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Sparky McLaughlin

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Damned from Memory Kindle Edition

by Sparky McLaughlin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.8 12 ratings

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Damned from Memory, a confidential expose by an ex -narcotics agent traces the links from drug transit zones to the streets of the east coast, with straight lines to the White House, State Department, and the CIA following the truth; however inconvenient it is for a Washington heavyweight photographed at a fundraiser where illegal contributions were amassed from persons with ties to drug trafficking. The revealing, action-laced book shows how drug profits fuel election campaigns on both sides of the U.S. - Dominican Republic border. It’s the kind of true story that Hollywood brought to the screen in the real-life of “Serpico,” but on an international stage, revealing current administration ties to narco-traffickers.

Despite being warned to “take it on the chin” by the Attorney General, and supporting statements by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Ver.) on the floor in Congress, my testimony at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence created a thunderstorm. Supporters like Gary Webb of the San Jose Mercury News, and Joe Occhipinti of the National Police Defense Foundation respond; however my reputation and career were destroyed as various agencies, under apparent direction from the CIA, pulled every trick in their effort to punish me. A trusted informant was firebombed. The most audacious was that my police K-9 repelled an intruder, leaving a bloody trail on my kitchen floor after the ‘black bagger’ broke in searching through my files and attempted to plant a bug. I was forced to file a retaliatory lawsuit. I was censored by the Congreso Nacional de la República Dominicana.

Parts of this shocking story were published in various major national magazines, and on the web, but now this suppressed story has come to life in my book – all backed by documentary evidence including web sites, court documents, news clippings, etc.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite 5 Stars

"Damned from Memory" is an explosive expose by former US narcotic agent Sparky McLaughlin who, according to him, has been a cop all his life. The first part of the book is his own personal story explaining how he developed a calling to become a cop and his first few years on the job in Philadelphia. In telling the rest of his story, we get to learn the flow of drugs from the streets and brings us all the way to the White House, the US State Department, and the CIA. It is disheartening to know that Washington politicians are willing to raise funds even from personalities who are linked to drug traffickers. And it is an ugly revelation that dedicated cops are punished, with their reputations soiled, when they want to get to the bottom of the narcotic problem in the US.

Harassed by the CIA in cahoots with international drug traffickers, McLaughlin painfully learns that honesty and dedication to his job as a narcotic agent will change the course of his life forever. His book "Damned from Memory" is a creative nonfiction that exposes one man's war against the narc-traffickers in the US and the reasons why it is impossible to win it. Face to face with powerful criminals working together with international drug traffickers, it becomes a matter of life and death. Sparky McLaughlin writes with frankness that shows his courage and dedication. His life reads like an action packed novel and sends a chilling message on why the US can never win the war against narc-traffickers. This is one of those books that keep the reader on his seat until the very last page. Written with zeal and conviction. - Readers' Favorite

From the Author

Coming from a Irish-Catholic, blue collar family in southwest Philadelphia, I joined the force in 1977, made the K-9 unit three years later, then the Philadelphia Highway Patrol Line Squad four years after that. I moved to the Office of the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigations Task Force in 1992 while still with the PD, and finally putting my foot though the door in 1995 as a Narc. I was in their employ throughout the period covered in "Damned from Memory".
In 31 years of Law Enforcement, I accumulated 4 Bravery Citations, 1 Heroism Citation, 33 Merit and Commendatory Letters, 2 Unit Citation Awards, 4 Chaplain of the Four Chaplain Awards, Profile in Courage Award, Policeman of the Month, and Department of Defense Letters of Appreciation. I have earned a Black Belt given by the American Judo/Jiu-Jitsu Federation. At 51 years young I enrolled in Community College bankrolling my previous credits I earned at Drexel University many years earlier, becoming a member of the Phi Beta Kappa International Honor Society. Today I write books, and provide Schutzhund training for difficult dogs.

From the Back Cover

"I spent most of my life as an undercover narcotic agent. Take it from me, John "Sparky" McLaughlin is one of a very few law enforcement officers whose talents, creativity and courage have brought him face-to-face with those highly placed criminals in our own government who have betrayed all of us with their covert support of international drug traffickers. Sparky did not back down. He obeyed his oath to protect and serve, went after them, and paid the price for his courage. Now he is left with his final weapon: the pen. When you read the first page of this book, it will hook you in the way it did me. What a ride."

- Mike Levine, author of New York Times Best-seller "Deep Cover" and "The Big White Lie".

John "Sparky" McLaughlin is a well-decorated and hard-hitting cop who is unafraid to expose people and agencies that "put their thumbs on the scales of justice." His documented conclusions and well-founded opinions deserve your closest attention. We need to recognize that "Sparky" McLaughlin made enormous personal and career sacrifices for the better good of all of us. With 30 years' experience as a DEA Special Agent serving 'round the world, I am convinced that the drug war could actually be won with the likes of more John "Sparky" McLaughlin's and The "Bastard Squad" on the job. They are among the best of the best!

-Richard A. "Rick" Horn Special Agent DEA (ret.) After 16 years of litigation, Horn won a $3 million dollar lawsuit against persons and agencies that sabotaged DEA Operations and were shown to have "put their thumbs on the scales of justice".

