Brian O'Dea | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 1, 1948 |
| Education | Memorial University of Newfoundland (attended) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur Television personality Author |
| Known for | Mid-1980s multinational marijuana smuggling enterprise |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor "Ellie" Miller (m. 1972–1973, div.) Suzi Foreman (m. 1977–1988, div.) Susannah Lewis (m. 1993) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | John R. O'Dea (father) Fabian O'Dea (uncle) |
Brian O'Dea (born September 1, 1948) is a Canadian businessman, author, television personality, and former drug smuggler. He is best-known for a large marijuana smuggling enterprise he masterminded in the mid-1980s. Set up to move marijuana in bulk from Southeast Asia to the Pacific Northwest and California, between 1986 and 1988, O'Dea's organization successfully smuggled 76 tons of marijuana worth about $300 million into Washington, transported it to California, and distributed it throughout the United States.
After suffering a cocaine-induced heart attack in 1988, O'Dea quit smuggling and using illegal drugs and became a substance abuse counselor. A long U.S. federal investigation of his marijuana smuggling operation resulted in O'Dea's arrest in 1990.
O'Dea pleaded guilty in 1991 and received a ten year sentence. After beginning his prison term in California, in 1992 he was transferred to a prison in Canada. Released on parole in 1993, O'Dea later built a career as a television commentator, narrator, and producer, in addition to authoring a memoir.