When Money Grew on Trees
is the true story of David Mac, a marijuana moonshiner who built a multimillion-dollar operation deep in the Ozark Mountains—protected by Madison County’s notorious sheriff, Ralph Baker.
In the 1980s and ‘90s, Mac left Michigan for Arkansas, chasing the dream of easy money. What he found was a backwoods empire where the law had a price and the sheriff was both protector and partner. For nearly two decades, Mac and Baker blurred the lines between lawman and outlaw, thriving in a world fueled by greed, power, and corruption.
But every outlaw pays a price.
Now living quietly in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Mac reflects on the choices that cost him everything: his freedom, his rights, and his future. A casualty of the War on Drugs, he no longer votes, owns a firearm, or crosses the border for his once-loved fishing trips. But he still has his story—and this is it.
Told with sharp honesty and dark humor,
reveals the human cost of outlaw life and the corruption that flourished under the badge. If you’re drawn to true crime, Southern outlaw legends, or the untold stories behind America’s drug war, this gripping memoir delivers.