Welcome to episode 299 of FBI Retired Case File Review with Jerry Williams.

I'm a retired agent on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does

through my books, my blog, and my podcast case reviews with former colleagues. Today we get to speak to

Retired agent James Stern who served in the FBI for 25 years. In this episode, Jim reviews Operation Tropical Storm,

where he was the undercover agent and the supervisor in a transnational drug enterprise investigation targeting the

Iakuza Japanese mob trafficking methamphetamine in Hawaii.

This was the first ever arrest, indictment, and conviction of a Japanese crime boss in the U.S. law enforcement history.

The case was featured on an episode of the TV series Deep Undercover

and was also the topic of a true crime book, Operation Tropical Storm,

How an FBI Jewish Japanese Special Agent snared a Yakuza boss in Hawaii.

During his career, Jim held various positions with increased responsibilities at FBI offices in

Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Honolulu, and Hong Kong.

He was assigned to FBI headquarters as a supervisor and then chief of Asian

African organized crime programs. He has testified as an expert witness on Asian organized crime before the US Senate Judiciary Committee and

US Congress. Jim was also an FBI certified polygraph examiner and a member of the FBI San Francisco SWAT team.

In addition to these duties, Jim was assigned to several high-profile FBI investigations to include the kidnapping and

murder of journalist Daniel Pearl the 2001 anthrax attacks the Osama bin Laden manhunt in Pakistan, the polygraph

interrogation of Saddam Hussein's bodyguard, and the extensive retraining of

police officers in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the

Bosnian war. After retiring Jim was the global security chief for Resorts for nearly 12 years.

Currently, he is a senior partner of Global IR consulting.

Now before we get to the interview, I want to make sure you are aware of my headliner

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