Criminal – “The Tusker” (Oct 17, 2025)

Host: Phoebe Judge
Theme: A tale of fishermen, hashish, and the accidental intersection of small-town Maine with international drug smuggling in the 1970s and 1980s.

Episode Overview

In “The Tusker,” Criminal examines how thousands of pounds of hashish ended up on the ocean floor off the coast of Maine, soon to be pulled up by unsuspecting scallop fishermen. The story unfolds through the memories of Audrey Ryan, whose fisherman father stumbled into the center of this smuggling saga, and traces the origins to a smuggling ring called the Coronado Company, from California to the small harbors of Maine. The episode hits on themes of class divides, happenstance, organized crime, and the ways local communities can get swept up in wider criminal events.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Life on Mount Desert Island – The Fishermen and the Elite

• Audrey Ryan describes the sharp divide between “year round people and summer people” in Mount Desert Island, Maine, highlighting the presence of rich seasonal residents like the Rockefellers and Martha Stewart ([00:57]).
• Her family lived there year-round in humble circumstances: father a fisherman and handyman; house “falling apart,” sometimes without plumbing, always near the sea ([01:50]).

2. Audrey’s Father – Fisherman, Carpenter… and Something More

• Audrey’s father fished for scallops, sometimes gone for days or a week at a time ([02:13], [02:20]).
• By age 19, Audrey learns indirectly that her father was dealing marijuana, connecting the dots after a customer mentions circumstances matching her family ([02:59]–[03:34]).

Quote:

“The light bulb went off, and I was like, oh my God, that’s my dad.”
— Audrey Ryan ([03:34])

3. The Surprise Catch – Hashish in the Nets

• In the early 1980s, rumors spread among fishermen that “there was hash at the bottom of the ocean” ([03:39]).
• In 1983, Audrey’s father brings up bricks of hash (“looked like the sole of a shoe, but thicker”), totaling about 20 lbs. The smell was overwhelming and distinctive ([04:43], [05:17]).
• Police with drug-sniffing dogs await the boat. Audrey’s father quickly dumps the hash overboard to avoid detection ([05:36]).

Quote:

“It just smelled really potent and skunky and stinky. Everyone said you could smell it the minute it came on board.”
— Audrey Ryan ([04:43])

4. An Open Secret – The Fishermen and the “Ocean Bonus”

• Many local fishermen reported pulling up hash bricks—sometimes full canisters (~$100,000 value each) ([06:56]).
• Hash was so abundant that it lost value locally, more valuable if smuggled out of state, with fishermen making $300–$1,000 per pound depending on destination ([07:28]).

Quote:

“A canister was worth a lot of money…Maybe $100,000 or more. So if they got a canister, it was a huge score.”
— Audrey Ryan ([06:56])

“There was a lot more money to be made out of state.”
— Audrey Ryan ([07:28])

• Fishermen spent their windfall on new trucks, boats, or (in at least one rumor) a house in Bar Harbor, now worth millions ([08:11]).

5. Where Did the Hash Come From? The Coronado Company

• The name “Tuska” or “Tusker” surfaces repeatedly—research eventually reveals the “Tusker” was a ship owned by the Coronado Company ([08:54], [09:53]).
• The Coronado Company started in California, with leader Lance Weber and former high school friends (many from the swim team) swimming marijuana across the border from Mexico in waterproof trash bags ([13:20], [13:55]).

Quote:

“If you look at a map, like it’s not that far from the Mexican border up to Coronado, so they literally swim back with the drugs.”
— Audrey Ryan ([13:29])

• Older group member and Spanish teacher/coach Lou Velar gets involved; over time, the operation expands with boats, amphibious vehicles, and eventually to international sources (Thailand, Pakistan) for hashish ([15:45]–[16:20]).

6. The Expansion to Maine and the Tusker’s Fateful Run

• After indictments on the West Coast, the Coronado Company moves some operations to remote Cutler, Maine—selected for its privacy and the Black Ledges landmark ([19:27], [19:51]).
• In 1978, they buy the 137-foot tug “Tusker” and head to Pakistan, planning to offload six tons of hash in Cutler ([21:51]).
• The house and activity are noticed by a neighbor, and the authorities put the location under surveillance ([22:17], [25:06]).
• When the Tusker arrives ahead of communications, town residents spot it—law enforcement converges ([24:55], [25:06]).

