In the middle of the night on December 9, 1976, a pair of Vietnam vets turned international weed smugglers stood on a makeshift runway in Baja, Mexico, watching as a work crew loaded up their twin-engine airplane with 6,000 pounds of primo sinsemilla bud. 

The unregistered flight’s illicit cargo was a locally-grown high-grade red-hair strain known as Mota Magic.

Unfortunately, the ill-fated smuggling run ended in disaster when the planeload of weed crashed into a remote frozen lake tucked away in Yosemite's rugged backcountry. 

But from that tragedy arose the greatest "gold rush" in weed history, as some of the world's top rock climbers, the DEA, the forest rangers, and itinerant hippies all raced to pull as many bales of Mota Magic from the frozen lake as possible.

This episode was recorded live in Humboldt County, California as part of the Savage Henry Comedy Festival. Special thanks to everyone at Savage Henry, an incredible independent humor magazine and comedy club operating in the heart of America's most famous cannabis cultivation region. 

Also thanks to a "Great Moments in Weed History" listener known as BGTM for hipping us to this incredible story. Please send suggestions for future episodes to gmiwhpodcast@gmail.com -- don't worry, Abdullah won't see them.

This is also our Season 2 finale! Subscribe now so you'll be ready for Season 3 in early 2020.

And please do us a huge solid and tell all your cool friends about the podcast at your next smoke session!

Special thank you to our sponsors. Use promo code greatmoments to get a discount on CBD products at Tweedle Farms. Use WEEDHISTORY at Grav.com. Check out the Camino Gummies by Kiva Confections.

Great Moments in Weed History is a Spoke Media Original.