This episode was inspired by Glenn Frey's hit song "Smuggler's Blues", the lyrics of which discuss the issue of drug smuggling through Florida. Michael Mann heard the song on the radio and, noting its obvious connections with the primary focus of the show, asked Miguel Pinero (who played Esteban Calderone in two previous episodes) to write an episode based around it. In fact, several of the song's lyrics are repeated or paraphrased in the episode's dialogue.
Much of the plot of Miami Vice (2006) is based on this episode, and both feature several similar scenes. For instance, Crockett and Tubbs' meet with José Yero in the movie is remarkably similar to their second meeting with Grocero in Club Araña in "Smuggler's Blues"; the scene in the film even reuses lines of dialogue from its equivalent in the series almost word for word. The subplot concerning Trudy's capture by the villains and being placed in a booby-trapped trailer also takes place in the movie.
Glenn Frey would write another song, "You Belong to the City", specifically for the show, namely The Prodigal Son (1985).
The convertible top on Tubbs' Coupe de Ville is seen raised during this episode, one of the few times this was done in the series.
Another plot similarity concerns the first half of Freefall (1989) (which takes place four years later) -both episodes feature Crockett and Tubbs being sent to a fractious Latin American country by a third party to try and bring down a major drug dealer.