Quote:

“Why is there a 137-foot tugboat in the middle of nowhere, you know, when it should be in the Bering Sea, you know? And so they called the cops.”
— Audrey Ryan ([24:55])

• The Coast Guard initially doesn’t realize what they’re looking for, expecting marijuana bales, not metal canisters. The Tusker’s crew throws 300 canisters of hash overboard while towed to port ([26:22]).

7. The Arrests and Aftermath

• Lee Strimple and Ron Weber, Coronado members, try to escape but are found and arrested ([27:14]–[28:53]).
• For a moment, the smugglers think they're in the clear because evidence is on the ocean floor ([29:01]–[29:15]).

Quote:

“The boys had managed to chuck that stuff all off the boat.”
— Lee Strimple ([29:21])

• However, canisters eventually wash ashore, divers recover hundreds of pounds, but much remains underwater ([29:31]).
• Fishermen reap the “bonus” for years, finding hash in the best scallop beds ([30:31]).

Quote:

“It happened to be dropped on what my dad described as the best scallop beds he'd ever seen...it was just pure coincidence and a total bonanza for the fishing community.”
— Audrey Ryan ([30:31])

• Sentences: Ron Weber gets two years, Lee Strimple two years and probation; by 1984, 57 Coronado Company members were convicted in three states, including the ringleader Lou Velar, who got a deal for his cooperation ([31:32]–[32:11]).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “The light bulb went off, and I was like, oh my God, that’s my dad.”
  – Audrey Ryan ([03:34])

• “It just smelled really potent and skunky and stinky… it didn’t smell like your normal seafood.”
  – Audrey Ryan ([04:43])

• “A canister was worth a lot of money, maybe $100,000 or more. So if they got a canister, it was a huge score.”
  – Audrey Ryan ([06:56])

• “Why is there a 137-foot tugboat in the middle of nowhere…?”
  – Audrey Ryan ([24:55])

• “The boys had managed to chuck that stuff all off the boat.”
  – Lee Strimple ([29:21])

• “It happened to be dropped on what my dad described as the best scallop beds he'd ever seen… it was just pure coincidence and a total bonanza for the fishing community.”
  – Audrey Ryan ([30:31])

Noteworthy Timestamps

• 00:57: Audrey describes class divides and famous residents of Mount Desert Island.
• 03:34: Audrey realizes her own father was dealing drugs.
• 04:43: Discovery of hash in scallop nets.
• 06:56: How much hash could be worth; canisters vs. loose bricks.
• 13:29: The Coronado Company swam hash across the US/Mexico border.
• 15:45: The Spanish teacher becomes the ringleader of a major cartel.
• 19:27: Lee Strimple joins the story, operations on the East Coast.
• 21:51-22:17: The Tusker's arrival in Maine and suspicions arise.
• 24:55: The Tusker draws attention in Cutler.
• 26:22: Crew throws hash canisters off the ship while under Coast Guard escort.
• 29:21: The moment smugglers realize the evidence is gone—“they had managed to chuck that stuff all off the boat.”
• 30:31: Fishermen finding both legendary scallop beds and hashish—a local bonanza.

Tone and Language

The episode is marked by Phoebe Judge’s calm, investigative style, blending curiosity and empathy, while Audrey Ryan’s voice is both factual and laced with nostalgia and irony—conveying a sense of wonder at the bizarre intersection of small-town lives and international crime. Direct quotes and commentary are casual, sometimes peppered with wry humor as locals reminisce about their unexpected windfall.

Summary

This episode of Criminal uses the accidental bounty of hashish in Maine’s coastal waters as a lens into a forgotten chapter of American smuggling history, illuminating the ripple effects international crime can have on the most unlikely communities. Through interviews, archival discoveries, and candid storytelling, “The Tusker” offers a rich narrative of luck, risk, and the blurred lines between everyday survival and the world of organized crime.