---
category: Private Organization
location: Lexington, Kentucky and Mena, Arkansas
summary: '''The Company'' was a drug and arms organization consisting of approximately
  300 members, many of whom were former military men, ex-police officers, or ex-intelligence
  personnel.'
tags:
- Organization
- DrugTrafficking
- ArmsTrafficking
- Mercenary
- Intelligence
---

"The Company" was a drug and arms organization consisting of approximately 300 members, many of whom were former military men, ex-police officers, or ex-intelligence personnel. It was involved in large-scale illegal drug trafficking, gunrunning, and mercenary operations, with assets estimated at nearly $30 million, including planes, ships, and real estate.[^1]

### Activities and Operations

The organization imported billions of dollars worth of narcotics from [Latin America](/places/latin-america/). It was also involved in the theft of specialized military equipment from the U.S. Naval Weapons Station at China Lake in the Mojave Desert, including infrared sniperscopes, a television camera for night vision, tracer ammunition, a remote-control helicopter, and secret components from a Sidewinder guided missile's radar unit. Some of this stolen equipment was intended for drug smugglers, and some was traded to drug suppliers in [Colombia](/places/colombia/).[^1]

"The Company" was headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, and Mena, Arkansas. Twenty-nine members of the organization were indicted by the Fresno federal grand jury in 1981, including Andrew "Drew" Thornton, a former narcotics officer who later died while parachuting with 77 pounds of cocaine.[^1]

### Connections and Investigations

[Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) claimed to have provided "valuable intelligence" on illegal drug activities and "The Company" to [Brian Leighton](/people/brian-leighton/), a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Fresno. Riconosciuto stated that he had been instrumental in helping Leighton identify members of "The Company" and even led law enforcement officers to a marijuana cache belonging to its members. However, Leighton's testimony in Riconosciuto's trial was evasive regarding their direct collaboration.[^1]

[Danny Casolaro](/people/danny-casolaro/) had been communicating regularly with [Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) and learned about "The Company." It is suggested that Casolaro may have scheduled a meeting with the Lexington [FBI](/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) regarding drug trafficking by "The Company" shortly before his death.[^1]

[Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) also claimed that "The Company" was still active and that [Brian Leighton](/people/brian-leighton/)'s prosecutions had only served to "vaccinate" the group against further penetration. Riconosciuto sought to hand "The Company" and [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/) over to [FinCen](/organizations/financial-crimes-enforcement-network/) in exchange for entry into the [Witness Protection Program](/organizations/witness-protection-program/), but his efforts were unsuccessful.[^1]

---

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.