![[PukiWiki]](image/pukiwiki.png "[PukiWiki]")
I was preparing for a business trip to Greece. I was headed to Countryside Mall in Clearwater when I saw flashing light.
"I wonder what poor bastard did something wrong," I said.
Then, suddenly I realized the lights were for me. I was being pulled over and asked to step out of the car by some D.E.A.
agents. After my car was inspected I was ordered to drive to the office. On the way there D.E.A. agents Mr. Mike Powers and Mr. Crawford said that I ought to tell them the truth. They said I should fess up to the cocaine and it would be better to tell them who it belonged to.
What cocaine? I wondered. I told Crawford that I didn't know anything about any cocaine. He insisted that it was in the lumber in the St. Petersburg warehouse of Gulf Exotic or in my rented warehouse of Gulf Exotic.
I said I had nothing to hide and before I knew it my warehouse, my home and my whole life was being investigated. Nothing could have prepared me for the nightmare that was to follow and this was just the beginning.
I dedicate the story that follows to my dear wife, Cecilia, and to all of my children: Marie Konstantas, Mike Jim Tsalickis, Kris-Sula Tsalickis, Asteropi Tsalickis, Dimitrios Tsalickis and George Tsalickis. They understood what I was trying to accomplish in my life, and I will forever be grateful for their love, patience and understanding during my frequent and long absences. At the same time, I wish to acknowledge my dear mother, Maria Tsalickis, and father, James Tsalickis, whose unconditional love sustained and kept me going. Thankyou all.
Preface ??? Introduction ??? Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter ? Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 3 1 Chapter 3 2 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 3 5 Chapter 3 6 Chapter 3 7 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 4 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 4 $ Chapter 47 Chapter 4 $ Chapter 4 $ Chapter 50 Chapter 5
I am Mike Tsalickis, age 61, (pause) with a few years of my life left. (pause) I worked hard all my life to get to the position to retire (pause) and live the golden years with my family...
Your Honor, I plea to you to consider my sentencing to see how you can focus without using the new guidelines. You as a Federal judge has the right on about 20 percent of your cases to omit the new guidelines. I need to be out to further in the help of the aids program, keep my family from getting destroyed, and to be able to minimize the abuse by others to the Yagua Indians and to the inhabitants of the area as far as the hospital is concerned...
Judge, when you said in your opening statement that I had to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; and the burden is on the Government, I sat back and relaxed. I could not believe the outcome. Judge, now I realize that I was guilty from before the trial started, and I had to prove my innocence. Our judicial system has changed. The burden is on me to prove myself innocent. The Government stops all funds as not to be able to investigate and to fight the system. This is not the democracy that I left to go to South America, nor the democracy (pause) I thought I was coming back to (pause) to finish raising my family and retire...
The thing that has puzzled me for day one of my arrest, why, why, did the DEA and Customs, with the best surveillance equipment in the world, didn't stay with the shipment of lumber and cocaine until it was distributed? This way they would know if I played a part in it; the authorities would know who the distributor and the dealers were. I have a feeling that the sudden arrest was political motivated to give our future president the credit.
Your Honor, I believe myself at the age of 61 to be intelligent. I had not gotten in life where I have by being stupid. After living in Colombia for the last 38 years, I learned one of their phrases: 'You don't 'ca-ca' where you eat. If I had anything to do with the cocaine, I would have it come up on another shipping line. I would not have it come into the port I am working in and out. I would let the owners receive and direct the shipment. It would not be put in my warehouse. I would not be in the United States during the shipment, nor during the distribution, nor maybe, yet, just in case of any slip-ups, Europe would be the best. I understand the price is best in Europe if it was my -- if it was -- if it was in this business -- if I was in this business.
If everything that I said in this statement seems self-serving, please excuse me for what I may be confused. If I did harm society in the eyes Of the Court, then I am truthful (sic) sorry. Thankyou.
The previous statements are actual excerpts I said in court at my sentencing hearing in attempt to sway the judge into not sending me to jail for crimes I am innocent of.
As youngsters we are taught that when someone commits a crime they are arrested and then go to trial. During the trial a jury decides whether or not the person that has been arrested is guilty and if they decide on a guilty verdict that person goes to jail. We are also taught innocent until proven guilty and that innocent people aren't supposed to go to jail. Sadly though hundreds if not thousands of men and women are wrongfully convicted for one reason or another and end up in jail even As youngsters we are taught that when someone commits a crime they are arrested and then go to trial. During the trial a jury decides whether or not the person that has been arrested is guilty and ifthey decide on a guilty verdict that person goes to jail. We are also taught innocent until proven guilty and that innocent people aren't supposed to go to jail. Sadly though hundreds if not thousands of men and women are wrongfully convicted for one reason or another and end up in jail even though they did all they could to prove their innocence. I am one of those statistics that slipped through the cracks and ended up in prison for more than two decades for a crime I didn't commit.
I was arrested on charges of cocaine on May 3, 1988, and booked on May 4, 1988, in county jail at around 1:30 a.m. in Tampa, Florida. I then ended up sitting in jail without bond until my trial began on October 4 1988. So much for my right to a speedy trial! The trial went on for what felt like forever and then on November 1, 1988 the jury began deliberating. Then, on Wednesday November 2, 1988 at the age of 61 I was convicted of smuggling cocaine and had all of my assets seized. What a blow!
I worked as a model citizen 100% for the United States of America for 61 years and all of my hard work and reputation went down the drain with those crushing words - "We find the defendant guilty."
Finally, on February 15, 1989 1 was sentenced to 328 months in jail. Not until August 3, 2009 was I finally released under the Second Chance Act. I was placed in the Goodwill Halfway House in Tampa and on February 23, 2012 I was released from house arrest.
I spent more than two decades in jail for crimes I did not commit. Until the day of my death I will contend my innocence.
This book is my way of telling my side of the story. Thank you for purchasing this eBook. I hope it gives you some insight as to what can really happen in a court case and how an innocent man can be convicted. It is my hope and prayer that no one else suffers the fate I have. But let's back up for a minute and start with the beginning of the path that brought me to where I am today ...
At the age of twelve I joined the Boy Scouts and became very active. I quickly moved up the ranks and by the age of sixteen the achieved the rank Of Three Silver palms on the Eagle badge. At this point I had earned 103 out of the 105 possible merit badges available at that time and the only two I didn't earn were for skiing and bugling.
After this I served as acting Scout Master even though I was technically too young to formally hold this position and later I started the first Cub Scout Pack. During my time with the scouts I devoted thousands of hours in public service.
Not only was I active in the scouts, I also worked at the All American Grocery store (which later became Publix Supermarkets) as a teenager. In fact, while working there I worked with a lady who would later become a business partner. Looking back, my childhood was a happy one and I was surrounded by a family and community that I loved and loved me. I was strongly connected to the people of Tarpon Springs, Florida.
You never forget your first rattle snake and I caught my first one when I was twelve. I was camping with the Boy Scouts at Camp Soule and wandered out into the woods around Safety Harbor one afternoon. I came upon a five foot rattle snake and without thinking about the possibility of being bitten I put my right hand over his head and behind the jaw muscles and put my left hand about half way down his body and picked the snake up. Amazingly he didn't bite me! I walked back to camp with it to our reptile guy and when he saw me with it he looked as though he was going to faint. Knowing I had no experience with snakes and seeing me with a five foot rattler must have been a site to see! He screamed, "throw it down, throw it down, throw it throw it, right there in front of you throw it down and get away from it and I'll catch it and put it into a cage!" I waited for a little bit, I wasn't too sure what I really wanted to do, until I finally decided I said "okay here goes, BANG" and I threw it down. Then the reptile guy used a snake hook to pick it up and cage it. The excitement of that experience is something that that has stayed with me and could quite possibly be the moment that set the stage for me to become an animal and reptile trapper for zoos.
It was 1946; I had graduated from Tarpon Springs High School the year before and at the ripe age of 18 I purchased land from a lady named Mrs. Kibee in Tarpon Springs that would later become the Tarpon Springs Zoo. That woman I mentioned from my days at Publix that I said would become my business partner was Gertrude (Trudie) Jerkins. Trudie and I were going to build the zoo together, but before that could happen I was drafted into the war.
From 1946 to 1947 I served in the United States Army, but I was quickly discharged due to an injury to the spine. So, in 1947 I returned to Tarpon Springs to resume building the Tarpon Zoo with Trudie. In hindsight we should have come up with a different name for our business because what we actually did was buy and hunt birds, reptiles and other animals to sell to other zoos, pet shops, carnivals and more. Our facility merely served as a holding depot for the animals and reptiles until we could sell them to places across the United States. We started with hunting and buying animals in Florida, but I soon found myself on a six month expedition to hunt green rattler snakes in Mexico with a friend of mine named Arthur A. Jones. With the help of a three-quarter ton pickup truck with a trailer attached Arthur and I managed to catch and bring to the states 300 green rattle snakes, boa constrictors, cantiles, horned toads and beaded lizards. After bring them to the states and we went back to Mexico with a bigger truck for snakes, monkeys, a bunch of different reptiles and spiders. Unfortunately, we only managed to cross the border twice before we had to cease our hunts there because the Mexican/US border was closed to animal shipments. After that stopped so did my hunting partnership with Arthur.
After Mexico I went to San Jose, Costa Rica to collect money that was owed to Tarpon zoo and ended staying there for the year, collecting animals, reptiles and birds. I later went to Honduras to continue collecting these things for about 14 months.
It was during all of this traveling that Trudie Jerkins left her job at Publix to come on board full time as a 50/50 partner at Tarpon zoo. I focused on collections to supply our inventory while Trudie ran the zoo operations which included protecting the animals, sales and shipping.
Then, in 1951 I ended up in Arrived in Barranquilla, Colombia and started another business exporting animals and reptiles to the U.S. I stayed there until 1953 and then I went to Belem, Brazil to buy reptiles, bird and animals for export to Tarpon zoo. About six months later I would arrive in the village that would become my home base for the next 26 years.
In my travels one of the places I ended up in was Tegucigalpa, Honduras. During these travels a man named Roberto Litwin accompanied me everywhere. On one particularly memorable night we ended up at a hotel recommended by a taxi driver and our first meal there was a pork dish. After about four bites I stopped eating insisted it didn't taste right, but Roberto must have been hungry because her ate all of his and the remainder of mine. About 2 a.m. the next morning I came to on the floor hollering HELP! Sadly, I didn't know any Spanish at the time. Luckily, I managed to remember Roberto's sister's phone number whom I had met at the airport the day we arrived. After managing to get the hotel guard to provide me with a phone I called his sister and she got Roberto and me to a hospital where we had our stomachs pumped. Roberto came to only after we got to the hospital. My bone was chipped over my right eye and it was hurting. Apparently in the food poisoning battle I had rolled out of bed and hit the floor. There was a broken glass was underneath me, but luckily it did not puncture me. I did however, have a black eye. I can definitely say that is one incident I didn't ever want to repeat again.
My first attempt to go to Leticia was in 1952. I met a man from the area while I was in Barranquilla, Colombia who told me there was an incredible abundance of wildlife, snakes, eels and other exotic specimens. Now, at this time I had never been to the Amazon Rainforest, but hearing this guy talk about Leticia really revved my engine. I learned of a flight to Leticia with the Colombian Air Force, but the day before I had planned to make travel arrangements I received a telegram from Miguel Rosinski, an animal dealer in Belem, a major city in Brazil's northeastern state of Para located near the mouth of the Amazon River. Figuring could learn a thing or two from him decided to go and see his operation and postpone my trip to Leticia. After a few deals with Miguel and working with him in Brazil for a few months I hired him to work directly for me at $400.00 USD per week. In 1953, this was a very high salary by Brazilian standards as the official exchange rate at the time was about 18.38 Brazilian cruzeiros to 1 US dollar. The black market rate was about 40 cruzeiros to 1 US dollar.
During this I also lived with Miguel and his family, but I soon found myself wanting to immerse myself in the local language so I moved to a hotel to force myself to learn some Portuguese. It just so happened that around this same time was going to the post office pretty much daily to send letters to my business partner Trudie to let her know what animals I'd bought that day in Belem and how much I paid for them.
A young and attractive lady named Laura worked behind the counter and she caught my eye. Everyday she greeted me and was quite friendly, so one day I got up the nerve to ask her out. I invited her to have a Coca-Cola with me after she got off work. Now, remember said at the time my Portuguese was limited but through gestures and pointing I was able to create a type of sign language explaining what was trying to say.
We had our first date that evening and walked up the street to my hotel and sat in the hotel's restaurant outside and enjoyed our Coca-colas. All I could do besides smile a lot was gesture and use our sign language to communicate. She would smile and giggle at me.
We finished our Cokes and I walked with Laura about a block and a half from the hotel where I discovered Laura lived with her mother, brothers and sisters. I was also wondering in the back of my mind where her father was. Laura invited me into her home, and even though I was nervous from not knowing how her family would receive a foreigner bringing her home, I went anyway and was pleasantly surprised at the warmth of her mother when she appeared. Laura's mother quickly disappeared into the kitched and reemerged with a delicious small cup of strong, black Brazilian coffee, famously known as "cafe zinho."
I knew from experience that most fathers can be very protective of their children, especially their daughters. Hence, I was feeling a little awkward that her father would give me the evil eye and not approve of me so I decided to keep my visit short and return to my hotel for the evening. I would later learn that Laura's father had died several years earlier from yellow fever he'd come down with while living and working farther up the Amazon River.
The next day I went to buy some more stamps and mail letters at the post office and Laura was busy at work behind her counter. When she noticed me she smiled. She motioned to me that she wanted to meet again after work for Coca-colas. Of course as soon as she got off work that's just what we did. Despite not making much progress in learning Portuguese with Laura, I was finding myself being irresistibly drawn to this young and charming Brazilian beauty. Admittedly, I was already falling in love.
I walked Laura back to her home again after we finished our Cokes and like the day before, Laura's mother graciously served me another cafezinho. Fearful again of an angry father appearing at any moment as I still didn't know he had passed on, I kept this visit short as well and returned to my hotel.
On our third date I had simply planned to enjoy our Cokes in my hotel room so that we could have a little privacy and I could learn some Portuguese, but as soon as we got into my room we passionately kissed and embraced. We spent the evening making love and then showered after. I ordered steak dinners for both of us from the restaurant. About two hours later I walked Laura home.
As soon as we got to Laura's place she disappeared. I feared she was telling her mother what had just taken place and was nervous standing there in the living room alone, but minutes later Laura's mother brought me another cafezinho and I started to feel better.
Laura's mom kept bringing me cafezinhos and as I continued drinking them I started to get nervous again so I thought I should head back to my hotel. I stood up to motion that I was going to leave and Laura re-appeared suddenly with a satchel in hand ready to go with me. She took me by the hand, kissed her mother on the cheek, and together Laura and walked back to my hotel where she would stay with me for the rest of my stay in Belem.
