Oh, me too with thespaghetti westerns. No, but we might dare you to, but we dont think that you should. But from the go, Rodney kept Julian in the dark about the dirty workhe limited his involvement to telling the story and helping with the map. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. By the end of The Legend of Cocaine Island, Rodney (and the documentary itself) ponders a police conspiracy theory that could mean the bag is still buried in the same spot, ready to be dug up by any enterprising treasure hunter with the right connections to smuggle multiple kilos of cocaine into the United States. It's safe to say they're all excited to have their hard work highlighted for the world to see. And on Friday, the Alachua County true crime tale made its Netflix debut. TL: Thats the advantage of having the real live people play themselves in re-enactments. I think that my approach is definitely to get the subject as involved in that storytelling process as possible. After the 2008 financial crash, Hyden's family moved from their house with a pool and three-car garage to a double-wide trailer outside of Gainesville, Florida. Buried Treasure in the Caribbean? Finally, after waiting for his wife to leave for work one day, he took a kitchen knife to one of the wrapped segments, just to get a better look. The documentary goes a step further in recreating that 2012 odyssey Hyden also acts out the journey. Source: Netflix. The competition for that title is fierce. I thought if I didnt take it, someone who might not go to the police would.. I chatted with The Legend of Cocaine Islands director Theo Love and Rodney Hyden, the man who lived this bizarre and wickedly-entertaining tale of desperation, big dreams, and the power of a crazy story. Rodney Hyden was the president of a construction company and a family man. Hes always quicker to laugh about himself," Love told Refinery29. TL: Rodney wanted to make sure that this was accurate, and that we portrayed him the way he was. He e-mails Carlos: Did you find the nest? And then, just like that, bam, an e-mail with a photo. And Im just doing my job.". Its a fun thing to think about. I mean, come on. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. #CocaineIsland pic.twitter.com/hmTenAL5v4, Zachary Bell (@zacharyebell) April 7, 2019, RELATED:5 Strangest, Most Bizarre Rumors About Elizabeth Holmes, Founder Of Now-Defunct Theranos, In a 2018 interview with TheDaily Mail, Hyden said: "Look, its the stupidest thing Ive ever done in my life; Im not proud of it. Apparently, a trafficker mistakenly dropped it either out at sea or in the air and it washed up on Julians beach. And he had no other drug-dealer connections besides Danny and the undercover cops he met. After returning, Rodney ghosts. RH: Tell me what Im getting into first before we make that decision, Theo. Required fields are marked *. This story was originally published April 9, 2019 9:52 AM. But I think, as the judge pointed out in the sentencing, they had some culpability, too. Someone in jail said, 'Hey man, that would make a great movie,'" Hyden said. Yo Rodney, you said that you were waiting for somebody from Hollywood to call you when I first called. Eighteen kilos, about forty pounds. And because Andy liked talking loose and dreaming big when he got high, Danny knew about it, too. Thats as simple as I can answer it. By contrast, Rodney is staid, suited, dignified. So Im pretty excited that people are saying that. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. At some point, the kid, Andy Culpeppera self-admitted functioning drug addict, in Rodneys words; not one, in Andyshad gotten wind of the cocaine story. The governments aggressive role in the planning and execution of the sting clearly bugs him: If they would have left it buried in the ground, it would still be there, is the sentiment. Even to the beer drinkers, Julian had a way of making wine look good. Rodney, if you could do it over again, would you? This fact is paramount to Rodneys lawyer, Mark Rosenblum, a Jacksonville attorney who looks a little like Joe Lieberman minus the parts that remind people of the emperor from Star Wars. But now, years later, things seem to be looking up for Hyden. The 2023 Critics Choice Awards Was Chock-Full of Stone-Cold (and Coldstone), Drake Used His New Video to Reveal Himself As the Proud Owner of Pharrell's Iconic Jewelry, Every Piece of Menswear You Should Own in 2023, White Tide: A Brief History of Cocaine Washing Up on Beaches, Do you have any idea how much blow gets dumped in the ocean every year? Thats a huge compliment. He started to think that he could rebuild his wealth if he could just find that cocaine. This is the second time its come up, so I should probably do this today. He was not speaking to press on the day of the Netflix premiere. A tequila guzzling drug kingpin, police chases, a drum line number, cash and coke falling from the sky, a tortoise sex romp and more wild visions await in the retelling of a story thats just too crazy to be made up. Im pleased with it. TL: Thats hilarious. Hes one of the most self aware people that I know. Update information for Rodney Hyden . "Honestly, they never dug anything up," Hyden posits. In comes Hyden, a recently riches-to-rags family man hit hard from the Great Recession. Hed cut his beard for a recent road trip. He even lays it out with a trusted friend: I said, Man, Im gonna fucking do it. . I watched that the other night, too. TL: Yo. There are thirty-two kilos in the ground, so thats about a million bucksespecially if they can unload some of it in New York instead of Florida. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. As a filmmaker, I feel like Im never gonna have a more fun set. It was the sort of story that imbued the mind with possibility. Where did this individual find a WW1 explosive device?. This is a national problem, of coursethe Rodneys of America plugging up jails. Julian Howell and his wife moved to Culebra, an island off Puerto Rico, in 1986 to work for the sea-turtle-preservation project. After two failed missions to Puerto Rico, Rodney hands off the map to Carlos, trusting that the smuggler wouldn't cut him out of the deal. Rodney, we should do it together. I suppose Im digging for a better explanation than I did something stupid. Rodney and I leave Rosenblums office together. Julian in Florida. The documentary The Legend of Cocaine Islandcame out on March 29th and tells the unbelievable but true story of Rodney Hyden, a small business owner from Florida. A little later in the afternoon, at what people who are not Rodney and Julian might call the magic hour, the biting bugs swarm and the rain steams right back up off the ground and into the clouds. While the judge considers the sentencing, Rodney and Mark file a motion arguing for leniency, based on a new recommendation from Attorney General Eric Holders office that nonviolent drug offenders receive reduced sentences. [At this point, we had an issue with the phone connection which was quickly resolved]. He did community service, building homes for Habitat for Humanity to pay his dues. He steps through the sliding doors and out into the August heat, a pregnant three-dimensional heat. And, like you said, this could maybe open up a new genre of documentary. By the time I got into movies, it was just the bigSteven Spielbergblockbusters. Good goddamn, the way Julian told that story. (Rodneys about 300 pounds, his top half shaped like the parentheses around this sentence.) Its tough to see clearlythe bricks are wrapped in plastic and rubber, just as Julian had said theyd be. Carlos was an undercover Homeland Security Agent. If you've been waiting for another gripping Netflix documentary about an unbelievable but true story, The Legend of Cocaine Island might be exactly what you've been craving. the Swamp. B&H Builders grew to eighty employees. What if we go get it and you pay us eight bricks instead of four? Are you up front with your subjects about how a documentary is going to turn out? The residents of Archer, FL had heard Julian Howell's outlandish story so many times they could recite it themselves embellishments and all. He lives in Because I dont advise it. This led to Hydens arrest in 2012, and subsequent prison sentence of 60 days and 20 years probation. And then he and Rodney, good neighbors, laugh softly and shake their heads, like, What a crazy story thatd make. Because its a crazy story. Weight and local value: 330 pounds, $14 millionUpright citizen award: A local government employee rolled fifty-five pounds of it home in a wheelbarrow. Like, Actually. Those coordinates again: 18.308281 degrees North, -65.282656 degrees West. Thats all Ive got to say. TL: Oh my gosh. How would you like to meet Julian?. The Many Layered Horrors of Nikyatu Jusus. Right, Rodney? And then you come along and its like: There is a God. Well, Julian says, its the same version Rodney told you, Im sure., But it cant be, because its not just the facts of the story, I start to say, its, He wants to know, Rodney says, getting my meaning just right, what the hell prompted me to go down there and do something dumb.. Andy asks at the end of The Legend of Cocaine Island , streaming now on Netflix. Who Is Connor Cruise's Fianc? I really do. Rodney tells Carlos and Grant the whole story, emphasizing the supposed quality of the product. We have taken it to a few film festivals, and audiences really enjoy it. At the time of my visit, its two years to the week since Rodneys arrest. Thats what I take with it. Nobody hears from him for about a week. In this, The Legend of Cocaine Island starts to feel like one of those terrible headlines sympathetic to white mass shootersHyden is granted an empathy it's impossible to imagine for a person of color in the United States. Will he succeed? He had a boat. Then we take whats left and hand it straight to a dealer in Tampa, El Neg (short for El Negro). Weight and local value: 176 pounds, $48 millionDrug runners packing challenge: Cramming nearly 200 pounds of coke into four backpacks. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I wish I had some more business to do with you.. Check out our interview with Hyden and Love below we talk film-making, myth-making, great movies, theFlorida Man Challengeand much more. I love it; its made a better person out of me. He had a guy named Andy who Hyden employed occasionally for odd jobs. Keep in mind, Hyden was a businessman in his 50s. The judge struggles to arrive at what he deems to be a just sentence, ultimately handing down sixty days behind bars followed by five years of community service. New Netflix documentary "The Legend of Cocaine Island" shows a satellite image to what might be a buried drug cache. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. TL: Thats actually a pretty great answer. Good answer, Rodney. So we filmed it with cinema lenses and cinema cameras. Its a very Coen Brothers story, too, when you think about it. Im tired of it. A post shared by Raoni Barone (@raonibarone) on Apr 3, 2019 at 5:20pm PDT. In June, Rodney drives from a job in Crystal River to a Mexican restaurant on the south side of Jacksonville. And my beard was down to here, and my hair was out to here. It was reasonable for them to think I might come out swinging a machete or something. But after speaking with him, they realized Julian was just as Rodney had described him: all beard, no bite. Like Pirates of the Caribbean.. "I don't pretend to be anything but the new image of the Florida Man, these days," Hyden said. Carlos sends another couple of photos, one with the double keysthirteen pairs of kiloslined up. Say, four bricks to start, maybe more, depending on what they find. It was when I heard it. A neighbor who used to study turtles on a tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico left something behind in the sand, he reveals by the light of a bonfire. He wanted the quick money, he wanted the reward. Prospects for new work are grim. I make documentaries and that involves getting into real peoples lives. As Project Executive, he will support the Project Team by providing resources from B. H. Builders as needed. Absolutely not. Rodney cant believe that after all the talking, all the feinting, all the doubts, its actually happening. Not knowing what to do, he buried the stash and returned to the States to live in a trailer. The Legend of Cocaine Island tells the true tale of a Florida man who attempted to sell illegal Caribbean treasure he found buried on an island. Weight: 75 to 100 pounds a week; traffickers routinely forced to dump product to elude capture.Fun fact: Cocaine reportedly available at the grocery store! He was affected by the 2007-2008 economic crisis, and decided to head to the island to find it. One of my favorites as well. Full Summary More should. Rodneys willing to hear him out, so its back to Casa Maria, just Carlos and Rodney this time. The digging scene, Ill never forget it cause Theo makes you do it about a hundred times. TL: A lot of journalists sometimes yeah. What landed on the tape was enough to get the Homeland Security Investigations unit involved. Just a bunch of yellowed wrapping and a little white. TL: We were really gambling on that. But it could be coke, or something else. "We're a casualty of bulls**t.". Hyden didn't trust Andy to do real contracting work due to his drug use. And then it started sounding better and better. RH: That it could happen to anybody. Over 20 years ago, a Florida man stumbled across a bale of cocaine while living on the island of Culebra near Puerto Rico. Like for instance, mine was Florida Man gets sent back to jail after not paying taxi that picked him up from jail.. Whats Written In The Stars For Your 2023? "This is the most unusual case I've ever had.". Rodney says Julian has never mentioned a firm number but that a quarter-mil finders fee is what hes thinking. You got anything to tell me? Rodney asked for a lawyer. All Citizen Truth original articles licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. He takes a step back and just kinda stares at the bag, beholding for this protracted instant what hes pulled off, so fixated on the duffel that he doesnt hear the footsteps approaching, or at least not until he notices the red lasers dancing on his shirt like the mosquitoes that rule Watermelon Pond. Ugh. Hyden was arrested and facing a minimum prison sentence of 10 years. In previous meetings with Danny, Rodney had been firm about wanting to work with a pilot he knew personally, but Danny has persuaded him to meet with some experienced drug-running pros. So where is Rodney Hyden in 2019? Ive got some options here. But his reaction to the story wasnt that unique. We have the freedom and the luxury after all these years to actually land in certain placesand do what we need to do to make money. Cant talk much about it, but Ive got quite a few projects in the works. Wed tell you more about it but we have a plane to catch and some digging to do. So for several hours each day for a decade, Julian walked the beaches of Culebra, looking for signs of turtles. He has a goatee and looks like hed be really good at adult softball. Julian pops out of his Airstream and meets us near his Volvowhite T-shirt, shorts, neat ponytail, trim scruff. The rendition of the true story already made waves at the Tribeca Film Festival. DETAILS BELOW. He slides the duffel onto the bench seat in the back. Ten years later, Julian would tell the story in a new town, where construction company president Rodney Hyden heard it. You ever see the movie Deliverance? Rodney says. In many ways it makes my job a lot easier. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Rodney gets in his truck and starts driving in slow circles, thinking hard about the strange journey that has led him here. TL: I would say that I grew up watching just the big blockbusters. We have estimated Rodney Hudsons net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. X marks the spot. Julian and his wife kept looking for the sea turtles, but not for much longer. Work dried up. WebRodney Vander Hyden. The companies were formed over a twenty-four year period Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. New Details About Silvia And Why Nicole Kidman Is Banned From Their Wedding, A post shared by Raoni Barone (@raonibarone), 5 Strangest, Most Bizarre Rumors About Elizabeth Holmes, Founder Of Now-Defunct Theranos, Woman Says She Quit Her Job On Her First Day After She Was Refused A Lunch Break, 'Love Island' Host Maya Jama Has A New Rule In Her Dating Life After Breakups From Ben Simmons & Stormzy, Why Everyone Turned On Mindy Kaling 8 Reasons Fans Are Calling Her Out. Rawley started working with an agent named Ryan McEnany. Now, its producers hope the film will be the next big hit on Netflix. Absolutely. Im not ashamed of anything. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. "How I didnt see it, how I didnt realize what was going on but out of all the bad and the ignorance and the stupidity on my part, there has been some good from this story. Dug a hole out by the cistern at his house, and into the ground it went. AmyLamareis a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. This was Danny Jimenez. And here it was, perhaps: forty, fifty, sixty pounds. Yeah. Rodney, what do you hope people will take away from your story? I wanted to take care of my family," Hyden says in the trailer. "You did something that a dumbass would do, so be accountable for it. Then, when I actually met the storyteller, Julian, hes this barefooted hippie. [Laughs] the blasphemy! Hed heard about this sort of thing down here, even on Culebradrugs that had been tossed overboard or dropped from a plane, missing their target and washing ashore. We had to go there once just to scout it out and I may or may not have brought my wife and had a little vacation. Definitely. At one point, for example, Love filmed Hyden typing and retyping the word "cocaine" until he got the spelling right. ", He also opened up about his time in prison in his 2015 interview with GQ. But in the morning, Andy is too sick to leave the room. Looking back on his arrest and trial, Hyden and Andy point toward a number of deficiencies in Alachua County and Homeland Security's version of events. Just take it off the top when you transport the cargo, Rodney says. Now gimme a second, Rodney says, I cant quite do it that quickly. Have either of you guys done theFlorida Man Challengethats going around social media right now? The prosecution recommends forgoing the ten-year mandatory minimum, asking for thirty months, but Rosenblum argues that Rodneys skills as a general contractor will better serve the community outside prison. No, I go on a sixty-foot yacht. Thanks for telling the story. Julian tells the story. In 2012, Alachua County experienced a crime story almost too strange to be true. Gandalf if Gandalf lived in Florida [Laughs]. The coke he was arrested with was not the coke they dug up in Culebra but rather a blend of sham and real cocaine packed by McEnany and Rawley. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A North Florida case involving drugs, danger and drama will be in the international spotlight starting Friday. They met with Hyden in Jacksonville and arranged to drop it off to him in St. Augustine. They were the other half of the coin that would make the movie. And check outThe Legend of Cocaine Island on Netflix worldwide now. But you kept insisting., Rodney takes some serious convincing but eases into a reversal, now that Carlos is offering to do the heavy lifting. This island off of the coast of Puerto Rico. For years, Hyden and friends passed beers around a campfire, just off the beaten path in Archer. Rodney says he wants to get down there within the next couple of months. All thats left is part of the plumbing. [Director Theo Love] made me do it 50 times at least," Hyden said. