Executive Summary
- A podcast series titled “Collateral Damage” is re-examining historical cases where U.S. drug war policies resulted in deaths and controversial prosecutions.
- Cases reviewed include the 2001 downing of a missionary plane in Peru, the killing of teen informant LaBron Gaither, and the raid-related death of Trevon Cole in Las Vegas.
- The series also details the manslaughter conviction of Ryan Frederick, who killed an officer during a raid, and the death of medical marijuana advocate Peter McWilliams.
- The journalist behind the series connects the historical events to current policies of the Trump administration related to drug enforcement.
A podcast series by journalist Radley Balko, titled Collateral Damage, is examining several historical cases where individuals were killed or prosecuted under controversial circumstances related to United States drug war policies. The series delves into incidents ranging from mistaken identity in anti-drug operations to the consequences faced by civilian informants and medical marijuana advocates. The author links the themes of these past events to contemporary government actions.
Cases Explored in the Series
One episode focuses on the 2001 deaths of Veronica and Charity Bowers, a Christian missionary and her infant daughter. Their plane was shot down over Peru as part of a CIA-led drug interdiction program after it was mistakenly identified as a drug smuggling flight. The source material notes that a former congressman who represented the Bowers family, Peter Hoekstra, is now a senior member of the Trump administration.
Another case reviewed is that of Ryan Frederick, who was convicted of manslaughter in 2008 for killing police detective Jarrod Shivers during a drug raid on his Virginia home. According to the report, the raid was based on information from informants who had illegally entered Frederick’s home to find marijuana plants. Frederick, who had no prior criminal record, served approximately eight years in prison.
The series also investigates the death of LaBron Gaither, a Kentucky teenager who became a police informant. After his identity was revealed during public grand jury testimony, he was subsequently tortured and killed during an undercover operation. The report highlights that Gaither’s parents never consented to his work as an informant.
The story of Peter McWilliams, a writer and advocate for medical marijuana in the 1990s, is also featured. After being diagnosed with AIDS and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, McWilliams used marijuana to manage the side effects of his medication. He was later arrested on federal drug charges, and a condition of his bail was that he cease using marijuana. Unable to take his life-saving medications without it, his health deteriorated, and he died before his trial.
The podcast also examines the case of Trevon Cole, a Las Vegas man killed by police in 2010 during a raid over a minor marijuana sale. The report notes that police may have confused him with another individual and that the raid was potentially being filmed for the television show Cops.
Context and Conclusion
The author of the series, Radley Balko, frames these historical events as relevant to current policies under President Trump’s administration, particularly concerning immigration and foreign policy justified by the war on drugs. The cases highlighted in the podcast serve as a review of the human cost associated with various drug enforcement tactics over several decades. It is important to note that in cases involving criminal proceedings, all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.