Laura and I lived together in my hotel room for the next three months. I must say that these were three of the happiest months ever in my life and I believe to this day that Laura was also very happy. We made it a habit to go to sleep early and get up around 3:00 a.m. each day. After making love for a while, I would dress and head for Belem's waterfront market just three blocks away. Laura would go back to Sleep and then get ready to go to work at 7:00 a.m.
Every day at 5: 15 pm, like clockwork, I would meet Laura after She got off work at the post office and then go back to my hotel room where she would teach me Portuguese for an hour or two. She would write out words and expressions on paper for me and teach me how to pronounce them. After several weeks, my Portuguese had made a dramatic improvement. I think even Laura was amazed at how well I was communicating in her native language.
About two weeks after living together, I gathered Laura, her mother and her brothers and sisters to take them all to the local market to buy clothes. By then I had learned that the father had died from yellow fever some time ago. I must have spent over a thousand dollars on new clothes and shoes for the family, which they truly appreciated.
I was still set on going to Leticia for my business, but I told Laura and asked her to go with me. Sadly, she declined saying that she couldn't because she felt obligated to stay with her mother and help take care of the family. She was also afraid of catching yellow fever and dying. It was hard for me to accept Laura's refusal as I really loved her by now, but I could understand her sense Of responsibility towards the family.
I was sad to realize I would be going to Leticia on my own. As a parting gesture, I gave Laura several thousand dollars for her and her family. I told her to take care of herself and her family and she cried begging me to stay. I told her I would get my business settled in Leticia and return for her, but deep down we both knew that the relationship was over.
I bought a one-way airline ticket to Leticia in Belem and got everything organized for my trip. On my last date with Laura we were enjoying our final Cokes together when a competing animal dealer named Ray Perez appeared. He and I had some scuffles over business during my time in Belem as he was an animal dealer who I bought from and then sold what I bought at higher prices. Upon learning how much I was profiting Off our dealings he tried to cut me out and sell directly to my clients, but quickly failed at this. Needless to say because of this he didn't like me very much.
When Ray approached me I knew it wouldn't be a good conversation. He didn't know I already bought my ticket to Leticia and he glared at me calling me names and even threatened to kill me if I went to Leticia. To his dismay I responded by telling him that any doubts I had about Leticia were officially gone because if he was this nervous about me going to Leticia then it must be ripe for the picking and I couldn't wait to go! I told him that neither he nor anybody else would keep me off the plane the next morning and he took offin a huff.
The next morning I woke up bright and early, said goodbye to a tearful Laura and headed for the Belem airport to board the flight to Leticia by way of Manaus. After a while Ray showed up to board the plane as he, too, was on his way to Leticia. When I greeted Ray with a pleasant "Good Morning!" he ignored me as he was still upset. It would be an interesting trip. I could only wonder at the vast unknown ahead of me.
Apparently my issues with Ray Perez left him contemplating ways to sabotage my business. Just like he tried to cut me out of the deals with my clients, he tried to cut me off from Leticia before I even had the chance to arrive and get settled. Unbeknownst to me he planned for a speed boat to collect him at Benjamin Constant. You see, there were no direct routes to Leticia. First, we had to fly to Manaus, then to a river port called Tefe, then on to Benjamin Constant and finally on to Leticia. As soon as we deplaned in Benjamin Constant Ray hopped into this speed boat to beat me to Leticia. I wasn't aware we were racing. I later learned that the reason Ray was in a hurry is that as soon as he reached Leticia that he went directly to the office of Governor Colonel Arce Heireira to report my pending arrival. He told the Governor that I was a very bad guy and that I would be bringing counterfeit US dollars with me and that I shouldn't be allowed to enter Colombia. Fortunately, for me the Governor didn't do anything with this information. About three weeks later I met with the Governor, and he told me what Ray had said about me. Thank goodness Ray didn't stop my business before I had the chance to start
In August 1953, I finally arrived in Leticia, Colombia from Belem, Brazil. I was about twenty six years old at the time and my life in the Amazon rain forest, where I would immerse myself, live and work for the next twenty-five or so years, was about to begin. It seemed ironic that my real life was just starting right where the Amazon River emptied into the Atlantic Ocean some four thousand miles downstream from its source, a very small and fresh glacial stream on a snow-capped mountain called Nevado Mismi about eighteen thousand feet in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
We had to land in the water several yards offshore and then take a boat to land. Upon my arrival as I was getting into the boat that would take me onshore, I noticed a large canoe containing a large wooden box being pulled alongside us. I asked what was in the box in Portuguese and the man paddling the canoe, who I learned later was Julio Pereira, said it was a large boa. Now, this was not a boa constrictor but a real anaconda, the largest snake in South America and the heaviest in the world. Immediately I got so excited! A large anaconda right off the bat felt like a good omen that this place was going to be perfect for my business! I asked Julio where he was taking the snake and he said to the Peruvian port of Raymond Castilla right across the river from Leticia. I told Julio that once I found a room in Leticia and got checked in that I wanted to buy the anaconda.
Max Oldenburg, the Leticia dispatcher of the Pan Air do Brasil flights, took me into Leticia once I got off the boat with my belongings. Max would later become one of my closest employees in Leticia for many years.
The Leticia port wasn't much to look at. In fact, the whole place looked decrepit and deserted, but I didn't care. All I could think about was that huge anaconda and all the animals and reptiles that I would find here. I had arrived and I was excited!
Alfonso Galindo, who was a pan Air do Brasil agent I met while in Belem happened to be on the same flight to Leticia. He highly recommended I Stay at the little hotel of Senor Campos, a political exile from Peru. I took a very small Spartan style room that had only a wooden single bed without a spring mattress. It did have a cotton-filled mattress for added comfort, but the room itself was about nine feet wide and ten feet in length. There was no other furniture.
There was a door that adjoined Senor Campos' room, but it was always locked. At the top Of the door was an opening about two feet high and two feet wide and there was also a small window that was about two feet high and a foot and a half wide in the front right next to the hotel's front door. The hotel itself must have been about fifteen years old and was poorly built. I wasn't too concerned with my accommodations, but I also knew I didn't want to Stay here very long especially Since Senor Campos told me the number one rule was no snakes or animals were allowed in any of his hotel rooms.
Once I unpacked a bit and caught my breath, I went to see Alfonso Galindo and asked him if I could borrow one of his boats and have Max Oldenburg take me to Raymond Castilla across the river in Peru to talk with Julio Pereira about buying the giant anaconda. Alfonso agreed and told Max to get the Johnson 22 HP outboard motor ready. It was an old one and looked like it was being held together with nothing but pieces of wire. Alfonso told Max to be very careful with the motor.
Pedro, one of Alfonso's employees, carried the motor to the port. Max was still a young kid and not very big and this motor probably weighed more than him. Before going to Raymond Castilla I went looking for Ray Perez to see if he would tell me what prices he was paying for birds, reptiles, animals. I hoped Ray would give me a price list including English and local names of the specimens I was interested in. I thought it would be wise if all local traders paid about the same for each specimen and avoid bidding wars with local suppliers. Since I was new to the region, I was trying to avoid paying too much for any specimen of interest. I figured there were plenty of animals, birds and reptiles to go around for everybody and that there was no need for pricing wars.
Of course, because of our already cemented tiff, Ray told me to go to hell and that he would not share any of his information. I warned him though that by not telling me his prices he could find me stiff competition if I happened to overpay for specimens he was interested in. He didn't budge so Max and I took off and went across the river to Raymond Castilla in search of Julio Pereira and his huge snake.
On the Peruvian side of the Amazon River just three kilometers from Leticia is Raymond Castilla. The boat ride was about five minutes at full throttle. The small port contained just four thatched roof houses, crude and unpainted. One house was the Peruivian Customs Office, another was for the Peruvian Police Office and the other two houses were for the families of the customs and police departments.
Julio was a significant local trader who traded and bartered gasoline, oil, kerosene and other products from Iquitos, Peru in exchange for rubber, cocoa, Brazilian nuts and skins of all types. I asked Julio if he would show me the anaconda. When Julio pulled off a couple ofboards of the top of the box, I asked him how much he wanted for the snake. "How much will you give me?" he replied. After a bit of back and forth I offered $300 US. He quickly accepted and the anaconda was mine.
Julio and his guys helped me load the box with the anaconda still inside, and Max and I returned to Leticia with my prized anaconda. Julio was happy and so was I. I thought I had just made a good deal until I later learned that Ray Perez never would have paid more than $50. No wonder Julio was so quick to accept my offer! I felt a little foolish, but I was still excited. Once Max and I got back to Leticia I told him I needed a box that was large and strong enough to hold and protect the anaconda. Since I had nowhere else to store the snake, I decided I would try to put it in my room at Senor Campos' hotel even though animals weren't permitted. I hoped no one would discover what I was doing.
Max told me there was a man named Luis E. Diaz in town who imported the Archimedes 10/12 HP outboard motors from Sweden which came in solid wood boxes, and that perhaps he could provide one. I gave Max some money to purchase it and he soon reappeared with a decent sized wooden box.
The hard part would be getting the snake out of Julio's box and into the new one. The snake must have been about twenty feet long and weighed more than 200! I had no prior experience handling such large snakes so we tried coaxing and pushing the snake into the new box without handling it. It took about thirty minutes to convince her to move. After finally getting the snake into the new box it took four of us to carry the box to the hotel.
After making sure no one was around, we slowly and quietly brought it into my room and placed it against the back door. I thought the snake was secure and couldn't escape so I didn't worry about the back door separating my room from Senor Campos' room. That would prove to be a mistake later.
By nightfall, I had become the talk of Leticia because of how much I spent on the snake. News in Leticia apparently travels fast because everybody was talking about how I was now competition for Ray Perez. This of course got under Ray's skin and he had been established in Leticia three months before I arrived. After about 10 days Ray had enough of me and departed for Iquitos upstream in Peru. He never returned to Leticia.
Once Ray left I took my place as the dominant buyer in Leticia. It helped immensely that Tarpon Zoo was well known and Trudie was getting top dollar for the animals I was collecting and shipping to Florida. Business was booming and I was happy!
In 1953 Leticia was a small, sleepy and unprepossessing river port with a population of less than 1,000 people and everybody in town knew each other. It was a tight-knit family region in those days. The area is only about three kilometers across from Leticia to Peru during monsoon season. Leticia sits at the southernmost tip of Colombia along the Amazon River where Colombia, Peru and Brazil merge together.
There was little to no modern infrastructure in Leticia at that time. Even though there was a small power plant, it had been non-operational for quite some time and because of this the whole town was completely dark at night with the exception of a few small fires here and there that people built for cooking meals.
I got the model and make of the plant's generator and wired it to Trudie to get the catalogue and have her ship everything to me on the next plane bound for Leticia. Fortunately there was a competent electrician in Leticia and together we figured out what parts were needed and I ordered them. The next day when the parts arrived we installed them and by nightfall had a few lights burning for three hours before something tripped leaving us in the dark again.
I found the Leticianos to be very friendly and warm people and the local government was also good to me. I decided that if I was going to stay here and build my animal business there were several things I could do to help the area while making decent money collecting and shipping animals, reptiles and birds.
I knew from the start that I was going to need reliable and regularly scheduled inbound and outbound flights. Charter flights would not be a long-term solution simply because they cost too much and Leticia was in great need of upgraded air service. When I had my first shipment ready I had no choice but to use a charter flight for this maiden voyage. It was hell trying to convince ASA International Airlines to land in Leticia because their Blue Book had no records of Leticia having a runway.
Leticia had a small air strip, eight hundred meters long and twenty-five meters wide, running north and south, and had been built on the edge of town to the west before I arrived. The strip had been made by rolling several layers of clay on top of each other until they dried, followed with a layer or two of asphalt for a smooth surface and durability. Unfortunately though, upon closer inspection I saw the entire length of the strip had cracks with weeds and small trees coming up through them making it unsafe and unusable.
So, I hired a small crew and we all staked out the strip, clearing out weeds and other debris that had accumulated over the years. It was hot and the humidity was stifling. We could not stay dry or drink enough water as our shirts and pants were drenched with sweat. Some of the guys cut a few down a few trees on the north end of the strip to ensure a clear and obstacle free approach for any inbound aircraft.
Several days later we had cleared and spruced up the strip finally making it ready for business. It was a very good thing to get this project going because, I knew it would help develop future commerce in Leticia and surrounding area as well as be an asset for my growing animal, reptile and bird business.
The next challenge would be to convince the ASA that the strip was safe and adequate. After several telegrams they finally relented and accepted an advance payment of $3,OOO US to make the trip from Panama. The ASA flight's itinerary included a fuel stop in Iquitos before proceeding downstream to Leticia. The ASA pilots on this flight had to visually locate Leticia from the air as they got closer because there was absolutely no radio communication or radar signals whatsoever with which to navigate.
I was praying and keeping my fingers crossed that the pilots would spot the air strip in Leticia and safely land because if they couldn't find us then they had no choice but to turn and go back to Iquitos to refuel and then on to Panama with an empty cargo bay. That would mean I would lose the $3,000 US advance payment, which was huge money to me in those days. Failure was not an option! Luckily, we took off and all was well, but more on that some other time.
I stayed in Senor Ocampos' boarding house for about three months. The food was awful. For the first forty-two days I lived there for breakfast I had fish soup, coffee dried fried bananas and an occasional piece of bread. Lunch consisted of fish soup, fried or stewed fish, rice, beans and more fried bananas. Dinner was stewed fish or fried fish soup, fortified by more fried bananas, rice and beans. There wasn't much variety and it got old fast. I heard that Paramount Aquariums was sending their C-47 cargo transport plane empty to pick up some tropical fish from Rafael Wandurraga so I decided to send a telegram to Trudie to let her know I was starving to death and in need of canned food. Trudie loaded the plane with about three thousand pounds of canned meats, vegetables and fruit. Thank goodness for that woman!
Senor Ocampos didn't like his standard fare either so he would often join me at my table to enjoy a few cans of food. Word spread quickly about the canned food as Carlos Luna, the customs director of the small town of Tarapaca nearby, and his wife came to Leticia on their way to Bogot?? and they along with Senor Ocampos enjoyed a meal with me.
