In 1972, Tommy Powell ventured to Santa Marta, Colombia in search of 20,000 pounds of high grade marijunna - Colombia Gold, but was met with disbelief. An order of that size had never been requested from the Colombians. He settled for 16,000 pounds at 6 dollars a pound and sold it in Ann Arbor, Michigan for 250 dollars a pound. The golden hue of the Colombian weed delivered a more enjoyable high and sold for nearly double the price of the Jamaican weed. Tommy would pack a fleet of shrimp boats with 30,000 to 60,000 pounds per trip, send them across the dangerous Yucatan Channel and Mona Passage to hidden coves scattered along Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Maine coastlines. Once there, he packed tractor trailers for distribution to eager buyers throughout North America. Tommy's early desire to bond with others by sharing marijuana now stretched from the Caribbean, to Colombia and throughout the United States. Tommy delivered millions of dollars into Colombia month after month and quickly established close business ties with every major cartel family. His massive successes piqued the interest of another drug lord, Pablo Escobar, who approached Powell seeking a deal to transport cocaine through his supply chain. Without hesitation, Tommy brazenly denied the offer, believing marijuana unified people while cocaine tore people's lives apart and he refused to participate. His international operation employed thousands and supplied millions of people, many for the first time, with the highest quality weed the United States had ever smoked.