Javier and Elizabeth at Tampa’s annual Gasparilla parade commemorating the “invasion” of Tampa Bay by mythical pirate Jose Gaspar.
Seizure of 325 kilos of cocaine in the Verdecia investigation.
One-time Officer of the Year, Javier, is engaged to a beautiful and brilliant attorney, Elizabeth. Javier knows exactly what he’s getting into when he goes undercover in Operation PROMO, infiltrating a savage Colombian drug cartel.
Celebratory photo of airplane and cocaine seized in the Verdecia investigation.
Left to right are Tampa Police Department (TPD) Detective Jeff Davis, DEA Special Agent in Charge Mike Powers, TPD Major Bert Hatcher, Javier Guzman, TPD Detective Eric Zimmerman. Detectives Davis and Zimmerman were the invaluable support team in obtaining wiretaps and search warrants, analyzing data critical in the apprehension of the targets of the investigation.
In Tampa Bay, Florida, 1992
Javier, a Spanish-speaking street-smart cop who had grown up in the South Bronx, is a decorated detective who produces results.
The spoils of an undercover marijuana buy. Javier met with the target in his car and was unarmed, his surveillance team hidden in the dark nearby. In the tension of the moment the target reached in his glove compartment and pulled out the .357 Magnum shown in the photo and pointed it at Javier. The fight was on, and Javier was able to wrestle the gun away and make the arrest.
He lives on the edge every day, with guns pressed against his back, threats of torture, and constant fear of being discovered and disappeared.
Things are not as they appear in the wilderness of mirrors of an undercover narc. He becomes mired in a living web of lies, deceit and betrayal, where surviving the day is a victory. The black and white lines that governed his life and made him a coveted undercover cop blur. Javier begins to sympathize with the people he is supposed to be targeting.
Javier in Operation ProMo with Luis Fernando LaTorre, a high-ranking money launderer for the Cali cartel.
Caught in the current between good and evil
Javier makes a decision that will haunt him forever…
A true story
RIPTIDE is an intense thrill ride in the seedy cartel underworld seen through the eyes of decorated police officer Javier Guzman.
[Placeholder] I could not put this book down...
They came from opposite worlds.
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Meet Javier
Born in Puerto Rico. Raised in humble circumstances in the South Bronx. Spanish-speaking. Street-smart. Self-made. A cop shaped by success and survival.
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Meet Beth
Born to a successful attorney. Raised in an upscale Tampa neighborhood. Prep schools. Summers at the Tampa Yacht Club. A prosecutor shaped by rules, order, and law.
Worlds collided when they met on a case.
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