The Wireless Operator tells the never-before-told story of Harold Derber, a British Merchant Navy veteran who pioneered the modern drug trade through his invention of the drug “mothership.” Drawing on newly declassified government files and firsthand accounts, David Tuch traces Derber’s rise from postwar Manchester to his assassination in Miami, set against the backdrop of World War II, the Cuban Revolution, and the Cold War.

'A propulsive and illuminating biography. Tuch's deep dive is suspenseful and well researched, shedding fascinating light on a shadowy 20th-century figure.'
— Publishers Weekly

The Wireless Operator

David Tuch

Icon Books | December 2025