Harvard Fellow Turned Legendary Weed Smuggler

Harvey Prager built a countercultural maritime empire before swapping it for an AIDS hospice and law career

Mar. 23, 2026 at 1:10am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Harvey Prager, a former Harvard fellow, abandoned academia in the 1970s to build a multimillion-dollar marijuana smuggling ring that moved tons of Colombian weed to the U.S. Prager and his crew lived large in Key West and the Caribbean, crossing paths with celebrities, before a bust in Maine forced him to go on the run in Europe. After a London bank robbery exposed his identity, Prager turned himself in and proposed funding an AIDS hospice with his drug money instead of going to prison, a deal a federal judge accepted. Today, Prager is a civil rights lawyer in Brooklyn.

Why it matters

Prager's story offers a unique window into the countercultural maritime smuggling world of the 1970s, a time when marijuana laws were seen as arbitrary by some, and the risks and freedoms of the work blurred the reality that it was a large criminal enterprise. His later pivot to using his ill-gotten gains for good also raises complex questions about redemption and the criminal justice system.

The details

Prager bought a barely seaworthy sailboat and gradually turned it into the hub of a multimillion-dollar smuggling ring that moved tens of thousands of pounds of Colombian marijuana to Maine and Florida. Prager and his crew lived large in Key West and across the Caribbean, crossing paths with Jimmy Buffett and Mick Fleetwood while pointedly refusing to carry cocaine. After a busted run in Maine, Prager went on the run in Europe and the islands, until a London bank robbery exposed his identity and forced him to turn himself in. He then proposed funding and running an AIDS hospice with his drug money instead of going to prison, a deal a federal judge accepted.

  • In the 1970s, Prager bailed on academia and started his marijuana smuggling operation.
  • Around the time Prager's smuggling ring was active, the cartels began moving in.
  • Prager's smuggling operation was busted in a run in Maine.
  • After going on the run in Europe and the islands, Prager turned himself in following a London bank robbery that exposed his identity.
  • Prager proposed funding and running an AIDS hospice with his drug money, a deal a federal judge accepted.

The players

Harvey Prager

A former Harvard fellow who abandoned academia in the 1970s to build a multimillion-dollar marijuana smuggling ring, before swapping it for an AIDS hospice and a law career in Brooklyn.

Jimmy Buffett

A musician who crossed paths with Prager and his smuggling crew in the Caribbean.

Mick Fleetwood

A musician who crossed paths with Prager and his smuggling crew in the Caribbean.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Prager and his crew didn't see themselves as traffickers in the traditional sense. To them, marijuana laws felt arbitrary, and the work carried a mix of freedom, risk, and purpose.”

— Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone writer

What’s next

Prager's law career and work in the civil rights field will likely continue to be followed, as his past as a legendary marijuana smuggler adds an intriguing layer to his current work.

The takeaway

Prager's story highlights the complex moral and legal gray areas that existed around marijuana smuggling in the 1970s, and how even those involved in large criminal enterprises can sometimes find redemption and use their ill-gotten gains for good, raising questions about the criminal justice system's approach to such cases.