Inside incredible true story of Cocaine Bear who ate duffel bag full of 75lb of coke that dropped from a plane
THE incredible true story of a bear who ate an entire duffel bag full of cocaine after it fell from a plane has inspired a wild new film.
The bizarre discovery of an overdosed 175lb black bear in the middle of a forest in Georgia, USA led to an even stranger case where a drug smuggler strapped up with £12m of cocaine fell from the sky.
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"There isn't a mammal on the planet that could survive that.
"Cerebral haemorrhaging, respiratory failure, hyperthermia, renal failure, heart failure, stroke. You name it, that bear had it."
The discovery of the overdosed bear was quickly linked to the mysterious death of an ex-narcotics cop and lawyer turned drug smuggler.
Andrew Thornton II was found dead on a driveway in Tennessee with a failed parachute on his back.
The 40-year-old was carrying thousands in cash and two pistols, and was wearing night vision goggles, a bulletproof vest, and Gucci loafers on his feet.
Investigators later discovered he was in the final stages of a smuggling run when he jumped from a plane.
Flying from Colombia, Thornton was dropping packages of cocaine from the plane over Georgia - one of which the bear found.
He then jumped himself with the rest strapped to his waist – the abandoned aircraft was left on autopilot and it smashed into a mountainside in North Carolina.
He was a trained warrior – a very efficient killer trained by the U.S. government
Betty Zairing on Thornton
"He was a trained warrior – a very efficient killer trained by the U.S. government," Betty Zairing said, who was married to Thornton between 1968-1970.
"He went onto the police force so he could do battle. He was happiest when he was on the cutting edge, when he tested himself."
Thornton handed in his gun and badge in 1977 – but he didn't leave his life of action behind.
He joined a private security firm set up by his pal Bradley Bryant, which ultimately drew Thornton to the wrong side of the law.
In 1981, he was charged with piloting a plane filled with tonnes of marijuana as part of a huge drug-importing conspiracy and he became a fugitive for several months until he was caught.
Three days before he was due to appear in court, in 1982, he was shot twice in the chest at close range leaving a restaurant.
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But the rounds didn't penetrate the bulletproof vest he was wearing and cops concluded the shooting was staged to persuade the judge his life would be in danger if he was jailed.
He was sentenced to six months for the cannabis conspiracy – but it didn't deter him from his drug dealing operations which ultimately led to his death.