Watch Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded

Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded is an American crime documentary series that focuses on the drug trade in the Miami area during the 1970s and 1980s. The show is a sequel to the original Cocaine Cowboys, which premiered in 2006, and features interviews with former drug traffickers, enforcers, and law enforcement officials who were involved in the drug trade at the time.

The series begins with an introduction by the filmmaker, Billy Corben, who explains the premise of the show and the issues it aims to address. He takes us back to Miami in the 1970s when the city was undergoing a transformation that was smothered by a human tragedy. The series explores how the cocaine trade transformed Miami from a sleepy retirement community into a globally recognized city beyond its wildest dreams.

The show treads a path of memory lanes, as it narrates accounts of former smugglers who have never spoken about their trade to the cameras before, to reveal the gritty world of drugs, cartels, murders, and law enforcement that dominated Miami between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Viewers get up-close and personal insights into the events, mindset, and operating style of some of the most infamous traffickers, hitmen, and smugglers of that era. The archival footage showcases the brutality, chaos, and violence that is an inseparable part of the drug trade.

The documentary series is divided into six episodes, each of which focuses on a particular aspect of the cocaine trade. It starts with the rise of Miami as the cocaine capital of America, its glory days of the 80s and the forces that were responsible for setting up such vast smuggling operations. The first episode— "Kings of Miami" — traces the rise and fall of two controversial drug dealers, Willy Falcon and Sal Magluta, who were the masterminds behind the biggest cocaine distribution network in southern Florida. They managed to smuggle more than 75 tons of cocaine into the United States in just a few years, resulting in them becoming very wealthy and eloping to the Bahamas. The DEA arrested and convicted them in a highly publicized trial in the mid-1990s.

The subsequent episodes delve into the various characters of Miami's drug trade. The series takes viewers on a deep dive into the lives of prominent smugglers, hitmen, and masterminds like Rivi Ayala, Jorge Valdes, and Kumar Singh. It also explores the various law enforcement agencies and the challenges they faced while trying to curtail the rampant drug trafficking in Miami. The documentary series throws light on how the drug trade created an alternate universe in Miami, where drug dealers, mechanics, lawyers, and even pilots worked together to orchestrate some of the most astonishing drug-smuggling operations in history.

Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded is not just about the drug trade, but the economic impact it had on Miami as a whole. The show explores how the influx of cocaine money revivified the city's economy and drastically changed its social structure. Miami's street culture shifted from being Cuban-centric to a new way of living that was defined by Cuban Americans, African Americans, and other ethnic groups. Moreover, the documented series also explores how the rise of the cocaine economy brought about a wave of violence and death to the city. The show touches on the infamous Miami-Dade County courthouse shooting that caused the death of fourteen people.

Overall, Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded is a gripping and informative show that offers an insightful look into one of the darkest periods in Miami's history. It brings together some of the most notorious drug dealers, hitmen, and masterminds who offer candid accounts of their trade, and how the cocaine trade resulted in a violent epoch for Miami. Through archived footage, interviews, and recreations, the show made by a group of Miami natives brings the absurdity of the cocaine empire to life with sharp insights into an era in which anything was possible, as long as you had the money to make it happen. Anyone who loves compelling and thought-provoking content is sure to enjoy Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded.