Sonny Liston and the Cocaine Connection

[Brutu]

This is a chapter from a non-fiction book published in 2004 entitled
THIN WHITE LINES.
It is the memoirs of an African-American undercover federal narcotics agent
who was with the DEA for 25 years.
If you are one of those who still may think that Sonny Liston died from"Natural Causes" IN 1970.
you may reconsider it after reading this.
pp.172-177.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hItUdg ... g=PA172&dq

[Brutu]

Has anyone seen this man recently?
Perhaps he should be questioned if he knows anything about the death of Sonny Liston.


http://books.google.com/books?id=qbEDAA ... pg=PA54&dq

[Ilya Muromets]

Liston was probably murdered by the mob. He was mixed up with them up to his ears and he was a violent career criminal as well. Between him and Clay with his Black Muslim mob it's no wonder those two alleged fights they had stunk to high heaven. I read The Devil And Sonny Liston by Tosches a few years ago. Interesting book.

[Brutu]

Most if not all Sonny Liston's friends in Las Vegas ,thought he was murdered.

[Brutu]

This guy was murdered by a "Hot Shot".
It was a fairly well known case in Nevada.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Binion

[Brutu]

Has anyone seen this man recently?
Perhaps he should be questioned if he knows anything about the death of Sonny Liston.


http://books.google.com/books?id=qbEDAA ... pg=PA54&dq

Seems kind of funny to me that the series AMERICAN GANGSTER,
ran for about 3 seasons and 28 episodes,but they never did a show or even mention the "Real Superfly" Frank Matthews.
particularly since he still is on the lam.
Makes u wonder if someone was paid off to keep quiet about it.

[Brutu]

This is a chapter from a non-fiction book published in 2004 entitled
THIN WHITE LINES.
It is the memoirs of an African-American undercover federal narcotics agent
who was with the DEA for 25 years.
If you are one of those who still may think that Sonny Liston died from"Natural Causes" IN 1970.
you may reconsider it after reading this.
pp.172-177.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hItUdg ... g=PA172&dq

Unfortunately Google books has removed the chapter in this book and its contents
by John P. Sutton a former DEA Agent,
to off-line possibly for copyright reasons,but the book is well for seeking out and being read
if for only that chapter.I had never read about it anywhere else.

[BoxBuzz]

Hmm if both were false...what was the reality?

[bollox]

Decades ago I read an article saying that Liston was petrified of needles. The article basically said he was murdered

[Brutu]

I sort of doubt that Liston was ever on heroin.
Doobie in the 1950's and later cocaine in 1965 most likely.
Joe Louis was once on heroin in the 1950's got cleaned up but got caught up on cocaine around 1964.
They two use to hang out together of course.

[Brutu]

I remember some bizarre newspaper story around 1970 or 1971 that appeared in a Las Vegas newspaper.
two sisters who were the daughters of a former Nevada govenor were operating a heroin distribution house/ fortress
with like armour plated walls,in West Las Vegas,and the Feds raided it with like a SWAT team.
Back in the 1960's,West Las Vegas was the dangerous part of town.
starting beyond the Greyhound bus station at the top of Fremont street over from the Golden Nugget.
Johnny Toco's gym was on the border there somewhere,with the adjoining Zebra Lounge were
Liston use to hang around a lot of the times.

[Brutu]

Hard to think that Sonny was alone when he died, as he was still a well-liked and popular celebrity
in Las Vegas at the time.

And in 1970, he worked at the Hilton Hotel, providing security for the visiting celebrities and performing
show business stars.

yeah,especially between Christmas and New Years Day.
They dont call it Sin City for nothing.

[Caractacus]

Hey x2x,
The (once) free pages to view are no longer available,but if I were you I would get a copy of the book
WHITE LINES by former DEA agent John Sutton(who is African-American).
It opened up a window not reported in any of the documenaries or biographies of Sonny Liston published up to then.

[witherspoon]

Ok, I'm convinced. John Sutton is African-American. That's good enough for me.

[Ilya Muromets]

Hey x2x,
The (once) free pages to view are no longer available,but if I were you I would get a copy of the book
WHITE LINES by former DEA agent John Sutton(who is African-American).
It opened up a window not reported in any of the documenaries or biographies of Sonny Liston published up to then.

It's called Thin White Lines and it appears to have been published more than ten years ago, but has only one brief critical review, by someone who only barely skimmed it, on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Thin-White-Lines- ... ine+sutton

Here's the Tosches book that I read years ago:

http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Sonny-Listo ... merReviews

[Ilya Muromets]

I remember some bizarre newspaper story around 1970 or 1971 that appeared in a Las Vegas newspaper.
two sisters who were the daughters of a former Nevada govenor were operating a heroin distribution house/ fortress
with like armour plated walls,in West Las Vegas,and the Feds raided it with like a SWAT team.
Back in the 1960's,West Las Vegas was the dangerous part of town.
starting beyond the Greyhound bus station at the top of Fremont street over from the Golden Nugget.
Johnny Toco's gym was on the border there somewhere,with the adjoining Zebra Lounge were
Liston use to hang around a lot of the times.

