Hilton Head man making a movie inspired by 1970s drug smuggling – guess who has a cameo?
By Kelly Jean Kelly
BEAUFORT
In the 1970s and ’80s, dozens of college-educated young men made millions bringing marijuana into coastal South Carolina.
On beautiful boats accompanied by beautiful women, they sailed around the world collecting hashish, then spirited their crafts into isolated inlets and creeks around St. Helena and Hilton Head to offload the drugs and collect cash.
Their well-to-do backgrounds inspired the name “gentleman smugglers.” Some argued they committed a victimless crime.
The U.S. attorney for the South Carolina district did not agree. Henry McMaster invested considerable personnel and resources into apprehending and prosecuting the smugglers, an effort he branded Operation Jackpot.
Today, McMaster is the governor of South Carolina and, maybe, a movie star. He has discussed a cameo appearance in a film inspired by the drug-smuggling episodes, an independent production called “The Final Load.”
The communication director for the Governor’s Office, Brandon Charochak, confirmed McMaster’s willingness to perform a walk-on role, although shooting will likely have to wait until after the legislative session ends.
“The governor believes Operation Jackpot is a uniquely South Carolina story that deserves to be told. He looks forward to seeing how the film depicts the events that ultimately led to the arrest of more than 100 drug smugglers,” Charochak wrote in an email.
In a March letter to the movie’s screenplay writer and producer, Walter Czura, McMaster called the whole Jackpot history “fascinating” — a characterization that may strike Czura as odd, since he was one of the 100 people the investigation ensnared.
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