One night I went to see a movie at the local movie house owned by Dr. Amaya, the local dentist. I don't remember the movie that played but it finished around 9 and I headed back to my room at Senor Ocampos' hotel and went right to bed. I'd always been a sound sleeper but that night after the power plant shut down I swear I thought I heard a noise. I had a flashlight under my bed and turned it on only to wish I couldn't see what I saw - the anaconda I'd been keeping in my room was inches from my head! Somehow it had worked its way out of its box. I froze in sheer terror! My biggest fear was not getting eaten, but rather that Mr. Campos would find out and throw me out. Unsure of what to do my mind was racing. I knew if I screamed Mr. Campos would find out for sure and I would wake the whole damn town. I couldn't tell if the anaconda was hungry, angry or what after being kept inside the box for about two months. I had put live chickens inside the box several times to feed the anaconda but it wasn't interested. Apparently one of the boards on the box had weakened because it was rotting away and the snake's weight and pressure against the board finally caused it to give way. The anaconda then worked its head out of the box, further loosening the board until it broke off I put the flashlight in my mouth and as quietly as possible grabbed the snake's head and turned it around by pushing its body with my stomach towards the hole in the box. Once I got the head in the box I gently forced the rest Of the anaconda back into the box. I had to push the box around so the bed board faced the wall because I didn't have a hammer or nails. As luck would have it, Senor Ocampos did wake up while all this was going on and asked me if anything was wrong. I told him I had to move something around and apologized for waking him up. Luckily, he didn't come in to inspect. Once the snake was safely inside its box, I tried to go back to sleep but it was nearly impossible as my heart was still pumping hard. I was utterly terrified at the thought Of what could have happened if I hadn't heard the snake getting out Of its box.
Alfonso Galindo, a native of Leticia, rented me a house after about three months of living in Senor Ocampos's boarding house. At last, I would have a place with a lot of open area. I started building all kinds of large holding cages for the animals, birds, snakes and other reptiles I hoped to capture. It was a good situation overall. I could build my own small power plant so I could have light whenever needed. I also used Galindo's house as an offce and warehouse for ASA International Airlines.
The day I moved out of Senor Ocampos' boarding house we took the anaconda out of the box to check its length and weight. It took ten of us to successfully negotiate the snake out of the box and then straighten it out. The anaconda's length is very difficult to accurately measure when holding the snake because its muscles tighten up and contract. This particular snake was one of the biggest I'd ever seen and it looked to be about twenty feet long. It weighed in at 115 kilograms, or about 253 pounds. It was a female and quite tame. We hand carried her to her new cage and when I got inside the cage to stroke the snake she never tried to bite me. In fact, she never showed any aggression at all. It was a most beautiful snake. I eventually shipped her to the Tarpon Zoo where she survived a few more years before succumbing to pneumonia. After she died, we performed a post-mortem measurement and she was 21 feet, 5 inches in length.
Not surprisingly, Senor Ocampos nearly threw a fit after he saw the anaconda and was happy and relieved to know I was moving out. I was also happy to be getting into Galindo's house. I had several smaller snakes and monkeys and the room had really gotten crowded. We would all be happier with more space.
After securing the house I spent time settling into the new place and getting everything organized. Shortly there-after my team in Leticia began to grow. Max Oldenburg soon joined my growing team to work full-time handling offce matters. Olegario Martines became my full-time animal caretaker. I also hired Pedro the Ecuadorian to help tend to the animals. Alvaro Angulo came on board several months later as a truck driver and helped out in the animal compound driving and maintaining a yellow Dodge power wagon I'd bought earlier. Ribeiros, or Duda as we called him, drove and maintained a 4-ton stake body Chevrolet I'd bought and fixed up in Barranquilla. We used the Chevy to off-load the planes coming into Leticia. I'd had a special canvas made in Barranquilla to protect the loaded merchandise during the rainy season.
I remembered that on my second day in Leticia, somebody told me about some large lakes about a thousand yards from the port of Leticia on the Colombian side of the river. The lakes were named Yahauarcaca. I found a local woman in Leticia who sewed twelve bags to hold snakes. One day after lunch, I grabbed my snake hook, rented a canoe and paddled off to these lakes to hunt. I entered the lakes through a small canal that fed into the Amazon River. I was so enthralled by the scenery and water that I wasn't paying attention to the exact location where the canal and river met. Once I got into the lakes, I paddled slowly around the lakes' edges. I figured the place must be loaded with snakes of all kinds. There was a lot of area to cover, and by nightfall I found myself a long way from the mouth of these lakes. I was getting a little nervous as I'd forgotten my head lamp and didn't know the area at all. I paddled on for hours until about midnight, and still I hadn't found the canal that would lead me back out to the Amazon. By then I was getting tired and sleepy and finally gave up trying to find the canal in the dark. So, I decided to sleep in the wooden canoe, which was only big enough to hold one person with only 3 inches of free board, and could easily tip over if I made too sudden a move while trying to sleep. I didn't sleep hardly a wink that night, and by sunrise the next morning I was paddling towards the canal and reached Leticia cold, wet and hungry. The only thing I'd caught that night was a good head cold from sleeping in the water that had seeped into the canoe overnight.
It was on my third day in Leticia that I befriended Senor Rafael Wandurraga. We became and remained very close friends until he passed away in 1984. Rafael had his home and tropical fish aquarium in Puerto Narino about eighty kilometers upstream from Leticia along the Amazon River. He had been in Leticia buying supplies for his family and the people he employed to fish for him. Rafael invited me to go with him to Puerto Narino and I recall the boat ride took about ten hours in a craft with a small inboard motor.
Rafael was the fish collector and shipper for Paramount Aquarium in Vero Beach, Florida. During one of our talks, I told Rafael I was planning to have a charter plane come into Leticia every three to four weeks, and would need freight. It would be good if Rafael could let Fred Cochu, the owner of Paramount Aquarium, know about the C-46 charter plane and possibly ship fish with me, which would help create a new revenue source and increase the frequency of flights coming to Leticia to once every three weeks. Fred flew into Leticia on my next flight along with a shipment of canned food, and we made a deal.
I negotiated with Fred to let me ship his fish from Leticia on my charter flight on Fred's condition that the flights land in Miami, making it easier and faster for Fred to transport the fish to his Vero Beach aquarium once Customs in Miami had been cleared. Fred was very reasonable and also offered me a ten percent commission to help Rafael, which had the added benefit of lightening the burdensome cost of the freight on each return trip to Miami from Leticia.
When my charter flight's maiden voyage happened about four months later, I made my first shipment of animals to Tarpon Zoo along with Rafael's first fish shipment to Paramount Aquarium. I decided to accompany the freight to Tarpon Zoo and experience the flight and pilots, who were nothing less than superb. Everything went flawlessly and according to schedule. I was already thinking about how to expand and grow my shipping business so I made a point to talk with ASA International Airlines in St. Petersburg.
Once I landed in Miami with the first shipment I went to Vero Beach to see Paramount Aquariums, whose trucks were waiting for the ASA charter flight carrying Rafael's fish shipment. It took ASA about three and a half hours to fly from Leticia to Bogot??, and then to Panama another two hours or so. After refueling in Panama, the flight leg to Miami was about six hours.
After unloading the fish shipment in Miami and clearing my animals and other wildlife through customs, we took off again bound for Clearwater/St. Petersburg Airport with my first shipment for Tarpon Zoo. The flight took about one and a half hours. I recall looking at my watch and it was about 2:00 a.m. when we arrived. Trudie was waiting at the airport with trucks to transport the wildlife to the zoo. By the time we'd unloaded the animals and other wildlife from the ASA aircraft, got them to the zoo and properly situated, it was already after 8:00 a.m. I could not have been more pleased with the way my business was getting started so soon after arriving in Leticia.
Venturing that far upstream along the Amazon River had been a gamble, and I was already seeing the vast potential the surrounding area offered anybody who was willing to work hard and smart. In retrospect, I am thankful for deciding to go to Leticia, despite the great odds of finding little or nothing there. I was starting to feel like I'd discovered my small piece of heaven on earth, where I wanted to spend the rest of my life, the Amazon River and the surrounding rain forest.
Upon the arrival of our very first shipment of animals including the tropical fish shipment bound for Paramount Aquariums in Vero Beach, Florida, I went to talk with Mr. Victor Carmichael, ASA International Airlines' president at the time. I proposed to Victor that ASA establish a weekly flight from St. Petersburg to Leticia that included brief stops in Panama City, Panama and Bogot??, Colombia along the way. Victor had a board meeting, and, in addition to approving my proposal, the board voted unanimously to make me ASA's agent in Leticia and establish a branch office in Bogot??, Colombia.
Here is how it worked: A flight originated from St. Petersburg and then arrived in Bogot?? after a brief stop in Panama City, Panama. The round-trip flight, Bogot??-Leticia-Bogot??, was loaded with cargo and passengers each way. Once the flight arrived in Leticia, it would stay overnight and return to Bogot?? the next day. A SA worked up pricing for passenger tickets, domestic cargo by the kilo and my international freight to and from Leticia by the pound. I knew that a weekly ASA flight would be much cheaper as the ASA chartered flight coming to Leticia every three weeks was very expensive.
Within a week, I travelled on one of ASA's flights to Bogot?? via Panama City, Panama to help set up the branch office there. Shortly afterwards we received an FAA Colombian permit and local employees for the office. Hopeful and anxious at the same time, we went to work immediately to get cargo and passengers lined up as quickly as we could.
Despite the auspicious start, business was slow in the beginning as there was hardly any cargo or passengers. The flight from Bogot?? to Leticia took about three and a half hours. ASA sent their C-46 to Leticia and it arrived one afternoon with just a handful of passengers and hardly any cargo. The aircraft would not return to Bogot?? until the following day. Again, there were hardly any passengers or cargo going back to Leticia. Over the next eight weeks, the flight made it to Leticia only five times. Because we couldn't accurately predict the passenger headcount or the cargo for the ASA flights between Bogota and Leticia, the flights to and from Leticia were erratic. No two flights ever arrived within a week of each other. Sometimes we wouldn't see an inbound flight from Bogota for two weeks. Something had to be done to get the ASA flights arriving and departing from Leticia on a regular weekly schedule.
I sent some of my guys out to catch a large fish called Gamitana which ended up giving to several restaurants in Bogot?? for free. In this way, the restaurant owners could decide if they wanted to have this fish on their menus and promote it. I also sent businesspeople including potential buyers to Bogota at my expense to see what general merchandise they could sell in Leticia. ASA told me that the flights between Bogota and Leticia until now were not profitable, and they would be suspending flights.
Soon I decided to return to St. Petersburg again on a flight full of animals and tropical fish to talk with Victor Carmichael at ASA's headquarters. Again, I persuaded Victor to set the flight up and keep to a fixed schedule. During this meeting I mentioned that the Colombian military had a base in Villavicencio where the ASA flight could stop to refuel. Villavicencio was about a thirty minute flight from Bogota to the south. As Bogota is about nine-thousand feet in altitude, planes leaving Bogota had to reach altitude in a circle pattern in order to clear the surrounding mountain range. Since the mountains overlooking Bogota are between fourteen thousand and fifteen thousand feet high, it was necessary for the aircraft loaded with six tons of cargo to have enough fuel to fly at least two hours to reach Villavicencio.
Until then, we'd been trying to depart Bogota with fuel tanks completely full along with six tons of cargo. To complicate matters more, there was no airplane fuel in Leticia, which meant the plane, upon arriving in Leticia, had to have enough fuel for the return flight to Bogota. We had an instructor flying with ASA flight captain David Benson who came to Bogota to check take-off and landing conditions while shutting down one engine right after take-off. Captain Benson eventually declared that the flight could be safely made with the fuel tanks fully loaded while hauling at most 4,500 kilos of cargo, or just less than 5 short tons.
This was not good news to ASA because, they argued, these conditions did not make for a profitable flight. This is what drove me to investigate the possibility of having Villavicencio as a possible stop to refuel the plane. After talking this over with the Colombian military, I got their permission to begin the process of establishing a fuel depot in Villavicencio. The military had a tanker but it was non-operational at the time even though it was made in America. I had a mechanic check the tanker out and he gave me a list of needed parts. Once we got the parts delivered to Villavicencio we were in business.
Over the next three or so months, ASA bought fuel in Bogota and shipped it overland to Villavicencio at its own expense and assuming all of the risks. There weren't any restaurants or facilities at the military airport in Villavicencio for the passengers to relax in while the plane was being refueled. There were, however, restaurants and passenger facilities at Villavicencio's public airport. The public airport could accommodate small aircraft. I talked to everybody who would listen in Villavicencio about using the public airport on all future flights. Esso agreed to supply airplane fuel. As things turned out, Villavicencio's public airport became our regular stop during the flight to Leticia from Bogota. So, ASA flew in and out of Leticia for the next six years.
After the fifth ASA flight using Villavicencio as a refueling stop, the airline started to make money on the roundtrip flight between Bogota and Leticia. We were witnessing the birth of a brand new area of commerce due to an increase in passengers and cargo in both directions. Companies in Bogota started shipping dry goods, food, and a construction material to Leticia. On the return trip from Leticia, the plane was loaded with fresh, frozen and sun dried fish. It was tough going nonetheless.
In 1953 1 started shipping a fresh fish called Piraiba to Bogota to increase the variety of our shipments on ASA. Piraiba is the Portuguese word Brazilians in the Amazon region use to call this fish. In neighboring Spanish speaking countries like Colombia and Peru, the locals call this species Bagre. Basically it is a catfish that can grow to monstrous sizes. Some local people around Leticia refer to it as a man-eating catfish as it can reach lengths between nine and ten feet and weigh up to 660 pounds. It is, hands down, the single largest fish species in the entire Amazon River. People around Leticia often catch the Piraiba with lines set out with six to ten hooks and one end of the line tied to a tree on the river's bank. Everyday a fisherman will go out and check his lines to see if a fish is on. When a Piraiba is hooked, the fisherman will start pulling it into a canoe. Once the fisherman has the Piraiba close enough to the canoe, he will club it over the head a few times, killing it, and then load it in his small canoe. It is no exaggeration that the Piraiba and Bagre are often called man-eating catfish. I along with my team would typically get up every morning around 3:30 a.m. to head to Leticia's waterfront. Then, we would enjoy some tinto, a local coffee I grew quite fond of. One morning around 4:00 a.m. about three years after moving to Leticia, while savoring our tinto, we saw a local fisherman appear out of the early morning darkness, paddling into the waterfront market with a large Bagre that extended practically the entire length of his canoe. A small group gathered around to marvel at the fish and help pull it out. They started gutting, cleaning and cutting the fish up in small pieces to be sold that morning. Suddenly, our eyes grew wide as we incredulously watched a human leg slip out of the Bagre's underbelly and collapse to the ground into a wet, slimy pool of fish intestines and other organs smothered in warm, bloody digestive juices. The odor was indescribably foul and overpowering, and stubbornly hung in the air, bringing tears to our eyes. For a moment I thought I would start heaving as I felt waves of nausea starting to engulf me. Evidently, the Bagre had attacked and eaten a man because the half-digested body part, now rotting and putrefying, included the upper and lower portions of the leg along with the foot still attached with the victim's shoe still dangling from it. Over the years, many people living along the Amazon River had mysteriously disappeared, most likely having been grabbed after falling overboard into the river and consumed by monster-size Bagre. I would guess that as many as forty percent of people who fell overboard into the river disappeared into the jaws of a Bagre lurking nearby underwater, or, even worse yet, were attacked and literally eaten alive by the legendary Carnero, one of the Amazon River's most vicious and voracious fish that triggers terror in the hearts and minds of all the local people.
