Advertisement

The secret life of a Qld tourism stalwart

AAP

AAP

A well-respected far north Queensland tourism operator who died last month in a car crash has been unveiled as an American drug fugitive who faked his own death more than 40 years ago.

Crocodile cruise operator Dennis “Lee” Lafferty was mourned by the Daintree community after dying in a car accident in May.

US newspaper The Tampa Bay Times now says his real name was Raymond Grady Stansel Jr, an alleged drug smuggler who supposedly died in a scuba diving accident in 1974.

Big game croc hunting in the NT is ‘very close’
Why it’s time to ‘make skinny models illegal’

The article says Stansel was indicted that year for smuggling more than 12 tonnes of cannabis into Florida.

But his trial never proceeded, with his lawyer announcing in January 1975 his client had disappeared scuba diving in Honduras.

An aerial search of the coastline didn’t recover a body.

While many doubted the story, Stansel couldn’t be found despite rumours of his ongoing operations reaching the ears of police.

He eventually settled in Queensland before founding the Daintree River Cruise Centre in the late 80s, the Times reports.

“Our challenge was to make a living and keep a low profile,” his ex-wife Janet Wood told the paper.

“I’m surprised no one ever came looking for him.”

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.