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David Packouz and his partner, Efraim Diveroli, probably feel quite validated after Todd Phillips (the man behind The Hangover trilogy) made War Dogs.

The movie sees Oscar nominee Jonah Hill and Miles Teller play Packouz (left, above) and Diveroli (right, above), who are infamously known for winning a Pentagon contract to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan.

The two friends were completely out of their league, but their 20-something egos mixed with the chill of plenty of cannabis got them to the level of fearlessness that they needed to take on the “grey market” of military contracting and geopolitical brinkmanship.

Also, they were going to become ridiculously rich from all the arms dealing, so there was that.

Diveroli had already had a head start in the world of guns with a family-run business.

He loved guns just as much as he loved the arms industry’s intrigue and ruthless amorality, and he knew he would make it big if he started getting in with the world’s shadiest operators.

But first, he needed a partner. Enter his high school friend, Packouz.

Their real-life antics are outlined quite comprehensively over in a famous Rolling Stone article, with the conversation that started the whole affair going something like this:

[Packouz:] “Dude, if you had to leave the country tomorrow, how much would you be able to take?”

[Diveroli:] “In cash?”

[Packouz:] “Cold, hard cash.”

Diveroli pulled the car over and turned to look at Packouz. “Dude, I’m going to tell you,” he said. “But only to inspire you. Not because I’m bragging.” Diveroli paused, as if he were about to disclose his most precious secret. “I have $1,8 million in cash.”

Packouz stared in disbelief. He had expected Diveroli to say something like $100 000, maybe a little more. But nearly $2 million?

“Dude,” was all Packouz said.

Packouz started working with Diveroli in November 2005 as an account executive and was paid in commission. In their Miami apartment, they figured out their routine, which was to wake up, get baked, and then start wheeling and dealing.

War Dogs put them in Hollywood, but Packouz saw himself as if he were the star of a Hollywood blockbuster long before it was released.

Playing the part of an arms dealer, he loved to deliver dramatic one-liners:

“I don’t care if I have the smallest dick in the room,” he would say, “as long as I have the fattest wallet.”

“If you see a crack in the door, you’ve got to kick the fucker open.”

“Once a gun runner, always a gun runner.”

Very on-brand for Jonah Hill:

Packouz and Diveroli were living the American dream until it turned into a nightmare.

Head over to Rolling Stone to read the full story.

[source:rollingstone]