Three years after the ASA charter flights were fully operational Hernando Quintero appeared and started chartering flights into Leticia for a local Colombian carrier called Aero Condor. Hernando competed against me and ASA for about two years before finally giving up.
Another Colombian carrier from Medellin, SAM, started up a charter flight operation after ASNs sixth year of successful operations. One of SAM's owners, Gabriel Vergara, came to Leticia to entice me to sever ties with ASA and become SAM's exclusive agent in Leticia. SAM already had an agent in Leticia. Gabriel was quite persuasive, offering me a shipping rate of $0.14 per pound from Leticia to Miami. From a cost point of view this seemed attractive compared to ASA's price, $0.25 per pound, to ship from Leticia all the way to Clearwater/St. Petersburg. Much to his disappointment, I turned down Gabriel's offer because it was still more economical to ship wildlife directly to Clearwater/St. Petersburg with ASA. Over time, Gabriel and I became good friends and helped each other whenever possible.
SAM Charter Flight Services tried very hard to break into the Leticia market but had diffculty getting ASA customers to switch despite being a Colombian carrier. If it was any consolation, a few passengers in Leticia would fly on SAM on days when ASA was not flying. At one point, SAM decided to exert its influence with the Colombian CAA to stop ASA from operating out of Leticia. I had a lot of cargo in the Leticia warehouse waiting to be shipped at the time, and since the CAA would not issue a new permit to ASA, I had no choice but to ship my goods to Bogota on SAM's aircraft. Unfortunately, ASA closed up shop in Leticia for good.
After working with ASA for about three years, I was departing on one of its Leticia bound flights from Bogota one day. I guess the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) had gotten wind of my flight services because as I closed the large cargo door an agent by the name of Stacy suddenly appeared and asked where the flight was going. When he showed me his badge, I asked Stacy, "Where did you buy your ticket as we only sell tickets to Leticia in Bogota?" He ordered me to start unloading the passengers as the flight was illegal. I told Stacy he needed to speak with the pilots. The captain of the flight called me a few minutes later and told me to start unloading the passengers. I told the captain to tell Stacy to make the announcement himself and then deal with the passenger's anger and frustra- tion if the flight didn't continue on to Leticia. Stacy then said, "Let's go so I can see the rest of this illegal operation." The cargo loaded inside ASA's C-46 transport was already tied down with a cargo net. There were no seats with safety belts installed on this plane; the passengers just sat on the cargo and held on to the net during takeoffs and landings. They were free to wander around while the plane was flying. This really got Stacy riled up. During the flight and after we landed safely in Leticia, I tried being nice to Stacy. He brusquely ordered me to get my things together as this would be ASA's last flight to Leticia. I decided to pay a visit at the local Navy installation and call a Captain Tellez of the Colombian CAA to report what was happening. Captain Tellez helped calm my nerves and said he would meet and talk with Stacy.
When they met Captain Tellez threatened to create problems for Pan Am flights bound for Colombia if the US government continued disrupting ASA's flights between Bogota and Leticia. I was very pleased to hear later that the FAA approved ASA's flights between Bogota and Leticia on the condition that ASA install passenger seats with safety belts. This was reasonable, I felt. Later, ASA overhauled one of its C-46 planes by installing floor rails to hold thirty seats.
On its first flight after overhauling the C-46, the plane departed Panama City, Panama for Bogota full of cargo bound for Leticia. The aircraft successfully landed in Bogota for a brief layover to refuel and load Leticia bound passengers in the new seats. After takeoff and beginning the circular ascent to reach about fifteen thousand feet to clear the mountains surrounding Bogota, engine trouble developed and the airplane started losing altitude too fast for comfort. The pilots decided to set a course for Panama City. Lou Leyman was the flight's co-pilot and made the decision to start throwing cargo out of the airplane to lighten it up. Because the aircraft was losing altitude so fast, the captain, Bud Francis, decided to make an emergency landing in the water. He began sending out a May Day distress call while positioning the plane's nose for the dangerous maneuver. Water landings are always dangerous because if the pilot does not touch the plane down at just the right angle, things can go horribly wrong very fast, often leading to a catastrophic breakup of the airplane and human casualties. Bud Francis was a highly experienced pilot and successfully brought the plane to a stop in the water. A rescue helicopter appeared within minutes and successfully got all passengers and pilots to safety. There would be no ASA flight to Leticia that week. ASA overhauled another C-46 and the following week flights were resumed. The airstrip in Leticia in the early days was eight hundred meters, or about a half mile long. Because it was considered short, pilots had to land their planes by coming low across the Amazon River and touch down as quickly as possible. This could be especially hazardous during the rainy season.
Major storms didn't happen very often in and around Leticia, but when they did, the locals didn't easily forget these incredible forces of nature in the rain forest. Sometimes a storm would creep up and the winds suddenly would reach near gale force, turning the sandy colored Amazon River around Leticia into a boiling froth of white capped waves reaching heights of three or four feet. You definitely didn't want to be caught in the middle of the river in a small boat or canoe during one of these raging "tormentas" as you'd certainly capsize, sink and drown. On one occasion the winds were so powerful they uprooted some trees in the ravine running between my house and the animal compound in Leticia. Another time an actual small tornado formed, touched down and tore the metal roof from my fish compound. On yet another occasion, rain was falling like sheets of glass out of the sky, and a huge lightning bolt hit the metal statue of General Orellana holding his sword. The electricity that surged through the statue was so strong that the sword broke off and flew through the air as if launched like a missile, landing about twenty feet away. The statue and area immediately surrounding it lit up like a fireworks display with sparks flying everywhere like flies on fire. Later, after repairing the statue, we moved it to another park in front of Leticia's government offices.
There was one very close call when one ofthese squalls suddenly came out of nowhere. Lightning streaked across the skies followed by deafening cracks of thunder. Everybody I could see ran to take cover. An exposed water pipe in Leticia was hit dead on by a lightning bolt, and hot sparks flew everywhere, injuring three people sitting nearby trying to eat their lunch. Miraculously, nobody was killed.
Six elderly nuns were visiting Leticia and asked me to take them out into the jungle to watch a caiman hunt. One evening around 8:00 p.m. I called my boatman, Arnaldo Caldas, to prepare a boat and we all took off with me seated with rifle and headlamp in the fore of the boat. Before launching I told Arnaldo to take us to an area with lakes on the Peruvian side ofthe Amazon not far from Benjamin Constant. There was not much wind that evening, but I noticed the Amazon was a bit choppy with six inch waves or so. I didn't give this any thought be- cause once we reached the lakes the water would be smooth as glass.
Unfortunately, not long after we took off on the water we noticed the sky in front of us strangely turning white. I had never seen this phenomenon before. The wind started picking up and before long the waves in the river were about a foot high. The boat ride was getting rougher and I could tell the nuns were getting nervous. I de- cided to return to Leticia and shouted at Arnaldo to turn around and head back.
Arnaldo swung the boat around and hugged the bank on the Peruvian side as we made our way upstream against the river's powerful current. By now the rain was falling in sheets and the wind was blowing very strongly. We all were getting soaked to the bone. I saw we were approaching Raymond Castilla so I told Arnaldo to pull in front of Sr. Hoyos' home and business. I jumped out of the boat and went to Hoyos' home where he was standing in the doorway watching the rain come down. I asked him if we could come in, dry out and stay until the storm passed. I knew Hoyos would let us come in, but out of respect I always asked before motioning the others to come in.
Sr. Hoyos gave everybody a hammock to hang up and stretch out to relax. I figured we'd only be in Raymond Castilla for a couple of hours at most. Luckily, Arnaldo had been alert enough to take the motor off the boat and bring it ashore. He'd tied the boat down to keep it from floating away in the swift and powerful current. The water was so rough by then that the boat sank. The nuns all tried to lie down in their hammocks and sleep, but it was very difficult as they were still wet. Around 4 the next morning the nuns rustled me out of my sleep. Tired, wet, cold and hungry, and growing crankier by the minute, they wanted to get back to Leticia as soon as possible, so I woke Arnaldo up and together we made our way down the bank to empty the water out of the boat and put the motor back on. By daybreak we were ready to launch the boat.
The nuns made their way one by one down a set of crude and slippery stairs to the boat, but the waters were still rough with three foot waves. I told Arnaldo to try to go downstream at such an angle so that our boat would reach the north bank ofthe Amazon a few miles from Leticia. From that point, we could hug the north bank of the Amazon and make our way upstream to Leticia. The tactic worked and by 9 a.m. we were pulling into Leti- Cia's waterfront where most of my boats were parked. People from the compound ran down to the waterfront, happy and relieved to see us all in one piece.
During my first two years in Leticia, 195 3-19 54, there was no money to be made exporting animals, birds or reptiles. There were many challenges to be met including getting a viable airport up and running before Trudie and I could really start earning a stable and reliable income for Tarpon Zoo and ourselves. We were making enough to stay financially afloat, but changes were needed to take Tarpon Zoo to go up the value chain. After several talks with Trudie, we decided to make a push to rebrand our monkeys as New World Monkeys and sell them across the US to research laboratories and experimental stations. There was more money to be made working with these organizations compared to pet shops and zoos.
Our New World Monkeys from the Leticia and Barranquilla compounds were used for the following research areas: Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri Sciureus) ??? Cancer Research ??? White Lip Marmoset (Nigricollis) ??? Hepatitis Research ??? White Lip Marmoset (Mystax) ??? Hepatitis ??? Night Monkey (Aotus Trivirgatus) ??? Malaria Ringtail Monkey (Cebus Apela) ??? Heart Transplant and Teflon Arterial Transplant ??? Capuchins Monkey (Cebus Albithron) ???Heart Transplants and Teflon Arterial Transplant Wooly Monkey (Lagothrix) ??? Human Virus Research Some of the laboratories and experimental stations we contracted with included the following: ??? Merck, Sharp & Dohme Laboratories Presbyterian St. Luke Hospital, Chicago, IL ??? Louisiana State University Research Cener ??? University of North Carolina School of Medicine ??? Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center ??? National Institutes of Health ??? California Institute of Technology
We made it a practice to not ship female squirrel monkeys that were three to four months along in their pregnancy because we knew from experience the pregnant mothers were at very high risk of miscarriage from stress trig- gered during the long trips to the US or dying from milk fever shortly after giving birth.[ll Then, in 1968 my family acquired what would later become known as Monkey Island. This island was about ten kilometers upstream from Leticia with a land area of four hundred fifty six hectares, or about one thousand acres. What gave the island its name was the squirrel monkey population that would ultimately dominate the land as a result of planting a variety of fruit trees on the island. Monkeys were not indigenous to the island. I approached the original settlers of the island, and after several rounds of discussions and negotiations, I bought their rights of occupation of the island and helped them move to Colombia's mainland. The government of Colom- bia retained legal ownership the island while my transaction with the settlers entitled me to "Squatter's Rights." Monkey Island is endowed with two beautiful lakes brimming with exotic fish and other aquatic species including brown caiman crocodiles, a handful of black caiman crocodiles, electric eels, the pirarucu, red piranha, and the ganutana plus other fish species that make delicious meals.
Once I had the rights to Monkey Island I made two key decisions: turn the island into a restricted zone to protect the more than one hundred twenty six species of resident birds, fish and other reptiles and start plant fruit trees. Monkey Island, I discovered very fast, was incredibly rich in its biodiversity which needed to be sustained and pro- longed for as long as possible. Besides the Brazilian Horned Screamer and Hoatzin, there are thousands of Yellow Wing Parakeets, parrots of all kinds, Scarlet Macaws, Blue and Gold Macaws, Great Green Wing Macaws, Brown and Yellow Oriel Pendulans on the island. Over the years, Monkey Island became a destination hotspot for bird watchers visiting from all over the world to identify and observe as many Amazon rainforest birds as they could. Soon after buying the island about eighteen of my workers and I spent a couple of days to see if we could spot any monkeys there and get as accurate of a head count as we could. To our surprise, we didn't see one. Then it dawned on me that the reason there were no monkeys was because there was nothing for them to eat except for perhaps some insects. But insects would never be enough to sustain a viable monkey population. If monkeys, including squirrel monkeys placed from nearby areas, were ever to have a chance to live and thrive on Monkey Island, then they would need a constant and reliable food supply.
Soon we went to work planting various kinds of fruit trees throughout the island. Over the next several months trees yielding bananas, papayas, guava and other local fruits abounded in small plantations across the island. At one point there were ten acres each of bananas and guavas and a total of five thousand papaya trees on the island. I also planted about fifteen orange trees and forty lemon trees.
Once the fruit trees on Monkey Island starting bearing fruit, I started pulling squirrel monkeys from every shipment going to the US every three weeks. My plan was to plant them on the island in a ratio of four pregnant females to one male. Each time we released the squirrel monkeys on the island, the Game and Fish Commissioner of Leticia and other authority figures of Leticia, which could be the mayor or a military offcer or even the Gov- ernor of the State of Amazonas in Colombia, would be present to watch and observe. When it became apparent that our gamble to develop a thriving population of monkeys on the island was paying off by the increasing numbers of healthy and robust monkeys, a meeting was held in Leticia where I told the public what we had done to inhabit the island with monkeys.
One year later I built a small hotel on Monkey Island for eco-tourists, adventurers, scientists and serious bird watchers. I equipped the hotel with sixteen double bed rooms, one kitchen, a communal dining area, three showers, three toilets and three wash basins. I had a special octagonal shaped outdoor cooking hut built behind the hotel and as many as five hundred meals could be prepared and served. Dignitaries, including all of Colombia's Presidents from 1968 to the present, have come from all over to visit and stay on Monkey Island to experience firsthand the beauty and wildlife of the surrounding rainforest and Amazon River which until then had only been figments of their imagination.
The famous Victoria Regia lily pad, the largest water lily in the world, abounded on and around Monkey Island. This species of water lily can grow to three feet or more in diameter and can support a sizeable load. The Victoria Regia is circular and surrounded by a four to six inch vertical lip perimeter to keep water from entering. Beautiful white lily flowers blossom and rise from the water around the pads several times a year. They are a wonderful to sight to witness.
I started hunting alligators in the Everglades of Florida when I was fourteen. I guess you could say I've been doing it ever since then. It hasn't always been easy or pleasant. In fact, my left hand still has the scars from a gator's bite from decades ago. Over the years I got better at catching gators and eventually started to catch them during my time living in Leticia.
