High Times, by Roy Isacowitz and Jeremy Gordin

Loading player...
High Times is the true story of Michael Medjuck, whose taste for weed, women and the good life led him from late-1960s Johannesburg to notoriety as one of the biggest hash and weed smugglers in North America.

From his base in Vancouver, Michael built up a smuggling network that supplied dealers in scores of cities across Canada and the United States. The proceeds of smuggling afforded this former King David High School pupil a lifestyle of hedonistic excess – the finest wines, the most glamorous hookers, the best weed in the world.

In 1991, Michael was nabbed by US federal agents while smuggling an enormous shipload of Afghani hash into the West Coast of Canada. Put on trial as the scheme’s mastermind, Michael was convicted and sentenced to 24 years behind bars. His US prison experiences, from dingy county lock-ups to brutal federal penitentiaries, are the stuff of legend. Eventually, a chance remark to his lawyer led to his early release and return to Canada.

After barely a year of freedom, Michael was again arrested – this time in Spain for an ill-judged cocaine-smuggling venture – and sentenced to another prison term of nine years.

This is Michael’s extraordinary story, as told to fellow South Africans Roy Isacowitz, author and journalist, and the late Jeremy Gordin, award-winning journalist, editor and author.

Roy Isacowitz is an author and journalist, now retired in Tel Aviv.

The late Jeremy Gordin is an award-winning journalist, editor and author.
8 Jul 2024 English South Africa Books · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

Deep Blue by Veruska De Vita

Dive into the latest episode of Pagecast as Tessa Barlin chats with Veruska De Vita about her new book, Deep Blue. Discover why the sea captivates us, how cold water plunging boosts wellness, and the urgent impact of climate change on our oceans. From free divers to scientists, this conversation…
29 Sep 37 min

OBF 2025: Wamuwi Mbao interviews Siphokazi Jonas (Weeping Becomes a River)

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Wamuwi Mbao interviews Siphokazi Jonas about her poetry collection, Weeping Becomes a River. Siphokazi Jonas is a weaver of seemingly discordant worlds; growing…
23 Sep 19 min

OBF 2025: Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese interviews Nick Mulgrew (The Book of Unrest)

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese interviews Nick Mulgrew about his latest collection, The Book of Unrest, as well as the launch of his new press, Batis…
19 Sep 19 min

OBF 2025: Bongani Kona interviews Frankie Murrey (A Collection of Gaps)

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Bongani Kona interviews Frankie Murrey about her latest work, A Collection of Gaps. There’s this moon in the sky. And I want to…
17 Sep 21 min