In his book, Gonzales provides snapshots of true-life accounts to eloquently describe the world in which he lived - from the humble beginnings of his childhood, to his life as a Drug Kingpin, to his transformation in State Prison. He goes into detail of how he perfected the manufacturing and distribution of amphetamines during the mid to late 1980's. His escapades include run-ins with infamous drug lords and mad men of various underground organizations. And of course, he discusses the key people involved in helping him rise from a Latino Texan minion to a convicted Drug Kingpin.
Amphetamine King
By Alexander GonzalesAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Alexander Gonzales and Adowa Productions LLC.
All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4567-4825-8Contents
God's Design for Life....................................................viiPrologue.................................................................ix1. Headshop Manager......................................................12. Chico, Texas..........................................................103. United States vs Jacky Ronald Pace....................................214. The Sunflowers........................................................305. Stepping on Toes......................................................426. Busted in Hill County, Texas..........................................487. The Whodunits (The Muckers from Tarrant County).......................588. The Kidnapping........................................................769. Michael Toney—The Lake Worth, Texas Bombing.....................10410. Hardware Hank........................................................11211. Life in the Fast Lane................................................11912. Catch Me if You Can..................................................12913. Take the Fifty Years or Else!........................................13814. Huntsville, Texas: The Walls Unit....................................142Epilogue.................................................................149The Rebel Returns........................................................153
Chapter One
Headshop Manager
Early in 1982, I worked as a head shop manager at Trinity River Trading Post. My long time friend Jim Thomas owned the head shop, which was located in Camp Bowie.
I first met Jim in 1970, when I visited the original Trinity River Trading Post, which in those days was located at the corner of Northside Drive and Jacksboro Highway. As a youth, I would go there to purchase posters, incense, T-shirts, beaded jewelry, and the ever-famous Fabulous Furry Freak Brother's comic books.
The 1970s were the days of Guru Timothy Leary. Dr. Leary earned his nameplate in pop culture by advising the world in 1967 to "turn on, tune in, and drop out." Dr. Leary also embarked on controlled experiments with psychedelic drugs. Later, Dr. Leary would be sent to prison on a ten-year sentence for the possession of two marijuana joints. The 1970s also bore a different type of people, the "flower children," who were in their own way considered hip. Music lyrics spoke of death and destruction and of peace and love.
I really enjoyed visiting the head shop. There was a long-haired hippie who worked behind the counter, and after a few months, he spoke to me every time I would come in. We became good friends, and on occasion he would ask if I wouldn't mind going across the street to the Lone Star Café to pick up his chicken fried steak dinners. Because there was no one else at the head shop to tend to the customers, I gladly picked up his food a few nights a week.
Before I knew it, my new buddy would tell all his hippie friends and customers that I was his little "compadré," his friend. As time passed, Jim Thomas would always ask if I was ready to go to work for him, because he needed someone who was trustworthy. He wanted to operate his new business venture, a hang-glider shop, of which he had named Armadillo Aviation. Armadillo was located down the street from the head shop on the corner of Henderson Street and White Settlement Road.
Though I had always dreamed of someday managing the head shop, I knew I would have to ultimately decline his offers of employment because I had been working for the City of Hurst Public Works Department for six years. I also had a family of my own to support.
During the end of my sixth year with the City of Hurst in 1982, two employees that I worked with on a daily basis were busted for possession of a quarter pound of marijuana. The City of Hurst narcotics officers alleged it was hidden under the dash of the city van unit #806. Both of my co-workers went to prison as a result. After their arrest, I found myself being harassed by the city's narcs and one of the city's animal control officers by the name of Steve Albritten. Steve had started false rumors among the employees. He had made numerous erroneous statements that I also should have been busted; he claimed that I was in cahoots with both of my co-workers, Billy Sutton and Royal Lane. Steve also believed that I was involved in the sale of drugs from the city van—and on city time, no less! After a few months of listening to the defaming rumors that were constantly being spread among my new coworkers, I finally decided to quit my job with the City of Hurst. This was music to the ears of my friend Jim Thomas, who immediately hired me as the manager of the head shop.
As the months went by, I began meeting various drug dealers who would come to the head shop to purchase weighing scales and other drug paraphernalia. They would always inform me of the different kinds of marijuana and psychedelics that had made their way into Tarrant County. There wasn't a day that I wasn't under the influence of some type of narcotic, which was given to me by different customers who frequently visited the shop. One day while business was slow, two customers came in from Wichita Falls, Texas. They purchased two bongs (a pipe made from ceramic or plastic, used to smoke marijuana) and other pipe accessories. They asked whether I minded if they checked out the merchandise they had just purchased. I told them okay, but that I would first have to close the doors and display a sign at the window informing potential customers that I had to go across the street and would be back momentarily. We went into my office and closed the door. They filled both bong bowls to capacity. I must admit it was some of the best Columbian marijuana that I had smoked since I had started working as a head shop manager.
I asked them what their names were. They introduced themselves as Snake and Phil. Snake asked me whether I'd mind if she and Phil did some methamphetamine. I figured she wanted to use a mirror to snort the powder. She quickly informed me that she did not waste her drugs—she liked injecting hers! She asked me whether I'd like a dose. She also asked me whether I had ever shot up any dope before. I told her that I had always taken speed in pill form. She told me that I should try it once because it would give me a total different state of euphoria. I thought about it for a couple of minutes and told her, "Sure, why not? I'm always game for something new!" I let her inject the needle into my right arm. I could automatically feel the speed flowing through my whole body. It started at my feet, and I felt a rush going all the way up my spine. Then my hair felt like I had stuck my finger in a light socket, and I tasted the ether anhydrous coming out of my mouth! Boy, she sure wasn't kidding. Indeed, it was a state of euphoria I had never experienced before! My eyes felt like they were bulging out of my eye sockets. I started chewing on my tongue so bad that I thought I was going to chew it off. I started talking ninety miles a minute. I had lost all sense of time. I let both of my new acquaintances know that I appreciated them turning me on to something new, but I had better get back to operating the head shop in case my boss should drop by. They hung around the shop for about an hour. It's funny how amphetamines tend to cause arousal in both genders. Snake started looking really sexy as I stared at her...