The South American version of the American alligator is the caiman. There are two kinds: brown and black. The brown caiman live and thrive in the Colombian Amazon and its tributaries in massive numbers. They are found in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Brown caiman grow at most to around seven feet in length. The black caiman, on the other hand, can grow upwards of twenty feet and, like the American alligator, pose a definite threat to human beings.
There were areas not far from Leticia where we would find literally hundreds of baby caiman. On some nights we would catch three or four hundred babies and as many as twenty-five females. I would organize a team of six to eight of my men to go out on these hunts on two large canoes from eighteen to thirty feet in length. My men would do most of the paddling while I would be at the bow ready to catch a caiman with my hands. The black caiman was much more interesting to hunt and capture primarily because of its much bigger size. The larger ones we caught were as long as fifteen feet and their strength and power were simply unbelievable. Brown caimans, like big alligators, are hard to catch because they've managed to survive for so long and, therefore, are suspicious of predators. I recall telling tourists that large brown caiman are smart enough to read and write. They are very shy if they've had a lot of lights shined on them or if they've been shot at before. An approaching boat or canoe can quickly cause a brown caiman to submerge and stay out of sight for long periods. One has to have a lot of patience when trying to hunt a brown caiman.
During hunts for brown caiman, we would grunt for them for hours on end. In addition to guns, tape and rope to capture the reptiles, we also carried different colors to use with our head lamps to confuse the caiman if they were overly skittish. I liked to use red, green and blue color cellophane. If a caiman spooked too easily with one color, then I would change to a different color. It was pretty easy to switch colors using rubber bands to fasten the cello- phane around the headlamp.
A group of nuns, fifteen in all, visited Leticia from Mary Mount School of Santa Fe de Bogota. One evening I took eight of them on a caiman hunting trip to see if we could bag the big brown one. I told them about the hunt the young school teacher and I went on a few years earlier, and how the brown caiman had eluded us ever since. The boatman headed for the same river area where we'd tried for years to catch the large brown caiman. We spotted it in the same area but it was partially submerged under a big log sticking out of the ground. As we approached the log, the caiman went under water. The boatman pulled out a ways and the caiman resurfaced like it usually did. The next time the boatman approached the log, the caiman submerged and I got out of the boat and stood on top of the log. I was holding on to a 12 gauge shotgun while steadying myself on the log. The boatman swung the rear of the boat towards me and I told him to come back after heard me shoot the shotgun. I stood as quietly as I could on top of the log waiting for the caiman to resurface. The boat couldn't have gone thirty or so feet when the caiman surfaced again right under me. I shot it behind the head, killing it instantly, and then grabbed it before it could sink into the muddy waters.
The nuns were completely fascinated by what they'd just seen, taking photos and chattering among themselves as the boatman and I prepared the caiman to head back to Leticia. Once we got back to Leticia, it was very late and the other nuns were already fast asleep. The next day I invited the nuns to a scrumptious meal of caiman tail which they all enjoyed very much. The brown caiman was a male and the biggest one at the time I'd ever seen.
As I mentioned earlier when I arrived in Leticia there were no amenities to speak of. I felt like I'd stepped way back in time into a very remote outpost on the Amazon River that was way beyond the imagination or comprehension of anybody living in the modern world. Aside from the issues with electricity and the airstrip, education and schools were either nonexistent or in short supply and there was only one very small health clinic the Colombian army had built to deliver some form of health care to the local people.
For the people in Leticia in those years, then around three thousand, life was a constant struggle to make ends meet. Most people in Leticia were very poor and received little or no assistance from the local or national gov- ernments. Most subsisted and survived by hunting, fishing and growing small crops including yucca and fruit. Some worked in the logging and rubber business and made somewhat better livings. In general, Leticia and the surrounding area including Benjamin Constant were then the only centers of what could be recognized as modern civilization in the remotest extremes of Brazil and Colombia along the Amazon River and most people struggled daily just to get by. Paradoxically, it was the local Indians including the Ticuna, Mayoruna, Marubo and Yagua that actually lived more healthily and prospered inside the Amazon rainforest itself.
In spite of the very raw conditions I encountered, I remained optimistic and enthusiastic that I'd come to the right place for animals, monkeys, tropical birds, reptiles, snakes and other entities in the bush. However, I realized at the same time that much hard work lay ahead to develop the necessary infrastructure to support successful business growth in the future. I also knew it would be critical to gain the help and cooperation of all local people in and around Leticia; I could not be successful in Leticia unless I created as much good will as I could while helping as many people as possible live better and healthier lives.
The small army clinic in Leticia had a doctor named Dr. Carro was well regarded and respected. He was also known as Dr. Sulfthiasol because he prescribed sulfadiazine for just about every condition he treated at the clinic. When a friend of mine suffered horrific injuries in a boating accident on the Amazon River in front of Leticia, it was Dr. Carro who'd treated and helped him along his miraculous recovery. However, the clinic was extremely limited in the health care it could deliver, especially to the local people. In order to get anything done, it was necessary to get approvals from the local army post commander.
The national government of Colombia, I quickly learned, had appropriated money to build a small and fully equipped hospital in Leticia. A local government committee in Leticia had been formed to oversee the project, but it turned out they were doing nothing because there wasn't enough money to execute the project. They had about fifty thousand Colombian pesos pegged for the hospital, which would barely get the project moving. I got involved and urged the committee to start with what they already had and that I would prod the national government to come up with more money as progress was made. The project started and complete financing came through at the national level. The hospital indeed was built but there was still one problem- There wasn't enough funding for equipment, beds, personnel and other materials any modern hospital would need.
I had heard that it would take at least another year to get any funding to fill in these holes. To me this seemed like a huge waste and I went into action by contacting people I knew who might be able to help. I decided to contact a good friend working at the US Navy Mission in Bogota, Captain Ray Evers. On one of my trips to Bogota I went to visit Captain Evers to discuss the situation at the Leticia hospital. He was impressed with the project and promised to pass my information and request for medical equipment, beds, medicines and so forth on to the US Navy admiral in Panama. I was pleased to learn a few weeks later that my request reached Washington, D.C. and that it had been approved. The people in Washington, DC., for whatever reason, named the project "HALO Project."
The first thing that happened was the US Navy sent a Captain Roar to Leticia from the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Upon arrival, Captain Roar toured and inspected the hospital after which he prepared a list of needs that included: one general operating room, one delivery room for expectant mothers, one laboratory, one room equipped with an autoclave and all other ancillary equipment, fifty adult beds, fifteen children's beds, two incubators, part of a military field hospital, one brand new x-ray machine with developing station and one jeep ambulance. I could barely contain my excitement as I watched and listened to Captain Roar.
The equipment arrived at Bogota's El Dorado airport via Panama in three C-46 transport planes. Once the planes were on the ground, I arranged for SATENA, a local Colombian airline which was still part of the Colombian Air Force, to load and fly the equipment down to Leticia. It was hard convincing the Colombian Air Force colonel in charge of SATENA to do this, but he soon got his marching orders and did what he was told. After we got all of the equipment unloaded and transferred to the hospital in Leticia, I realized we didn't know how to properly set up and install the materials. Again, I contacted Captain Evers to request his help to send some people from the US to help install and ensure the equipment worked properly. He ended up sending three Navy petty officers to Leticia to do this work and help train a handful of young girls who'd volunteered to become nurses. These officers also provided hands-on training to the local doctors on all of the new equipment.
One of the conditions that the local government officials in Leticia had stipulated about the hospital was that it had to be a combined civilian/military project. This was not easy for the Colombian military to accept, and I had to do a lot of negotiating with the local military bosses. The Leticia hospital committee had to agree to let the Colombian military doctors work in the hospital and guarantee so many beds for sick military personnel and their families in Leticia. Eventually they agreed and soon the original military clinic was finally closed and shuttered.
Government officials from Bogota, Captain Evers of the US Naval Attache in Bogota and representatives from the local hospital committee met in Leticia to sign the final agreement. Soon the original military clinic closed. An inaugural ceremony for the new San Rafael de Leticia hospital was held a while later in Leticia in which Colombian government, Colombian military and US Naval dignitaries attended. It was a very happy time for all as the hospital represented a major step forward for Leticia, the State of Amazonas in Colombia and the entire region.
Following the initial hospital equipment shipment to Leticia, on several occasions Captain Evers and one his assistants, Captain Ziegler, would send their plane to Leticia to deliver much needed medicines and other small equipment for the hospital. In addition, I started a small campaign in Pinellas County in Florida to solicit donations of medicines, equipment and disposable kits for the new hospital in Leticia. About every three weeks when my plane would travel to Leticia, I would load and transport about fifteen thousand pounds of donated hospital supplies.
The outpouring of help from local doctors and dentists in and around my hometown of Tarpon Springs, Florida was very touching when they learned about the project, and I will always be grateful for their generous contributions. A few of these individuals deserve special mention: Margaret Higara, a registered nurse named Jean, Dr. Joe Bolton, Dr. Lloyd Pendergrass and a great dentist by the name of Dr. Thomas Childers. All of these wonderful individuals volunteered to go to Leticia to provide free medical and dental services to the people of Leticia. When they returned to the US., they went all out to help the Leticia hospital in any way possible. I also arranged to get help from some local hospitals and other organizations in Pinellas County in Florida, and they all deserve special acknowledgment: Helen Ellis General Hospital in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey Hospital, Mease Hospital in Dunedin, Mortan Plant in Clearwater, Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Anderson's Medical Supplies in Tampa and Southern Surgical Supplies in Tampa. I also must express my ongoing gratitude to Mr. Polo and his sons for their vital assistance for the equipment they sent to the San Rafael de Leticia Hospital.
When I think back on this project, I have to conclude that overall it was an overall success. There was one hiccup that had to do with the x-ray machine. Captain Evers had ordered a brand new x-ray unit including a developing station for the Leticia Hospital. It had arrived as a separate shipment in Cartagena, Colombia along the northern Caribbean coast where the US Navy had a local office. Somehow the x-ray unit got into the hands of the Colombian Navy and they ended up keeping the new unit and shipping an older x-ray unit they'd been using.
When Captain Evers and his team came to Leticia for the inauguration ceremony???Colombian Navy officials along with the Governor of the State of Amazonas were also present???I asked him to follow me to see the x-ray machine. I could almost literally see his blood vessels expand in his temples as he was so upset with what he saw. He im- mediately stepped out and confronted the Colombian Navy officials about the old x-ray unit. Captain Evers asked them in a cool and calm voice, "what in the hell happened to the brand new x-ray unit that the US Navy shipped to Cartagena that was intended for this hospital?" The Colombian Navy people replied, "the Indians in Leticia don't need anything that modern so we kept the new one and sent the older x-ray machine we had." I almost felt I had to run for cover as Captain Evers nearly exploded.
He demanded that the new x-ray unit be shipped and installed the next day and for the Colombian Navy to keep the old x-ray unit. So, we got the brand new unit and soon the US Navy petty officers got it set up and working. I found a couple of young guys in Leticia who were interested in becoming x-ray technicians and the petty officers helped train them. I also learned that the Project Hope hospital ship had recently arrived in Cartagena and would be docked there for several weeks while providing medical treatment to the local people. I called the US Embassy in Bogota to see ifthe ambassador would let me send these two young x-ray technicians I'd hired for additional train- ing on the ship. The ambassador approved my request and I flew them out shortly after to Cartagena.
In the months that followed, I decided to set up a number of small medical clinics to serve some of the smaller neighboring communities. I took some of the equipment that had been donated to the San Rafael de Leticia Hospital to establish clinics in Puerto Narifio about 80 kilometers upstream from Leticia along the Amazon River, a second one in Tarapac?? about 170 kilometers north of Leticia along the Putumayo River and a third clinic in La Pedrera about 300 kilometers north of Leticia on the Caqueta River.
Building and starting up the San Rafael de Leticia Hospital, in retrospect, was a huge, yet highly successful, undertaking in the history of Leticia because nobody had had the wherewithal and energy to breathe life into such a project. Human lives that would have been lost without this hospital were going to be saved in the future, and overall health care and the quality of life for people of the region would greatly improve. In both real and symbolic terms, this new hospital represented real progress in the remotest area of Colombia that had gone neglected for far too long. I felt very proud to have been a key driving force in making the hospital a reality.
It's important to note that there were no charges for services for anyone when I was helping build these medical facilities. Because of how I poured my heart and soul into these projects my deepest hope was that the Leticia hos- pital project would send a clear message to all local, state and national government offcials in Colombia that any- thing was possible if they put their minds together and worked through the challenges. It was very encouraging in later years to see the Colombian government put more money into the San Rafael de Leticia Hospital in the 1980s that resulted in the addition of a pediatric section. The San Rafael de Leticia Hospital at the time, despite being a small hospital, was viewed as one of the finest hospitals in the entire nation. It helps to have a little luck thrown in as well. After all, luck is that point in the road where opportunity, preparation and hard work all intersect.
During the late 1960s, the drug trade in Colombia was starting to take off. Leticia, despite being one of the remotest locations in Colombia, was not immune to the far reaching influence of drugs including cocaine and marijuana, not to mention the vast amounts of money changing hands in the business.
When people in Leticia started talking about cocaine, I recall being one of the first ones mentioned as being involved in the business for many reasons. I was an American, a successful businessman, influential with a lot of different government offcials at the local, state and national levels and had regularly scheduled planes flying in and out of Leticia loaded with freight each way. On the surface of things, and given the tendency of many people in Leticia to gossip and create rumors, one could have logically wondered how I could have not been involved in the drug business. There was an occasional story in the Colombian press about the drug business. I was curious to know if anybody in Leticia was actually involved in cocaine traffcking, but didn't dwell or agonize over it as I had the wildlife business to tend to.
A sergeant from Barranquilla's custom's agency came to Leticia one day. I can't recall his name all these years later so let's just call him Joe. Anyway, I got to know Joe pretty well during my three years in Barranquilla setting up our compound there. I greeted him as he got off the plane, and invited him to my home for lunch. It turned out he had been recently transferred from Barranquilla to Leticia, and he told me he was worried about living in the customs house in Leticia as he feared it was in very poor condition. Indeed, it was. I told Joe he would be welcome to live in one of my guide houses nearby.
I had bought two houses in Leticia to provide lodging for co-op students[2] from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio who came to work for me as part of their studies. The co-op students would typically stay in Leticia for four to six months before returning to the US. I also told Joe that he could have his meals at the Parador Ticuna Hotel until he got himself settled in Leticia.
The sergeant ended up staying at the guide house and eating at the hotel until he was transferred again six months later. Once he left Leticia, I found out the reason for his transfer was to protect him as he'd made the very first discovery of cocaine in Leticia, resulting in many threats made on his life.
