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"This is the incredible, true story of the only American alive ever admitted to the inner circle of the Colombian cocaine cartel. From 1978 to 1985, Max Mermelstein was a pivotal figure in the American cocaine explosion, moving fifty-six tons of tropical snow into Florida and 300 million dollars in cash back to Medellin, Colombia. 'The Man Who Made It Snow is Mermelstein's story--a tale every bit as violent and hair-raising as the movie 'Scarface'. In this vivid, spellbinding account, show more Mermelstein traces the inexorable path that led a son of a working-class Jewish family to meet and marry a beautiful Colombian girl and, in the process, become embroiled in the perilous world of cocaine manufacturing, smuggling, and distribution"--Dust jacket flap.show less

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Max Mermelstein

American drug smuggler turned informant

Max Mermelstein (November 1, 1942 – September 12, 2008) was an American drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel in the late 1970s and early 80s, who later became a key informant against the organization. In the words of James P. Walsh, the U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles CA, Mermelstein "was probably the single most valuable government witness in drug matters that this country has ever known."^[1] He became a "weapon for the government".^[1] He is reputed to have smuggled 56 tons of cocaine worth $12.5 billion into the United States.^[2]

Early life

Mermelstein trained as a mechanical engineer at the New York Institute of Technology and married to a Puerto Rican woman. Mermelstein moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico with his wife, where he worked as chief engineer for the Sheraton Hotel.^[3] Mermelstein and his wife separated soon after, as she returned to her ailing mother, but not before Mermelstein learned some "street Spanish".

While working for the Sheraton Mermelstein met a Co

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Max Mermelstein, born in Skala, was the son of Shifra Stock and Shlomo Weidenfeld. His older brother Osias was born in 1917. Max's parents and brother perished in 1943, during the Holocaust.

The story of Max's survival during the war years was an amazing one that he told in the Skala yizkor book. Although his original surname was Weidenfeld, he changed it to Mermelstein to honor someone who helped save him during the Holocaust.

After the war, Max eventually ended up in a displaced persons camp in Austria, where he lived until 1948, when he finally was able to come to the U.S. In 1949, he married Clara Kressel. He and Clara celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary shortly before his death in 2017. They had two sons, Steven and Joshua, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Max was employed by the Jewish Agency for many years, during which time he was involved in its work in several different countries. After he left the Jewish Agency, he worked for Histradut before opening his own travel agency.

Max was president of the Skala Benevolent Society (SBS) from