The Jewish Smuggler Who Shaped the Modern Drug Trade

Join author David Tuch for a riveting exploration of his book The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade. This gripping work uncovers the hidden life of a young British seaman whose daring and ingenuity reshaped global commerce—not through legitimate trade, but through the birth of international drug trafficking. Tuch will guide us through the sailor’s journey across war-torn seas, clandestine ports, and shifting moral landscapes, while also reflecting on the broader historical forces that enabled the rise of the modern narcotics industry. Part biography, part true-crime history, this discussion sheds light on a story long buried beneath official records and public memory.

David Tuch, PhD, is a technology entrepreneur and debut author whose work uncovers hidden and overlooked narratives from the shadows of 20th-century history. A native New Yorker now living in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife and four children, Tuch has lived in England and France and brings a global perspective to his research and writing. His first book, The Wireless Operator: The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade, draws on his family connection to Harold Derber—the sailor at the center of this remarkable true story—and illuminates the little-known origins of international narcotics trafficking.