One day an article appeared in one of Colombia's daily newspapers that strongly suggested I was involved in the drug trade in Leticia. I talked about this with customs sergeant Joe and told him I was interested to know if there was any drug business going on in and around Leticia. He told me he would let me know as soon as possible if he came across any drug activity in the area.
Several months later a truck loaded with sun dried fish came to the Leticia airport to drop off about sixty bags of the fish. Each of the bags weighed about 130 lbs. The workers unloaded the bags from the truck and carried them to a loading dock in preparation to be flown to Bogot??. Customs sergeant Joe was on duty that day and had full view of the loading docks at the airport through a glass window. At the time I was the Leticia agent for Avianca, Aerotal, Satena, ASA and Aero Pesca and had a staff manning each of the counters inside the small airport terminal. I had not yet gone to the airport as I was still at my offce in the Leticia compound finishing the paperwork for the inbound and outbound flights that day.
The sergeant peered through the window as the men carried the bags off the truck under a very hot tropical sun, watching them carefully place the bags on the loading dock in preparation to be shipped to Bogot??. He noticed four bags sitting separately from the rest while another customs agent stood close by as if he were guarding the four bags. He stepped outside to take a closer look and asked which customs agent was supervising the bags of sun dried fish, and, specifically, why the four bags were sitting separately on the dock. The customs agent in charge of this delivery quickly appeared and told Joe that everything was fine and that he'd personally watched while all of the fish being packed at the warehouse in Leticia, and had accompanied the truck to the airport that day.
Sergeant Joe, however, was highly skeptical and instructed the agent, who by then was very nervous, to load the four bags in the customs jeep so he could transport them personally to the customs house in Leticia for further in- spection. Joe was alert enough to remember to bring the sun dried fish shipment's bill of laden with him. Mr. Plifio Reina, the head of customs in Leticia, had grown up in the llanos region of southeastern Colombia near the Venezuelan frontier. He was less than six feet tall and had a medium build with a noticeable paunch. You could not have found a nice and more decent man in Leticia than Plifio, who was highly respected and well regarded by all in Leticia. One thing was for sure about Plifio: one was well-advised to never cross him as he would come crash- ing down hard on anybody trying to fool him. His bullshit filters were constantly on full alert.
Getting to the center of Leticia from the airport was about a five minute drive in those days. Customs sergeant Joe arrived at the customs house and went in and discussed the four bags he had in the jeep with Plifio. As is standard operating procedure, Joe showed Plifio the bill of laden, which had Leticia's ex-mayor's signature amxed to it. Plifio paused for a moment, then picked up the phone and called me at my offce.
"Is Jorge with you, Mike?" asked Plifio. I replied, "Yes he is as a matter of fact." "Mike, if you can, please come to my offce immediately as I need to talk to you," Plifio urged. "What do you need?" I asked. Hearing the urgency in Plifio's voice I made a point not to mention his name in the presence of Jorge, who was the previous mayor of Leticia. I told Plifio I'd be right over.
After I hung up the phone, Jorge and I went into my house that was next to my office. I told Jorge I needed to go up the street for a while. Jorge, not knowing I'd just spoken with Plifio, said "you are a very good friend of Plifio. Please find out how much money Plifio wants to make the cocaine problem go away." As this was the first time I'd heard of cocaine in Leticia, I told Jorge to go wait in my omce until I came back from Plifio's office. I did not tell Jorge where I was going.
When I arrived at Plifio's offce a few minutes later, I honked the horn of my truck and Plifio came out. He leaned against my window and I told him that the man he wanted was sitting in my office. Plifio immediately sent four of his agents, armed and loaded, to my offce to arrest Jorge. My father-in-law at the time was in his offce that was adjacent to mine in my home. I immediately turned around and drove back to my home with the four customs agents already ahead of me.
I parked my truck and went into my home and proceeded to my office to find Jorge pacing nervously back and forth. I had installed a security camera in my father-in-law's offce and I could see any activity in his offce from a monitor sitting in my offce. I saw the four customs agents trying to enter my offce from my father-in-law's offce on the monitor. I pressed the door opener and in they came without drawing their weapons, grabbed Jorge, and took him back to the customs offce.
I don't recall exactly how much cocaine was in the four bags being held at the customs office, but it was around fifty lbs if memory serves me correctly. Later, a man I'd never met approached me, asking if I would be willing to talk to the head of customs, Plifio in this case, and have the cocaine changed to something else before the local judge personally inspected the evidence. This man offered 200,000 Colombian pesos as a bribe to me and Plifio.
As I sensed the man didn't have that kind of money, I asked him who would pay it and he said it would be the D.P.R. As I didn't know this guy or D.P.R., I was extremely careful what I said as I knew this situation could become very dangerous. The man claimed the cocaine was neither his nor the D. P.R.'s but that he could put up the money to make the problem go away. I told him I would not try to bribe the customs house or anybody. It's not clear if this man approached Plifio or anybody else at the customs house.
Jorge was sentenced to several years in prison in Bogot?? for cocaine smuggling. It turned out later that Jorge had had a partner who escaped from Leticia but was caught and arrested in Bogot?? several months later. The customs agent who was responsible for the sun dried fish shipment at the Leticia airport was fired. Customs sergeant Joe departed Leticia within two weeks of this incident. I later was told that the organization responsible for the cocaine in Leticia was, in fact, the D.P.R. organization. D.P.R. remained in Leticia following Jorge's arrest and sentencing.
While this incident certainly helped silence any further criticisms and rumors about my being involved in the drug trade in Leticia, at least we knew who was involved, namely the D.P.R. organization. It was discomforting wondering how much worse the drug trade would get as I had my business, friends and family all in Leticia. I had invested so much time and energy in Leticia and this development presented a real threat. Sadly, this would not be the last incident of cocaine trafficking in Leticia or the surrounding area. The storm was just starting to gathering.
On another occasion, about twenty tourists from Germany were visiting Leticia and wanted to take a tour up- stream to see Monkey Island along with side trips to visit the Yagua Indian tribe nearby and later a Ticuna Indian village in Arara. During the boat trip to Arara, the German tourists saw a commotion unfolding on a boat tied to the bank of the Amazon River. Some say there were actually two boats. Several packages of cocaine were in one of the boats, which was originally from Peru. The other boat had a couple of policemen and one judge from Leticia. It looked like the police and the judge were in the process of confiscating the drugs and trying to arrest the boat- man and his crew. Somehow the boatman and crew escaped, or so claimed the judge, who ordered the cocaine to be dumped into the river the following day. The judge actually had some other material dumped into the river, hoping this would distract others from knowing he'd held on to the confiscated cocaine.
Strangely, a few weeks later, the judge, in an amazing career transition, retired from his exalted position in Leticia only to become a dried fish dealer in the city of Medellin, the capital of the state of Antioquia in Colombia. I never knew if he was really dealing fish or if he had become a cocaine traffcker.
The German tourists, who had already departed from Leticia, evidently had taken many photos during their excursion. One day the former judge, by this time a dried fish dealer, appeared at my office and demanded that I get the German tourists to turn over their camera film. I told him they'd already left Leticia and there was nothing I could do. The former judge then demanded that I ask the German tourist agency to contact all ofthe tourists and have them send their pictures and negatives sent to Leticia. I politely declined and told the judge he was free to write the German tourist agency himself. I never saw the former judge again. Chapter 20 In another drug incident, a man in Leticia approached me one day and asked if I would be interested to transport cocaine on my DC-6 transport that was flying in and out every three weeks with wildlife bound for the US and supplies coming back to Leticia. I'm not sure who he was with but he offered the following for my help: $500,000.00 US as a bond if the DC-6 were confiscated $1 Million US prepayment in cash before each flight every three weeks The flight crew would be taken care of properly Neither me nor my men would have to load the cocaine on the plane in Leticia One man from the cocaine dealer's organization in Leticia would go on the flight to the US and dump the sacks containing the cocaine packages over the Everglades.
Everybody in Leticia knew I was shipping animals, tropical fish, birds and reptiles to the US every three weeks like clock-work. Having over one hundred employees on the payroll at the time in Leticia, I was the largest employer in town. Being this visible in a small town of about 5,OOO people, was it worth seeing everything I'd built destroyed over nearly two decades for more money? Heck no!
Besides, one of my largest customers was the pharmaceutical company, Merck. There was absolutely no margin for error with Merck as they scheduled their aircraft's arrival at the St. Petersburg/clearwater airport to coincide with our DC-6 arrival from Curacao in order to get their white lip marmosets back to New Jersey as quickly and safely as possible. In every flight, if I didn't accompany the wildlife myself, I would send Max Oldenburg or Ole- gario Martinez. When I explained my concerns to this man making the drug business offer in an attempt to dissuade him, he said he and his people would accept not having me or any of my people ride with the animals bound for the US so none of us would be arrested if anything went wrong. However, this meant I would have to train one of the drug group's guys to take care of the wildlife during the long flight from Leticia to Florida.
No doubt, I could have made a lot ofmoney if I had accepted the man's offer, but I wanted no part ofthe drug trade. NONE! I had come this far with a legitimate and successful wildlife export business and was making good money. Why do something stupid and lose everything including putting my family and close relatives in real danger, not to mention my sense of self-respect and the respect of my family members, relatives, colleagues, employees and friends? I would be lost forever, I said to myself.
During the Kennedy administration in the early 1960s, increasing numbers of young Americans started appear- ing in Leticia. "Where were they coming from?" I asked myself. In 1965 1 became the US Consular Agent for the US State Department and during this time I helped literally hundreds of these young people, allowing them to stay temporarily in the fish depot I'd built at the Leticia compound for our growing tropical fish business. I also pro- vided free meals and drinks to many of these young travelers.
On any given day, there might have been eight to ten of these young travelers sleeping at the fish depot. On other nights, there may have been upwards of eighteen to twenty. Many of the travelers were members of the Peace Corps, an international anti-poverty program that President John F. Kennedy started. The Peace Corps volunteers would come to Leticia for a break or vacation, stay a few days in Leticia and then continue on to Brazil or Peru. Many of the young male Peace Corps volunteers sported beards, which made me cringe at times while imagming how hot, itchy and uncomfortable it must have been under all that bushy facial hair; I never had a beard, always preferring to shave every day to stay clean, neat and cool in the heat and humidity.
A good number of the young travelers arrived in Leticia from as far away as British Guyana. And many of them had little or no money. I found myself waking up at 5:00 each morning only to find a bunch of these kids lined up at my back door for coffee, bread, jam and butter. I had to roust everybody up and get the out of the fish depot by 7:00 a.m. when the employees working with the tropical fish would arrive for work.
Over time I was finding that being the US consular agent in Leticia was costing me more money than what the US State Department was paying me to fulfill this role. More importantly it was detracting from my main animal export business as I had to spend considerable time talking to these young American travelers on one hand, and helping others who wanted to immigrate to the US on the other hand. It's why I ultimately left the position in 1969.
While I was the US consular agent in Leticia, however, I started becoming more aware of the huge drug problems in the US, especially where cocaine and dangerous drugs were concerned. Colombia had developed a terrible repu- tation for being one ofthe most violent and dangerous countries in the world because of cocaine and marijuana.
In 19601 decided to expand into the tourism industry in Leticia. In the early years after arriving in Leticia in August, 195 3 , I started receiving some publicity which naturally piqued some people's curiosity and sense of ad- venture. The first people who started trickling into Leticia from abroad to test the waters as tourists, so to speak, would ride along on the boats I used to haul animals and other wildlife I bought from local natives and Indians. Most of the tourists would tell my boatmen they wanted to stop along the way to visit with the natives and Indians.
Sometimes they would notice a creek feeding into the Amazon River and ask the boatmen to deviate and explore the creeks so they could take photos. Over time the tourists started causing delays in getting the wildlife to the compound, which cost the animal business time and money. All of my boats at the time were running up and down the Amazon River day and most every night. What was the best way to handle the growing influx of tourists?
I decided to diversify into the tourism business because I could see that Leticia would soon attract increasing numbers of people wanting to experience the Amazon River and surrounding rain forest. However, that meant getting extra boats dedicated to tourism so the tourists wouldn't interfere with the animal business. With that I started up a whole new line of business and charged tourists $ 150 US per day that included lodging, three meals and one tour per day.
The federal government of Colombia and I negotiated so I could get the Victoria Regia, then Leticia's only hotel. It had twelve small rooms, each furnished with two single beds, a night stand between the beds, and one small bath- room with shower and toilet. Though it was very basic, the Victoria Regia was clean, comfortable and safe. The hotel also had a restaurant that could handle up to eighty people or so. For years, the government had hosted many parties at the Victoria Regia.
One time the director of Colombia's Tourist Board visited Leticia. I took him all over the area and he acted and spoke with contagious enthusiasm about the future prospects for tourism in Leticia. During one evening at din- ner, he told me, "Mike, you ought to set up a nice hotel as well as cabins throughout the area for the tourists who will surely come! I can help get financing from the Tourist Board in Bogot??. Just go ahead and get started and we will definitely help you." That marked the beginning of the Parador Ticuna Hotel in Leticia.
I was able to get two hundred sacks of cement that were left over from a government job in town. Soon several of my men departed Leticia, traveled up the Javary River and returned with several loads of white sand from the river banks. We broke ground with a few men whose job was hunting until then. You might be wondering who was designing the hotel and what it would look like on completion. I didn't have any money to hire an architect. So I designed the hotel myself using several match boxes and lining them up at an angle to form a V shape. My idea was to design a complex of twelve cabin-like rooms, each facing one another, and all facing the mighty Amazon River at an angle. The men working with me on the project appeared to understand how things were supposed to go (the operative word being "appeared").
We started breaking ground for the hotel in Leticia and soon I had to fly to Bogota for a week. When I returned I found the men had poured all of the footings but mistakenly squared them off. Some got pretty huffy and upset when I reminded them that I'd wanted the footings to be at an angle. We tore everything out and started over again, this time with me paying very close attention so things would go more smoothly. I actually ended up building six large apartments on one side and seven smaller ones on the other. Separating both rows of apartments was a large and lovely swimming pool equipped with a complete filtration and purification system. Later on we added six more apartments, three on each side, making a total of nineteen apartment rooms for the Parador Ticuna. This project was a huge milestone for Leticia.
On July 4, 1960 we celebrated the grand opening of the Parador Ticuna Hotel with a huge party for the entire town of Leticia. We sent out 300 invitations and 600 people came. The whole town shut down that day and came to the hotel to eat, drink and schmooze. The party went on until the wee hours of the next morning. I decided at 1 :OO a.m. to deliver a speech I'd crafted. Thinking I was going to be thrown into the pool after the speech, I made sure to empty out my pockets. Once I finished my speech, everybody cheered and applauded but nobody tried to throw me in the pool.
