This story shrouded in mystery, involves a Texas prison escapee that could be ripped straight from a spy novel.

Bank robber and suspected drug smuggler Charles J. Woods of Dallas made a daring escape from a Texas prison and subsequently disappeared into the realm of the Mena Arkansas Conspiracy. 

In my exclusive interview with fugitive hunter Louis Fawcett, we unravel the threads of Woods’ escape to the mysterious town of Mena, Arkansas.

The town’s small airport in the Quachirta mountains was the base of operations for Barry Seal, a notorious drug and arms smuggler known for his connections to the CIA and narco Pablo Escobar.

What was Charles Woods, a pilot, doing using the alias Richard Arthur Mills on a government identification card at the Naval Ammunition Depot in Oklahoma?

Sit back and listen to this fugitive’s tale from the world of crime, mystery, and intrigue.

Links to Stories about the Eastham Prison Unit

You can hear more about Bonne and Clyde in my April 11th, 2023 episode The Enduring Fascination of Bonnie and Clyde: A Love Story Gone Wrong.

You can hear just how tough Eastham was from David Stacks, one of its former wardens, in my November 28th, 2023 episode, Hard Time In Hell Among Texas Most Dangerous Prisoners.

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