About the Author

Coming from a Irish-Catholic, blue collar family in southwest Philadelphia, I joined the force in 1977, made the K-9 unit three years later, then the Philadelphia Highway Patrol Line Squad four years after that. I moved to the Office of the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigations Task Force in 1992 while still with the PD, and finally putting my foot though the door in 1995 as a Narc. I was in their employ throughout the period covered in "Damned from Memory".
In 31 years of Law Enforcement, I accumulated 4 Bravery Citations, 1 Heroism Citation, 33 Merit and Commendatory Letters, 2 Unit Citation Awards, 4 Chaplain of the Four Chaplain Awards, Profile in Courage Award, Policeman of the Month, and Department of Defense Letters of Appreciation. I have earned a Black Belt given by the American Judo/Jiu-Jitsu Federation. At 51 years young I enrolled in Community College bankrolling my previous credits I earned at Drexel University many years earlier, becoming a member of the Phi Beta Kappa International Honor Society. Today I write books, and provide Schutzhund training for difficult dogs.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BNFKMF4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Damned from Memory, LLC; 1st edition (January 2, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 2, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 11636 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 278 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #3,708,114 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,089 in Biographies of Espionage
- #3,027 in Espionage True Accounts

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4.8 12 ratings

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Sparky McLaughlin

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Coming from an Irish-Catholic, blue collar family in southwest Philadelphia, I joined the Philadelphia Police Department in 1977, made the K-9 unit three years later, then the Philadelphia Highway Patrol Line Squad four years after that. I moved to the Office of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations Task Force in 1992 while still with the PD, and finally putting my foot though the door in 1995 as a Narc. I was in their employ throughout the period covered in “Damned from Memory”.

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Just a thought

A true story that reads like a well-written novel. It is excellent.

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

“Damned from Memory” will open your eyes to the actual world of a street cop, and the battle within the battle in the war on drugs. From the first page to the last, Sparky McLaughlin pulls no punches in the blunt, hard-hitting, inside story of his career in law enforcement. Set in Pennsylvania, the author details a variety of situations, including investigations, arrests, and relationships with other officers within the department. The description of his introduction to the K-9 unit is classic, and his time with a K-9 partner, an eye-opener. Confronted by associates who are supposed to be the good guys, but appear to have become the bad guys, Agent McLaughlin finds his job and possibly his life on the line, but stands his ground and refuses to buckle under enormous pressure to “look the other way.” This well-written memoir reads like a novel and will keep you turning the pages. It is excellent.

One person found this helpful

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Luther Henry

Hard hitting, front line police action

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2012

Verified Purchase

I just started reading the book and find it impossible to put down. I know Sparky and many of the men in the book as I worked for the AGs Bureau of Narcotics Investigations in late 80s and 90s first as a Regional Director and later as AIC of Internal Affairs. I always held the men from the Phila. PD in high regard and knew that their daily activities were usually much different than in most other parts of the State. Sparky has the ability to keep the reader on the edge of their seat and almost feel the same emotions and senses as the folks portrayed in the book, it is as though you are right there along with the guys as they go about their daily duties and I can tell you for a fact that it is as real as it gets. What a movie this book would make. Real cops and drug agents doing things on a daily basis that most people could not even imagine in their more civilized and comfortable lives. Kudos to Sparky McLaughlin for writing a real life story.

6 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

War on Drugs? How about a War on Government Corruption?

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2012

Verified Purchase

Did you ever wonder why we're fighting a "War on Drugs" for forty plus years and the drug problem is getting worse instead of better? Well, this book is a missing piece of that grand puzzle that not many people are willing to expose. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. The author gives a detailed description of how our police are fighting a war with their hands tied behind their backs by a corrupt system and corrupt individuals in government. This story is laced with humor and loaded with facts. After reading this book I know that there is hope for America as long as we have people like John "Sparky" McLaughlin exposing the truth.

2 people found this helpful

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BB

Great job, Sparky!

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

I worked with some of Sparky's team when I was in the Police Department. They were very dedicated. Sparky had great courage to do what he had to do. It was the right thing for him to do. Our government (Federal, State and City) should be ashamed of themselves. To Sparky's supervisors: What happened about the brotherhood, that all law enforcement are supposed to have? Politics should never come into play when our law enforcement officers are out there doing their jobs to make our streets safer.

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A revealing story

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

An interesting compendium of international dominican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) pairing in with important and popular political parties figures, within the United States and the Dominican Republic. DAMNED FROM MEMORY describes how drug money or blood money is laundered using presidential candidates to fuel their candidacy. The undercover Philly agent John "Sparky" McLaughlin or Callahan, stood by his principles, his oath to protect and serve, fighting the DTOs and his own Government, who betrayed him and the "Bastard Squad."

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Kathleen Mitchell

Great read!! Great story!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

Damned from memory kept me reading from first page. Didn't want to stop reading. I read murder mysteries, love them. This was close to the best I have read!!

2 people found this helpful

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Geralyn Hemphill

Can you handle the truth?

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

This non-fictional, firsthand account of police work is a must read for all current and former officers who are just trying to do the job............

One person found this helpful

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