About twenty minutes after my speech, the crowd got pretty rowdy and before you could blink an eye everybody was jumping into the pool, clothes and all. Whoever didn't jump in got thrown in. I grabbed Cecilia, my wife, and we disappeared into one of the apartments. Another "escapee" was the Brazilian consul, Oseas Martin de Souza. The last thing I remember was seeing a normally very dignified and stiff Oseas holding on to a pole for dear life as a bunch of drunken people lifted him up and heaved him into the pool while he breathlessly read them all the riot act. Hotel waiters and waitresses, all of the hotel staff, joined the party and jumped in. When the morning sun appeared, it was eerily quiet and peaceful. Everybody had stumbled and staggered back to their homes to sleep off the booze and hard partying from the night before. The bottom of the pool was littered with everything you could imagine???rings, combs, glasses, handkerchiefs, trays, bottles, glasses, etc. Ever since that party???and Colombians and Brazilians really know how to party??? the Parador Ticuna has been the center of attraction of Leticia and the surrounding area. Apart from the old and run down Victoria Regia, the Parador Ticuna became known as the only real hotel in Leticia for years and served as the preferred site for government parties and meetings.
The irony of all of this was that I never received one red peso from the Colombian Tourist Board despite their empty promises of funding. I concluded that the board talked a good game but when it came time to put up any money, invariably, they would run for the tall grass.
Amidst building up the tourism in Leticia, I also started a camp along the Rio El Cotuhe where the settlement of Tarapaca is located nearby. This is about 120 kilometers from Leticia in the middle of the jungle where the Rio El Cotuhe empties into the Rio Putumayo, a major tributary of the Amazon River. I took a crew of seven men and instructed them on what to clear away. It was important to find the straightest stretch of river so my brother, George, could safely land and take off in his plane. Trees were cut fifty feet going into the jungle away from the river's bank. We also cut one thousand five hundred feet along the river bank to indicate to George where to land and take off. It turned into a beautiful campsite for tourists, surrounded by pristine, untouched jungle and full of wildlife.
George flew to and from the campsite to see how easy or diffcult the trip would be. He could land on the river fully loaded but could only depart with one passenger because the stretch of river was not long enough. So, if I had something for George to take back to Leticia, I would have to first send it by boat to Tarapac?? where the Rio Cotuhe empties into the Rio Putumayo. There was plenty of waterway space for George to safely take off and fly on to Leti- Cia. While this was a bit of nuisance, it kept George safe.
I started advertising the camp as a place for tourists and hunters to observe and hunt, respectively. During the three years I operated this camp only five people from Italy came to hunt. It turned out to be a money losing ven- ture and I became disheartened.
Later, a woman named Julie Allen Field arrived in Leticia. Julie, it turned out, was looking for a place located deep in the jungle for tourists to visit and stay. When she heard about my camp on Rio El Cotuhe, she became very enthusiastic. Frustrated with the upkeep, I decided to hand the camp over to her free of charge. For several years, Julie tried to operate the camp, keeping a guy on location to maintain the property and keep squatters from en- croaching. She did not live at the camp but made several trips. Eventually, she also gave up on the camp because of the diffculties in attracting enough tourists to turn a decent profit.
When I approached the Colombian Tourist Board for funding and other assistance to turn the Rio Cotuhe Camp into a signature Amazon tourist attraction, my requests received a lot of friendly smiles, but the promises they made turned out to be empty.
My next venture was on Monkey Island (Isla de los Micos) about an hour's boat ride upstream from Leticia along the Amazon River. I built an upscale lodge on the island to provide tourists from all over the world the chance to experience the jungle and all of its wildlife. I had hoped to receive some financial support from the Colombian Tourist Board but ended up funding the project myself. The lodge was equipped with sixteen guest rooms includ- ing hot and cold running water, a large kitchen and common dining area. I kept a full-time staff on the island. The lodge turned out to be a good investment as we developed a back-log of tourists wanted to visit and stay on the island. Eventually, a group from the Colombian Tourist Board came to Leticia to talk about expanding the Hotel Parador Ticuna. The board's director said they had money to invest. So, I decided to hire an architect by the name of Victor Zambrano.
I met with Victor and told him everything I wanted which included a complete change of the front entrance and construction of a second story to double the hotel's capacity. After Victor completed his first set of architectural renderings, I made the first of several personal trips to Bogot?? to meet with the Colombian Tourist Board's archi- tect. The board's architect was a young lady in her late twenties. As she studied Victor's diagrams and drawings, she drew her red pencil out and the proceeded to mark and circle items she either didn't like or wouldn't approve. I took notes while she worked. She finished in a matter of minutes and then handed everything back to me without much of an explanation. I flew back to Leticia to return the marked up renderings to Victor. After a few days he gave me a new set of renderings that included all of the new changes. Once again, I flew to Bogot?? with the hope of having everything approved by the tourist board to move the project forward. I even organized a cocktail party at the Hotel Intercontinental in Bogot?? for the tourist board.
The cocktail party had been lively and everybody thoroughly enjoyed it. Feeling refreshed and upbeat, the follow- ing day I went to the tourist board's offce in Bogot?? where I presented the plans with changes made by the board's architect. Again, she took out her red pencil and quickly marked up the drawings Victor had prepared as if Victor had not made the changes she had requested. Frankly speaking, by then, I started to lose my patience with this young architect. "Have you ever been to Leticia?" I asked her. She replied, "No." I next asked, "Have you ever oper- ated a hotel?" Again, she replied, "No." I wanted her to explain where she got her ideas about hotel design from, but unfortunately she became defensive and coldly dismissed me once she was done.
I showed the marked up drawings again to Victor and he went ahead and incorporated the changes. I made a third and final visit to the Colombian Tourist Board to seek approval ofthe plans. The guy in charge of accounting at the board pulled me aside and told me, "Mike doesn't give these guys around here any more cocktail parties. There is no money in the budget. All the money for this year has been designated for Cartagena. The architect has instruc- tions to play games with you." Once I heard this, I turned and left the place on the spot.
Later, I would receive an occasional call from the tourist board asking me about the hotel expansion plans. I politely told them I was no longer interested in their support and thanked them for their past efforts. At one point I met the tourist board's director at a meeting in Cali where he introduced me to Colombia's president. The director introduced me to the president as "the man who doesn't accept money from us. He has too much money!" "VVhat money?" I added. "I understood the board had no money and so I decided to stop wasting my money making fruit- less trips to Bogota to meet with your people!"
There was one success story in dealing with the Colombian Tourist Board and this involved my brother, George, who built a swimming pool with his own money. Almost by miracle, the tourist board did come through with a loan to George, but only after the pool was completed. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I don't think the Colombian Tourist Board really had a good understanding of what we were trying to do to develop strong tourism in the Amazon region in and around Leticia. It was if we were orphans or relatives to be kept hid- den away in some closet. So, for all intents and purposes, I gave up trying to work with the tourist board.
George was my youngest brother and had been a high school math teacher by profession. Several years after I'd already settled in Leticia, I talked him into leaving Florida and going to Bogot?? to teach school there where he taught for a year and even opened up a small bar as a side business with a local partner. Soon, though, the bar business failed; not surprisingly, George's partner disappeared with all of the money, leaving George high and dry. Unfortunately, George had to close the bar. At the end of the school year, George's contract was not renewed and so he was left with nothing to do and making plans to return to the US. I told George to come to Leticia where I could put him to work. For years George had wanted to fly airplanes, but our mother was totally against it. George already had about two hours of flying experience in and around Clear- water, Florida. After a few years of being in Leticia, George was seriously thinking about returning to the US for good when I came across a Cessna 172 in Bogot??. The plane was an amphibious model that could be outfitted with pontoons for water takeoffs and landings.
George and I had always talked about how nice it would be to own a plane and fly all over the area around Leticia and make some money in the process. So, I went ahead and bought the plane from the local Cessna dealers in Bo- got??, Urdaneta and Galvis, paymg part in cash and then financing the balance over the following year. The general of the Colombian air force in Bogota was a good friend and assigned one of his pilots, Lt. Maldonado, to fly the plane to Leticia and serve as George's personal flight instructor over the next six months. Lt. Maldonado continued receiving his officer's pay from the Colombian air force and George threw in an additional ten thousand Colombian pesos a month. George was tickled pink and I couldn't have been happier! Having an airplane with my kid brother as pilot would be a huge benefit to my animal and tourist business, not to mention other people in Leticia and the area as a whole.
I told George to talk to Monseior Marceliano E. Canyes as he needed to airlift supplies and people to various churches and schools near the Amazon River, El Cotuhe River and Putumayo River. Being able to get to these re- motes locations quickly by air would be a huge burden off Monseior Canyes' shoulders. After several discussions, George and Monseior Canyes agreed on a fifty-fifty partnership. I stayed out of this deal altogether as I was happy just knowing George would be staying in Leticia, at least for time being.
Lt. Maldonado, unfortunately, did not work out and we had to send him back to Bogot?????George essentially taught himself how to fly the Cessna 172 over the next few months, taking off and landing in the Amazon River in front of Leticia. Finally the day arrived when George successfully took off and landed the airplane at the Leticia airport. I don't know if George ever got an instrument rating to fly an airplane during low visibility conditions, but his fly- ing skills at that time were more than enough.
Soon, George formed a new company called Aero Transporte del Amazonas (ATA) with headquarters in Leticia. He bought a used Cessna 185 with a 300 horsepower engine fitted with brand new straight floats made by IDO. As expected, George got very busy flying his planes all over the place wherever needed. Over the years he bought a brand new Cessna 185 on floats. The remarkable thing is that George became skilled enough to safely fly both Cessna 185's solo from the US to Leticia, one with floats installed in the US and the other with floats installed once George landed in Leticia.
George opened a nice offce in Leticia and soon expanded his business to include a new hotel called Hotel Colonial. It had eighteen rooms with double occupancy and included a very nice restaurant and bar. Things could not have been better for George. I was so happy and proud to see him succeed. He was doing so well that he was able to buy out Monsefior Canyes' shares in the business partnership.
As in life, nothing lasts forever. Soon, we noticed other people in Leticia bringing in Cessnas equipped with floats. These individuals did not have offcial companies, and, as I understood, it was 0k for them to have the planes for private use. But we soon learned these individuals were providing free flights to the police, hospital, military, churches and government. Clearly, the planes were owned by people who were involved in the growing drug trade in and around Leticia; they were providing the free flight service to local authorities in exchange to be left alone in their drug business.
I saw the writing on the wall and advised George to sell ATA as soon as practical. Since George had maintained excellent records of his business, he would not have any problems selling ATA. At first George resisted the idea of selling his company. After all, it was his baby. Fortunately, a buyer appeared and George unloaded ATA. The buyer made a down payment with the remainder to be paid in installments. George was going to depart for the US the following day.
The day is forever etched in memory???September 21, 1981. On the morning George was to leave for the US, a mechanic who had overhauled the Cessna 185 told George he would inspect the plane and then turn it over to the government. The plane was docked on the Amazon River down the road from my offce. Both George and the mechanic got into the plane to take it up for a test flight. After taxing the plane out into the river, George pushed the accelerator lever and then noticed something wrong as the plane was about to lift off the river. George yelled at the mechanic to jump for his life while he tried to slow the plane down. The Cessna flipped in the middle of the river and George was knocked unconscious. A boat was sent out to try to rescue my brother. Neither the mechanic nor anybody in the boat had a knife???or so it seemed???to cut George's safety belt and free him in time. Tragically, George drowned to death. It turned out the mechanic did, in fact, have a knife in his pocket but was so scared he couldn't think straight. Nobody thought to even try to administer CPR during the thirty minutes George's body was kept at the port of Leticia while waiting for an ambulance. Dr. Silva did all he could to revive George at the local hospital but to no avail. George's body was embalmed and sent to Tampa, Florida on a special flight. His heart was left behind and placed in a tomb in the wall of the local church in Leticia.
As I reflect on my youngest brother, it makes me smile to remember how much everybody in Leticia loved George except those in the drug business. George steadfastly refused to get involved in the drug business in spite of many opportunities and temptations to do so. He was completely honest and reliable in his dealings with everybody. His deeds were always aligned with his words. George abhorred the drug trade and those involved in it as he knew nothing good could come of it.
George never married or had his own family. No doubt, being handsome and charming, he was a true ladies man. George had no problem attracting many girlfriends in his life, the longest relationship lasting well over thirty years. I know he would have been a great husband and father. I am forever grateful for the good times George and I shared in Leticia. Despite the many problems I had getting George's estate settled, and there are still a few items left to resolve, I know that Leticia became a better place be- cause of who George was and the huge footprint he left behind there.
The Colombian government imposed a ban on exporting wildlife in 1975. Until then the ban had been imposed and lifted three times. I had not taken it seriously as the government was flip-flopping on the issue constantly, it seemed.
On the third ban, I continued to buy wildlife, and during the next ten months I traveled frequently to Bogot?? to meet with various congress people about the ban and its impact on my business. Needless to say, these discussions resulted in shutting down my export business. Throughout this period I kept all of my employees on the payroll. There were about 125 in all working in the animal compound, fish compound, and hotel and tourist operations. By the end of ten months, I had to reduce my employee count by about thirty percent. Despite painful and mount- ing financial losses caused by the export ban, I was pushing tourism as if there were no tomorrow. I tried to keep as many of my men working as possible.
In 1976, my DC-6 airplane crashed in Santa Marta, Colombia. The day after the crash I flew to Bogot?? and then on to Barranquilla. Simon Daza G., who had been working for me and was in charge of the Barranquilla compound since 1954, met me at the airport in Barranquilla together with my attorney, Jeremiah Flores, who had been intro- duced to me through the US Consular Service in Barranquilla some time ago. Flores and I had become good friends over time (at least I thought at the time he was a good friend), and he immediately started advising I might have legal problems since the entire crew perished in the crash. The families of the crew members would most likely target me for liability and other damages, according to Flores, and he strongly advised me to sign over everything I owned in Barranquilla to Simon Daza G. as a protective measure. Well, as the saying goes, shit happens, and some- times in a very big way.
All ofthe work I'd done to build and operate the Barranquilla compound from 1950 to 1975 soon went down the drain after I followed Flores' advice and signed over my property to Simon, who ever since has steadfastly refused to return any of it. The families of the perished flight crew never made any claims against me. It was a huge mis- take on my part to sign my Barranquilla property over to Simon. Flores and another attorney in Bogot?? have been useless in helping me recover my property from Simon. I also lost three DC-6 engines and countless spare parts to Simon as he claimed later that I owed him warehouse space that I had promised him. Until the DC-6 crash, I had always had good relations with Simon and Flores. When things are going well, everybody is seen as upstanding, honest and reliable. It's when things are going badly that people's true character reveals itself. Clearly the US Consular Service in Barranquilla had not done its due diligence on Flores; otherwise they would have never recommended him to me.
