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The Spy Who
The Spy Who

The Spy Who Sold Codes and Cocaine | The Black Vault | 1

February 03, 2026 • 45m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

This episode introduces the true story of Christopher Boyce and Dalton Lee, two young men from privileged Los Angeles families who became unlikely Cold War spies in the 1970s. Boyce, working in a CIA communications vault, grows disillusioned with government corruption and convinces his drug-dealing friend Lee to sell American spy satellite secrets to the Soviets. What begins as an act of rebellion quickly spirals into a dangerous game of espionage, drugs, and deception.

A Dangerous Meeting in Mexico City

The episode opens in October 1976 with Boyce and Lee meeting their Soviet handler Boris Grishin in Mexico City. Lee, suffering from heroin withdrawal, has been conning both sides—lying to the KGB about Boyce's capabilities while skimming money from their payments. When Grishin unexpectedly brings them to the Soviet embassy instead of their usual restaurant, Lee realizes his lies may be exposed in a place where he has no protection.

  • Boyce and Lee meet Soviet handler Boris Grishin in a Mexico City park during a rainstorm
  • Lee snorts heroin behind bushes to manage withdrawal symptoms before the meeting
  • Lee has been manipulating both the KGB and Boyce about payments and capabilities
  • Grishin takes them to the Soviet embassy instead of the usual restaurant, alarming Lee
" Tell them you can get anything they want. "

The Falcon and the Vault

Two years earlier in March 1974, Boyce and Lee are childhood friends from wealthy Palos Verdes families who bond over falconry. Boyce, a college dropout, is directionless and disillusioned with government corruption. Lee has become a successful drug dealer with connections to Mexican growers. Their weekend desert trips to trap and train birds of prey provide escape from their troubled lives, but both are heading toward a collision with the law.

  • Boyce and Lee were altar boys who bonded over falconry despite different personalities
  • Boyce's father secured him a job at aerospace defense company TRW after he dropped out of college
  • Lee operates as a wholesale drug dealer with direct Mexican contacts, believing he's a 'successful businessman'
  • Boyce expresses deep anger about political corruption and the Vietnam War
" Fucking politicians, they spend money building nukes instead of helping people and they think it gives them the right to do whatever they want. "
" I just want to move out here and become a falconing hermit. "

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