Posted on 09/30/2024 1:54:10 AM PDT by RandFan
For Daniel Guerra, an aspiring Brazilian sailor keen to travel the world, the job ad was a dream come true.
A British yacht owner was seeking two deck-hands to help sail his boat from Brazil across the Atlantic, one of the great ocean journeys.
There would be no salary, but all expenses paid - and, crucially, Mr Guerra would gain some of the sailing experience he needed to qualify as a sea captain.
"My dream was to become a captain and go work in Europe," remembers the 43-year-old, who saw the advert from an online sailing recruitment agency.
"So I was super happy, knowing that my path to my dream was beginning."
Things looked even better when Mr Guerra and his fellow recruit, Rodrigo Dantas, 32, met their new British employer.
They had feared he might be some snobbish yachtie or posing Instagrammer, who would make sure they knew who was boss.
But no. George Saul was a smiling, friendly figure, who did not insist on formalities. The sailors, he said, could even call him by his nickname - "Fox".
....
The Cape Verdean police were even more thorough than their Brazilian counterparts, using specialist cutting equipment to open up the yacht's innards.
Hidden inside below false floors, they found nearly 1.2 tonnes of cocaine - worth an estimated £100m ($134m) if sold on Europe’s streets.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
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But the yacht was expertly packed with drugs and the sailors totally innocent yet implicated.
This is very dangerous.
Hezbollah is also deeply involved in the cocaine smuggling biz out of Brazil.
Note to self: Don’t let British guy “out fox” you and trick you into smuggling cocaine.
Much safer to help Nigerian oil prince get money out of Nigeria. No drugs involved.
And Cape Verde has been home to Hezbollah money laundering.
Note to self: Have own nickname ready if British Guy wants to use nicknames.
Sucker, Patsy, Mule, Chump, Runner, ...
It was a Shakedown Cruise
This is another reminder how most anyone can be deceived by the dishonest, and at any stage in life. The 43 year old hired to be a deckhand probably thought this job might be his last chance to make some quick cash in an adventurous way before he got too old. Both men were very lucky to have been released from jail after a short period of incarceration.
If you read the story, the 43 year old wasn’t paid anything, was doing the job for the experience.
You don't normally cut into boats to search for smuggling drugs with a crew which does not act nervous.
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