Who loves bios of self-starting drug smugglers thumbing their noses at the US government?  Can't just be me.

Wally Thrasher, what danger could a man with a name like that possibly be to the fabric of American society? Read the blurb and you'll learn that he's been on the run since 1984.  Surely he can't last long.  Not with all those millions in cold, hard cash and all his international high-level criminal friends.  Nope, don't worry, the DEA is still hot on his heels


CHASING THE SQUIRREL is the true story of notorious drug smuggler Wally Thrasher, whose investigation led to the biggest drug bust in Mid-Atlantic United States history in 1986.

Nicknamed, “The Squirrel” for his elusivenes, Thrasher was a daredevil pilot who made millions flying marijuana and cocaine from South America into the US in the 70s and 80s. With his beautiful Portuguese-born wife, Olga, he lived in a mountain estate near Virginia’s New River Valley. He owned oceanfront homes and yachts in Florida, spent weekends in the Caribbean and laundered money in Las Vegas, where he partied with Frank Sinatra’s entourage.

The Feds were hot on his tail in 1984 when word came that he had died in a plane crash in Belize, his body burnt to ashes. But investigators soon learned the crash was staged and the death certificate fake. Meanwhile, Olga became a federal informant assisting the DEA in an audacious undercover sting to infiltrate the highest levels of his smuggling ring. Thirteen international traffickers were indicted, including Bolivian drug lord Roberto Suarez-Gomez, known as the world’s “King of Cocaine.”

But Wally Thrasher was never caught. Authorities believe he has spent the past four decades living in some faraway tropical land. He was recently profiled on “America’s Most Wanted” as US Marshals chased leads around the globe in his pursuit.

Ron Peterson Jr.

Ron Peterson, Jr. is a bestselling author whose latest release, EYES OF A MONSTER, recently debuted on the true crime bestseller list. It tells the compelling true story of cold case detective Randy Mayer's hunt for a serial killer responsible for at least three murders in Hampton, Virginia in the '70s and '80s.

Peterson's first book, UNDER THE TRESTLE (2018) was named one of the Top 100 True Crime books of all time by Popsugar. The film rights for UNDER THE TRESTLE were acquired by Mactavish Pictures and it is currently in development as a documentary film. The book is a carefully researched account of Virginia's first "no body" murder trial; in 1980 when former Virginia Tech football player Stephen Epperly was charged in the first degree murder of Radford University student Gina Renee Hall, whose remains were never found.

Peterson is also the author of CHASING THE SQUIRREL (2020), the amazing true story of notorious Virginia drug smuggler Wally Thrasher, a flamboyant pilot whose adventures flying drugs into the US were "the stuff out of a James Bond movie," according to The Washington Post. Nicknamed Squirrel for his elusiveness, Thrasher allegedly faked his own death in 1984 to elude authorities. US Marshals have spent the past four decades pursuing leads around the globe, as Thrasher is believed by many to be living the good life in some faraway tropical land. Film rights for CHASING THE SQUIRREL were optioned to Los Angeles-based Urban Legends Film Company for development as a streaming television series.

Peterson's work as a journalist has been published in many newspapers and in corporate publications for two Fortune 500 companies. He held leadership positions at the Virginian Pilot and Cox Media, where he was awarded the organization's "Outstanding Performance" award. His background also includes managing television advertising campaigns that appeared on TV networks CNN, Discovery, Fox News and ESPN. He is a board member of the Hampton Roads Sports Media Hall of Fame. A dynamic public speaker, Peterson has served as a guest lecturer at several Virginia colleges and universities. He is based in Smithfield, Virginia.