Tocco.

From Wikepedia:

"During a 1995 HBO documentary about Liston, Johnny Tocco, who owned a boxing gym in Las Vegas, said he spoke with mobster John Vitale before the rematch and was told not to pay any attention to what he heard about the fight. He also told Tocco that he should be glad that he wasn't going to Lewiston. When Tocco asked why, Vitale told him that the fight was going to end in the first round."


Johnny Tocco's Boxing Gym. It's still there.

http://www.jtboxing.com/

[Caractacus]

This is a chapter from a non-fiction book published in 2004 entitled
THIN WHITE LINES.
It is the memoirs of an African-American undercover federal narcotics agent
who was with the DEA for 25 years.
If you are one of those who still may think that Sonny Liston died from"Natural Causes" IN 1970.
you may reconsider it after reading this.
pp.172-177.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hItUdg ... g=PA172&dq

bump

[Caractacus]

Hey x2x,
The (once) free pages to view are no longer available,but if I were you I would get a copy of the book
WHITE LINES by former DEA agent John Sutton(who is African-American).
It opened up a window not reported in any of the documenaries or biographies of Sonny Liston published up to then.

It's called Thin White Lines and it appears to have been published more than ten years ago, but has only one brief critical review, by someone who only barely skimmed it, on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Thin-White-Lines- ... ine+sutton

yeah thats the book,a good read too.
I wonder if John P. Sutton is still alive and if anyone bothered to interview him for more details ?

[vatech1983]

Liston was very mysterious, he did very few interviews...........I tend to think he died of natural causes. He had an extensive criminal record and was PROBABLY older than he said he was...................In 1964 he was closer to 36 or 37 rather than 32 yrs of age.........Is it possible to get a review of his entire rap sheet. Is that possible nowadays?? Ali knocked him out in the 2nd bout fair and square, Although Liston did not receive a count...................

[Ilya Muromets]

... Ali knocked him out in the 2nd bout fair and square, Although Liston did not receive a count...................

They interviewed people leaving the arena and couldn't find one who thought it was legit. Look at that absurd floor action Liston was doing after that little tap he took, rolling around , some acting. They told him to take a dive the first sellable punch that landed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TADbnYQJg7w

[Sidney Carton]

This is a chapter from a non-fiction book published in 2004 entitled
THIN WHITE LINES.
It is the memoirs of an African-American undercover federal narcotics agent
who was with the DEA for 25 years.
If you are one of those who still may think that Sonny Liston died from"Natural Causes" IN 1970.
you may reconsider it after reading this.
pp.172-177.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hItUdg ... g=PA172&dq

GARBAGE

[Tony1244]

... Ali knocked him out in the 2nd bout fair and square, Although Liston did not receive a count...................

They interviewed people leaving the arena and couldn't find one who thought it was legit. Look at that absurd floor action Liston was doing after that little tap he took, rolling around , some acting. They told him to take a dive the first sellable punch that landed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TADbnYQJg7w

The employee who came up with that DISGUSTING Red & Yellow ESPN insignia deserves to be tortured.

Or is it just me that's bothered by that?

[Caractacus]

This is a chapter from a non-fiction book published in 2004 entitled
THIN WHITE LINES.
It is the memoirs of an African-American undercover federal narcotics agent
who was with the DEA for 25 years.
If you are one of those who still may think that Sonny Liston died from"Natural Causes" IN 1970.
you may reconsider it after reading this.
pp.172-177.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hItUdg ... g=PA172&dq

GARBAGE

so what are you saying ,that that particular source has since been debunked ?

[oogiebe]

The most logical reason I've ever heard regarding Liston's death was that he was supposed to throw the Wepner fight and decided not too. Ergo, the mob got him with a 'hot shot.' The problem with his needle work is that Liston was notoriously afraid of needles, so the self induced theory was debunked. Mob hit? We'll never know for sure.

[Caractacus]

Watch the HBO documentary about Joe Louis.
I think there may have been a clue there in it.
when they interview the wife of the late Ash Resnick
She said that Ash Resnick threw someone (not named)out of his casino and told them never to come back.
because they were caught supplying Joe Louis with cocaine
( who had been addicted to cocaine previously
and just gotten out of the hospital in Colorado for rehab to it and had recently moved to Las Vegas (in 1970)
Joe Louis and Ash Resnick were buddies going back to WWII.
Ash Resnick owned the Thunderbird Casino and was a "partner" in Caesar's Palace.