Raymond Grady Stansel Jr. was an American drug smuggler who faked his death in 1974 and lived in Australia for more than forty years.[1]
Stansel was arrested in Florida in 1974 with 12-tons of marijuana. On the first day of his trial, his lawyer told the judge he had drowned in a diving accident in Nicaragua.[2] Stansel was never found. In 2015, an American expat in Australia named Dennis "Lee" Lafferty died in a traffic accident. His widow revealed that Lafferty was Stansel.[2]
Stansel lived in far north Queensland, Australia and was a respected member of the Daintree community. He operated Daintree River Cruise Centre for over 28 years, giving crocodile tours.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ Plucinska, Joanna (23 June 2015). "Alleged Drug Smuggler Who Faked Death in 1974 Dies for Real". Time. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Traffic accident in Australia ends 40-year-old mystery in Florida". Tampa Bay Times. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Late Qld tourism stalwart's secret life". Brisbane Times. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Kyriacou, Kate; Guppy, Damon (23 June 2015). "Tourism pioneer was US drug fugitive". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
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