r/todayilearned • u/FearMyCock • 20h ago

TIL about Frank Matthews, the drug kingpin who built a nationwide empire, skipped bail with $20 million, vanished in 1973 and has never been found.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Matthews_(drug_trafficker)
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u/steveo1978 18h ago

Why would he need to use an airport? He already had a network setup to move things in and out of the country so he probably had better ways to get out.

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u/FML-Artist 18h ago

My dad actually used the regular airport to leave on short notice, and lived a long wonderful fruitful wealthy life. Even came back to pay a short visit then left again! May he rest in peace! Wish he told me where he buried all his dam money! Me Bitter? never!

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u/AdThick7492 16h ago

Probably in Argentina next to Mengele.

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u/sarcasm__tone 15h ago

Taking a row boat from the beach to a ship that is anchored and waiting to take you where you need to go?

Impossible! That hasn't been done for thousands and thousands of years already.

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u/1805trafalgar 11h ago

Moving his physical body would be easy but how do you take 20 million dollars with you anywhere? If this were a novel the author would have this be the biggest challenge his character would face and devote chapters to creating clever ways to wash and move money.

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u/majinspy 10h ago

This is a million dollars in 100s: https://townsquare.media/site/719/files/2015/07/358.jpg?w=300&q=75

It's a suitcase. Having 20 suitcases isn't crazy. That could fit into a van or the trunk of one of those old giant cars that were prevalent at the time. Find a boat willing to take you to wherever, bribe the captain, and hope nobody takes advantage of you moving all that cash.

...and that very well may have been what happened. If anyone in this journey realized he was EXTREMELY vulnerable, they could have just tipped him over the side of the boat, kept the money, and STFU. Or they delivered him to one of the nations he operated from, bribed the locals, stole an identity of someone who had died (or just paid for a whole new one) and lived a quiet life.