Criminal The Tusker
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Oct 17, 2025 Audrey Ryan, a reporter and writer from Mount Desert Island, shares a fascinating tale about her father's involvement in a coastal drug discovery. She recounts growing up near the ocean and learning that fishermen often found hash in their nets. Audrey dives into the story of the Tusker, a smuggling vessel, revealing how it was linked to the Coronado Company. Interesting details emerge about how hash was dumped overboard during Coast Guard encounters, and the local frenzy to recover it after it washed ashore, making it a legendary part of the community's history.
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Scallop Net Full Of Hash Bricks
- Frank Ryan found sticky, brown bricks of hash tangled in his scallop dragnet that smelled strongly of cannabis resin.
- He and the crew hid some by popping a hole in a scallop bag and throwing it overboard when authorities arrived.
Local Abundance Lowered Island Prices
- Local fishermen treated recovered hash as a routine windfall and sometimes processed or sold it locally.
- Supply abundance depressed island prices, but cleaned hash fetched much higher sums off-island.
Coronado Company Began With Swimming Smugglers
- Lance Weber and friends formed the Coronado Company, smuggling marijuana by swimming or using inflatable boats from Mexico to Coronado.
- Their operations grew into a profitable, semi-organized outfit run by former classmates and a Spanish teacher.