, the more a D.E.A. agent penetrated into serious drug operations, the more anxious and admonishing the bureaucratic "suits" who ran the agency in Washington D.C. became.

When he and the agency came to close to nailing major drug kingpins, some with high political status, in some South American nations, the agency basically shut the operation down. Some of the Cold War alliances the U.S. had with nation-states were similar to it's relations/alliances to drug-dealing countries and cartel kingpins. The Cold War made strange bedfellows politically and this transgressed into the War on drugs.

The most appropriate thing to do is prosecute United States political figures, Military, D.E.A., and C.I.A. bureaucrats for trafficking and conspiring to traffic narcotics. Of course we all know, that isn't going to happen. Yet we must fill our prisons with nonviolent, small-time working stiffs, casual drug users, to serve out mandatory minimum sentences. Who killed more people? Timothy McVeigh, or the D.E.A and Federal government? I respect the former much more than the latter.

This story reveals the true organizational chokehold placed on the small group of people truely responcible for the "War on Drugs". Political infighting, hidden agendas and simple corruption at the managerial level of Justice Departments arms of enforcement make it amazing that the street agents are as successful as they are. This very direct, from Levines point of view, story did embarrass the DEA when published and will continue to do so until a serious, non-political attempt is made to stop the poisoning of American citizens. The book is full of true, frightening revelations about our governments need to perpetuate the "Drug War". Most revealing to me was Levines' concept of enforcement at the user level. It was reportedly the most effective effort of his career but the most politically incorrect method of stemming the flow of narcotics. I could picture seventy thousand casual users sentenced to spending thier leisure time in an empty football stadium.

The books tell the sad inside story on the war on drugs. It's well written, interesting and reads like a good criminal fiction, but it's unfortunately a true story.

If you like reading criminal fiction, read this book. If you're interested in politics, it's a must.

Michael Levine gives the reader the inside scoop on why certain agencies and certain targets don't seem to show up during the war on drugs. I read this book years ago and found myself infuriated by the in-fighting and lack of cooperation between agencies and agents. Excellent read and likely to disappoint those of us who believe everything is being done to fight the war on drugs.

This book is an often hilarious account of how corruption, stupidity, egotism, and hidden agendas completely sabotage the war on drugs. It reminded me of sometimes of Tales of Incompetence by Koralnik, in the descriptions of pettiness and bureaucratic infighting and all the extroadinary wasted effort. The only disappointment is the lack of serious questioning as to whether a War on Drugs is even worth fighting, considering it is largely a commerce undertaken between consenting adults.

Together with Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance", this book simply underscores the willingness or blatant negligence of various US government agencies to look away in support of larger policy goals. Ultimately, the policy goals are not achieved, innocent people die, and Southern California is exposed to more drug trafficking. And, Gary Webb loses everything to expose the governments negligence and commits suicide. Who cares about the 1980s? Government negligence will not repeat itself in the future. I strongly recommend both books if you believe the government can repeat mistakes.

Deep Cover, a book written by Michael Levine, a narcotics officer, sheds light on what undercover drug operations look like and what can happen to them without the support of a compitent government, overseeing the investigation. The book, throughout the 300 or so pages, starts out with the arrest of David Wheeler, a small time California drug dealer, trying to sell a pitiful 800 grams of cocaine. Treated as a "stool-pigeon," a "rat," Wheeler, without having credible stories, was sent to jail without the change to turn on his suppliers; however, luckily, perhaps by chance, Customs, another notable US agency with a very small footprint in the drug war, picked him up, giving him the chance to snitch. Little did they know what he would lead them, through his "connections," to the Bolivian corporation drug dealers, capable of producing thousands of kilos of cocaine a day. Levine, posed as a mafia boss, tries to infiltrate them with a large buying operation which would lead to their demise; however, the government seems to be totally against the plan, refusing to front them the money, and putting the agents life's in danger by putting them in life threatening decisions. Eventually, in the end, the book leaves the reader with some simple questions: why would the government turn away from the idea of infuriating the biggest cocaine dealers in the world if we "want to win the drug war?"
Overall, the book provides us with an inside look about the operations of the DEA, and makes us think twice about weather or not the government is behind something completely.