By now, you've likely heard about the upcoming dark comedy film from Universal Pictures called "Cocaine Bear." The film's trailer went immediately viral upon release, racking up more than 8 million views on YouTube in a matter of days. The film—directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Kristofer Hivju, and the late Ray Liotta in his final film role before his death in May—has a rather simple premise. A black bear discovers a duffel bag of cocaine lost during a drug smuggling operation, and then goes on a killing spree through a small Georgia town. From there, the ensemble cast must team up to fight the animal and end its murderous rampage.
This sounds like a fun enough concept for a horror comedy, but one thing that raised eyebrows after the "Cocaine Bear" trailer's release was the text claiming the film is "inspired by true events." We've heard some weird wildlife stories, but this one seemed like a stretch—even for Hollywood. However, it turns out that, yes, there was a real-life bear that ingested a whopping 75 pounds of cocaine back in 1985. What really happened has been the thing of legend in Georgia for years since. This is the true story behind the cocaine bear.
Authorities gather up the parachute of drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. YouTube Screencap: WATE 6 On Your Side
We can't really tell the true story of "Cocaine Bear" without talking about a man named Andrew Thornton. According to The Washington Post, Thornton became a paratrooper and was injured in combat during the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Civil War in 1965. After his stint in the Army, he became a police officer in the early 1970s. He entered the force right around the same time then-President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs. He did stints with the Lexington Police Department and later the Drug Enforcement Administration. He also briefly became a lawyer.
At some point, Thornton made the jump from law enforcement to drug smuggler. He was arrested a few times on charges of drug smuggling and theft of weapons. There's a lot more to his story, but the important part as it pertains to the real cocaine bear was Thornton's last drug smuggling run.
According to Knox News, on Sept. 9, 1985, Thornton and his friend and karate instructor Bill Leonard (we couldn't make this up if we tried) flew to Colombia on a drug smuggling mission in Thornton's twin-engine Cessna 404 airplane. Leonard later claimed Thornton tricked him into participating by saying they were going to the Bahamas and then detouring, only telling Leonard the real plan when they were halfway there.
Whatever the case may be, the men picked up roughly 400 kilos of cocaine. The drugs were wrapped in plastic and placed in duffel bags with parachutes attached. They then started flying back to the United States. Thornton's plan took a sudden detour when he overheard federal agents talking about the plane on the radio when they got over Florida.
As they got over Knoxville, Tennessee, Thornton put the plane on autopilot and the two men kicked several of the bags of cocaine out the door. Then the men jumped from the plane in parachutes. Leonard's parachute opened just fine. Thornton's failed. On the morning of Sept. 11, a Knoxville resident named Fred Myers called authorities to report the body of a man in his backyard. It was Thornton. His parachute had apparently failed to open under the extra weight of several bags of cocaine strapped to his body. One of the bags contained 75 pounds of the drug and was estimated at the time to be worth $15 million.
Authorities also found Thornton had two handguns, $4,500 in cash, night vision goggles and knives. Thornton was also found to be wearing a bulletproof vest. Police, the sheriff's office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI were all involved in the case, which seemed ripped straight from the script of an '80s action movie. The investigators quickly realized there was likely more cocaine than what Thornton had jumped with.
The Discovery of the Cocaine Bear
Don White via GettyImages
Thornton's airplane had continued flying on autopilot for another 60 miles before crashing in the mountains near Hayesville, North Carolina. According to Knox News, authorities matched a key in Thornton's pocket to the airplane wreckage. This gave them a flight path they could search along for the other packages of cocaine. It didn't take them long to locate another bag containing 220 pounds of the drug in Fannin County. However, it wasn't until just before Christmas that the fate of the rest of the cocaine was discovered in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia.
It was there that someone stumbled upon the remains of a 175-pound black bear. The animal's body was lying among 40 plastic containers that had been ripped open by the bruin. The containers all had traces of cocaine, so the bear's carcass was sent to a medical examiner at the Georgia State Crime Lab. When the bear's stomach was opened, the examiners found it literally packed near to bursting with cocaine. In all, the animal had ingested roughly 75 pounds of the drug.
Obviously, the cause of death was a massive overdose. The examiners found the animal had suffered the usual signs of one—respiratory failure, cerebral hemorrhaging, heart failure, and renal failure—after binging on the packages. Therein lies the obvious difference between the true story and the movie. There was no bloody rampage by a bruin high on cocaine. In fact, it sounds as if the bear didn't last more than a few hours at most after its meal took effect. But that's Hollywood for you.
Where is Cocaine Bear Today?
YouTube: WBIR Channel 10
After the autopsy, the doctor who did the procedure sent the bear's body to a taxidermist. From there, the animal found its way back to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. From here, the story gets a little muddled, as there are reports the bear either went lost or was then stolen. No one seems to know which one is the truth. In any case, Knox News reports the animal later surfaced in Las Vegas. Legend has it the animal ended up in a pawn shop and was ultimately purchased by country music star Waylon Jennings and remained in his possession for a while. See what we mean? This story is far stranger than Hollywood could ever make it.
At some point, the animal made its way back east, where it somehow ended up in the Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington. Now called "Pablo Eskobear," the mount of the bruin can still be found there today. The display has only grown in popularity in recent years, and we imagine it will garner many more visitors after the film's Feb. 24 release date. The mall already has a bevy of cocaine bear merchandise it is selling. One thing is for sure: This is likely to remain the weirdest true wildlife story ever.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram. For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