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. As Julian did not want to involve Puerto Rican police, who likely would not have believed he was innocent in all this he generally wanted to avoid that hassle he decided to bury the package near the trailer he was living in at the time and leave it there. Lets see. Tom Ford. There, within the backdrop of Spanish-moss and branches, stood the hippie version of Gandalf himself, as put by Love. He didn't have drug running experience. Its emotional. tale Rodney was told by his neighbor Julian, a series of 2010 church arsons in East Texas, Egypt Moves to Replace Popular Tuk-Tuks, But Risks Devastating Informal Economy, Palestinian Teen Arrested By Israel And Returned Home In A Body Bag, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Attribution-NonCommercial-No derivatives 3.0, One Free Democratic Palestine With Miko Peled, Questioning The Mainstream Narrative of The RFK Assassination With Lisa Pease, How an Ancient Irrigation Method Makes Sustainable Life Possible in the U.S. Southwest, The Plight of The Palestinian Refugee With Dr. Ramzy Baroud, Ben Stiller Named UN Goodwill Ambassador, Focuses on South American Violence, Credit the author and Citizen Truth in the byline. It was a bold choice to cast Rodney in these movie moments, these recreations, whatever you want to call them. If youre a Burna Boy fan, then you know how excited we are about the release of his new album, , Lonnie Martin suffers from a rare condition that causes her to feel seasick while on dry land. In 2012, Hyden aka Florida Man leaves his wife and daughter for a jaunt to Culebra, where he'll fulfill the ultimate get-rich-quick scheme by digging up a bag of And the ICE agents who arrested him are still working in the Jacksonville area. But the strangest fact about Hydens story was the revelation that his illegal Caribbean treasure wasnt worth 2 million dollars. These cookies do not store any personal information. That lingered like campfire smoke in a sweater. According to several credible online sources, US sports analysts are paid an average of $78,200 per year. But it was just that: a fanstasy. Fast forward to 2019, and Hyden has survived to tell the story of what happened next. See additional information. I go there tranquilo. The film explores how exactly Hyden got himself into this situation and why. Ill tell you that. There is a God., Before they split up, Rodney hands Carlos the same Google map hed printed, but with a series of annotations to make it a little easier for Carloslines, arrows, Xs and Os. Dont forget the bottle of wine. We dug up the cocaine and we admitted that cocaine into trial. His formerly booming construction business comes to a standstill. Law enforcement never charged Julian, but they never officially cleared him of wrongdoing, either. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. That's where he met Julian and heard about the legend of $2 million worth of cocaine buried near a sea turtle sanctuary. I take my time with everything I do. I want to make sure its right, he says. "Cocaine -- over 70 pounds -- just waiting for someone to dig it up," the trailer continues. Hilary Elkins, 4. As he got closer, he peered over both shoulders to see if anyone else was around, if anyone had dibs. In the winter of 2012, Danny Jimenez was pulled over by cops in Alachua County. As it turns out though, Dee was working with the police in the hopes that his cooperation would lead to a lighter sentence on another crime he had been convicted of. Weed, he hoped. Heres The Guiding Plo 35 Romantic Christmas Movies You Can Stream Right Now. Not totally related, but a little related. He wouldnt even have to touch the stuff. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Yet, what makes the story different is thetale Rodney was told by his neighbor Julian. Theo Love the mind behind the 2013 documentaryLittle Hope Was Arson, abouta series of 2010 church arsons in East Texas director ofCocaine Island, took a novel approach to telling this story. RH: They held a gun to my head and made me show them where it was buried. Yeah didnt mean to imply that youre recommending it because the film doesnt. Innovation and thats all I need to say about it. Your email address will not be published. When Danny leaned into the passenger window of Rodneys truck that morning, he said he knew a guy who could get the coke back to Florida and another guy who could sell it. With the help of Deewho spends Cocaine Island behind a skull bandannaand Carlos, a supposed drug smuggler with his own airplane, Randy hunts down the buried cocaine. Drug dealers sometimes throw things overboard or out of a plane when they think the authorities are on their trail. Dont care to get into that. Were not making a serious documentary.. Frankly, we were a tiny little indie film, and we wouldnt be able to do it justice. Did anything funny happen on set? Ive never seen it happen like that before. About thirty grand per kilo, Carlos says. Blame it on the Airstream. Its surreal. RH: There were times when we may have changed something a little bit because I felt like it was a little more close to accurate.

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