One Friday night around 10:00 p.m. I was walking into the lobby of Hotel Dann in Bogot?? with my bookkeeper, Carlos Hinestroza, when we were approached by five agents of Colombia's Departamento Administrativo de Seg- uridad, or DAS, which is similar to the FBI in the US except that DAS agents also handle immigration problems. Carlos and I had been attending a meeting held at the local Copper Museum in Bogot?? where we listened to Colom- bia's president discuss tourism.
The agents abruptly grabbed me by the arm and started escorting me quickly outside to a waiting car. Momentar- ily stunned at what was going on, Carlos started yelling and making a huge fuss in the lobby while the hotel desk staff could only watch with eyes wide open and mouths agape. The agents next grabbed Carlos and threw him into the car next to me. The driver and his partner sitting in front sped off. Sitting in the back seat, Carlos and I were both very nervous and speechless as we had no idea what was going on.
After several minutes the car pulled in front of a large gray building. Carlos and I were quickly taken inside and then led down a long hallway where we were put in very narrow individual cells equipped with a single light bulb hanging overhead, a metal fold out bed without blanket, toilet with a roll of tissue paper and no wash basin. The cell was a solid concrete wall on three sides including the ceiling. The door was solid steel except for a peep hole about six by eight inches. The light bulb shined continuously to make it hard to distinguish between day and night, or to know what time it was. I thought I could sleep anywhere, anytime but not in this place. It helped that I had been a regular and well-known guest at the Hotel Dann for many years as the receptionist, who witnessed the entire scene in the lobby, called my assistant, Yolanda Pena, who later came to the jail house to de- liver two mattresses, one for Carlos and the other for me.
"What in the hell are we in for?" I asked myself. My mind was racing wildly out of control. I breathed deeply to try to relax and calm my mind.
Since it was Friday night in Bogot??, I figured we would be held up until Monday morning. Fortunately, Yolanda was able to deliver meals the Hotel Dann had prepared for me and Carlos since the jail didn't provide any food to the inmates.
"What a goddamn shithole to be in!" I thought to myself. I didn't see exactly where the DAS agents put Carlos and I couldn't hear him or anybody all that first night. My nerves were fraying and it took every ounce of control to keep from yelling, cussing and swearing at the top of my lungs.
The guards took my shoe laces, belt and money. Somehow they overlooked twenty coins I had in one of my pockets. I decided to play a game to keep from going crazy. Sitting on the metal toilet, I would try to throw the coins into the center hole of the toilet paper roll while thinking about Cecilia, my wife, my kids and myself. Early Monday morning a guard appeared, unlocked my cell and took me out to the front where a car awaited to take me back to the Hotel Dann. I hadn't brushed my teeth or shaved the past few days, and probably smelled to high heaven. All I wanted to do was get cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes.
When we arrived at the Hotel Dann, I was escorted to the room I had been staying in. The room door was locked and sealed with a paper. Somebody unlocked the door and when I entered I counted six DAS agents, two female lawyers working for the DAS, a photographer, a judge and his secretary. The photographer was having a field day snapping pictures of me, the inside of my hotel room and the door that had been sealed off. It looked like the judge had set up an impromptu kangaroo court in the room, and the proceedings soon began in Spanish The judge unceremoniously opened the session with a list of charges against me as follows: ??? Doing away with all animals in the Amazon jungle Destruction of the rain forest Killing animals for their skins Being involved in the cocaine business
When the judge gave me a chance to speak, I calmly explained that I worked fifty miles either upstream or down- stream from Leticia, and only the local Indian tribes and natives actually hunted for local wildlife, and when they did so it was only behind their homes in the jungle. The judge sat passively and expressionless as I explained that the monkeys I bought from the Indians and natives helped the people because the monkeys were stealing corn, papaya, bananas and other fruits. So basically I was eliminating a real nuisance from the lives of the Indians and local natives. The judge nodded as if to indicate he understood what I was doing to help the Indians and natives, and that it wasn't me or my workers who were carelessly killing wildlife just for the fun of it. I spent several minutes explaining that it did not make sense to destroy valuable and precious habitat in the rainforest. We did not cut down any trees or foliage. At the time nobody was stampeding into the rainforest to homestead or establish local colonies. Local Indians and natives merely cut down enough trees near the banks of rivers and streams to build their homes and plant bananas, papaya trees, corn plants, yucca and other fruits trees and bushes. The local Indians and natives had little or no impact on the surrounding rainforest. As for killing animals for their skins, I explained that we captured mostly squirrel monkeys that are used in re- search laboratories to develop new drugs that would hopefully save more lives in the future. I categorically denied being involved in killing animals only for their skins. The judge seemed satisfied with my answers on this charge. Finally, I emphatically stated that in no way was I involved in the cocaine business even though everybody in Colombia knew it was growing out of control. I noticed several DAS agents going through my belongings and checking everything in the room including curtains, the bed mattress and the back of the TV. They didn't find any drugs whatsoever.
After about four hours of this, I was taken back to the jail. Soon I was taken to the offce of the attorney handling inmates. I sat there for a long time. Suddenly, some people entered the offce and told me the judge believed what I told him and that I was free to go. When I asked why I had been detained, they told me that on Friday, the day I was taken to the jail, I had received a phone call from a man the DAS had been following for several days. The DAS knew the man had called me to ask if I would deliver a letter to his wife in Leticia and that I had agreed to do this. The DAS, it turned out, was arresting everybody who had been in recent contact with this suspect. In total, the DAS had arrested and jailed fifteen people over the past several days. I was freed after being held for seventy-one and a half hours just before hitting the time limit when the US Embassy would become involved.B.] The next day I hired an attorney to go with me to the jail to get a letter stating that I spent seventy-one and a half hours in jail and they said there was no record I had spent any time in jail.
By the end of 19 79, the world as I knew it was coming to an end. The Colombian government ban on exporting animals in 19 75 had taken a serious toll on me financially, and the tourism business was not bringing in enough money to keep me and my employees afloat. I closed down the Leticia compound and with that Trudie Jerkins went ahead and closed the Tarpon Zoo, sold what she could and gave away whatever wildlife remained in the zoo.
The realization that it was time to move on was painful, but there was not much else I could do. I had lived longer in Leticia than any other place in my life, and while the realization that it was time to uproot and move on was sinking in, I knew deep down there weren't many choices at the time as I was so deep in the red financially. Cecilia, my wife of nearly twenty five years, and I decided it would be best for us to return to the US to be closer to our children and just make occasional trips to Leticia to visit relatives and friends. I decided to leave Max Olden- burg in charge of the Parador Ticuna Hotel and the tourist business, a decision that would later come back to haunt me. Max agreed to send a monthly check to Florida for me and Cecilia to live on. At the time, I was renting a house in Tarpon Springs. We had a maid who helped care for the kids while Cecilia and I were in Leticia.
I worked very hard the next two and half years to stay afloat. Even if it meant working weekends and holidays, I did what I had to do to take care of my family. My attorneys advised me to declare bankruptcy but my pride would not allow me to do so. I was determined to pay off all debts, personal and otherwise, under my own steam. If you haven't gathered by now, I've been a man of action my entire life, accustomed to waking up at 4 or 5 every morning and working until late at night, often operating on only four or five hours of sleep. It would be very hard to be in Tarpon Springs and not have something to do that would keep me energized. Exporting and importing ran deeply in my blood???this was who I was and what I did. My greatest nightmare was not being able to do what I loved to do. So I started working on a plan to develop a business to export goods to Leticia from Florida.
One day while in Tarpon Springs, I picked up the phone and called a good friend in Bogot?? who told me about sev- eral large store owners. I also called Fabio Quintero, who worked at INCOMEX in Leticia as the grantor of licenses to import and export. INCOMEX is a Colombian government agency that expedited licenses for importing and ex- porting. Fabio put me in contact with several people in Leticia and I proposed that they buy merchandise directly from me rather than from parties in Panama where there were known shipping problems. They were spending untold thousands of dollars for merchandise in Panama and delivery was often unreliable. For example, Tomas Cardenas, a store owner in Leticia, paid for a shipment of goods from Panama in advance and ended up waiting twenty-one days before the goods finally arrived. We called constantly to determine the status ofthe shipment, and the Panamanians could only tell us "tomorrow, tomorrow, etc." Tomorrow wouldn't come for 21 more days even after countless trips to the airport every morning and afternoon.
About a week later I got a telegram from Alberto Villareal, another owner of a large retail store in Leticia, asking me to send him a quote on several pieces of merchandise. Villareal was interested to know what all would actually fit inside a DC-6 aircraft. He requested that my quote include enough merchandise that would completely and safely fit inside a DC-6 along with the cost of the flight (flight crew, fuel, etc.). I dashed over to Miami to get prices for the merchandise including the cost to rent a DC-6. I wired back a total quote of $200,000 USD. Alberto wired me back accepting the quote and instructed me to meet his brother, Jorge, in Panama to receive payment.
I headed to Panama to meet Jorge and he paid me on the spot. I immediately turned around and returned to Miami to buy everything and organize the flight. Renting the DC-6 dry, I paid for the crew, fuel and airport fees. Within a couple of days, we took off on the flight route We ended up staying overnight in Cura- gao and rose early the next morning for a 5:00 am departure to Leticia. We would normally try to reach Leticia sometime before noon as the flight is roughly five hours. Depending on the time of year, stormy weather can ap- pear suddenly during the afternoons in Leticia, making landings and take-offs nearly impossible.
Once we landed in Leticia, we off-loaded the cargo at the customs warehouse. I took care of some personal busi- ness in Leticia and later that night I went to visit Alberto Villareal. He was very happy with the shipment and paid me $ 10, 000 USD for my time and trouble. He also gave me an additional $200,000 USD for a new shipment. I re- peated the same procedure and had another shipment sent to Leticia just before Christmas, 19 79. In January, 1980 I made two more shipments to Alberto. Things were going well and I felt like I had been granted a new lease on life. While all this was going on Tomas Cardenas decided to let me do his buying. Tomas was different: he brought his own money most of the time and he usually picked out his own merchandise. He knew exactly what he was looking for and bought in large quantities. He was a good guy to travel with, especially since he paid all expenses. I believe I made two shipments for Tomas' store called Primavera Import Export Ltda.
I was renting the same DC-6 at $9,000 US per trip. Normally I would pay $ 5,000 USD up front with the remainder being paid upon my return. I had done this already on several trips. On the next to last trip to Leticia, I paid $5,000 USD to the attorney in charge ofthe rental DC-6. I was able to pick up the key to the cargo door ofthe airplane. John Jackson was the captain of the airplane at the time, and together we went to the airport to crank up the engines to check them out.
Mysteriously, the plane was not there. We looked all over for it. When I called the attorney, he claimed the plane should have been at the airport. He told me not to worry as it should be there any moment. This was starting to sound and look very suspicious to me and John. We left the airport. When we returned to the airport the next day, the airplane was there but with one problem???the front of the left wing was damaged. We could see signs of clay and cactus on the wing. A mechanic was working on the wing and we asked him if we could help as we needed to the plane out immediately. He accepted our help. Fortunately, we had the plane ready and checked out in time for a 1 a.m. departure the following morning. I was already think- ing I should stop renting this plane and look for another one. My instincts told me the owners of the DC-6 were using the airplane to haul marijuana from Guajira, Colombia to Florida whenever I wasn't renting it. I decided this would be the last time I would rent this DC-6.
John and I spent a lot of time trying to find another DC-6 we could rent on a dry basis, but we weren't having much success. A couple of days later, John received a call from someone with a DC-6 that needed to be delivered to San Jose, Costa Rica. As I could overhear the conversation, I motioned to John to let me talk to the guy. I negotiated with the guy to allow us to fly our cargo to Leticia on his DC-6 first and then we would fly it to San Jose, Costa Rica and leave it there.
The DC-6 was already at a small airport near Miami International Airport. John had a tool trailer and together we went to see the DC-6. The owners told us the plane hadn't been flown the last eighteen months and so some work would be necessary to get it ready for service. We charged the batteries, checked out the engines, fluid levels, tires, etc. It took three days to get the plane ready for take-off. Since the plane did not have a number, John put a Costa Rican number on the airplane, which seemed a bit odd at the time. John, his wife (co-pilot) and a flight engineer flew the DC-6 over to Miami International Airport. I drove and got there after they'd already landed. We did one more check of the aircraft and discovered hydraulic fluid leaking from the front nose wheel. I got my belongings organized and then we started getting the cargo loaded on the DC-6.
We took off from Miami International Airport at 1 :OO a.m. bound for Curagao. If the flight plan called for a brief layover to refuel in Curagao, it was best to touch down there as early as possible to take advantage of the cooler air and breezes. Otherwise we would have to spend overnight and depart the following morning at 6:00 a.m. We were lucky as we arrived early enough to refuel, pay landing fees, customs, etc. and get back in the air with the help of a good trade wind.
The plane was at capacity as we took off from Curagao bound for Leticia about five hours away straight south. Before taking off we had to fix the front strut by wrapping it with a rope to keep it from breaking during landings. Barring any mishaps or disasters we had enough fuel to fly to Leticia and then on to San Jos??, Costa Rica. In total we had ten hours' worth of fuel.
About a half hour out of Curagao, things started to get interesting, to put it mildly. We saw and smelled smoke coming from somewhere. The instrument panel's lights went out and we lost radio communications. Looking at me as if to ask, "VVhat's next boss?" John asked what I thought. I debated whether or not we should keep going or return to Curagao?
I asked John, "How dangerous is it to keep going?"
"As long as the engines keep running and the weather remained clear, there shouldn't be any problem," John replied.
I told John to maintain the bearing for Leticia and keep going. Once we got to Leticia, we would have the plane checked and repaired before heading off to San Jos?? to deliver the plane. Regardless of how you describe it, we seemed like a wild bunch of cowboys flying this DC-6 by the seat of our pants! Once we were about an hour and a half out of Leticia, dark clouds appeared on the horizon. Before we could count to three we started hitting turbulent air as the plane shuddered, bucked and heaved in the gusty wind and rain. The plane's radio was dead and the instrument panel was out. Would Leticia's air traffic people spot us in time? I was starting to sweat bullets. John kept a steady hand on the wheel and maintained control. We flew out over the Amazon River about thirty minutes to the west of Leticia where I recognized some signs on the ground indicating we were over Peru. I told John to veer the plane to the east and follow the Amazon down- stream as that was where Leticia was. Soon the Leticia airport and runway came into view. As we approached to land, we could see an Avianca aircraft on the runway ready for takeoff It was going to be a close one but we made two turns around Leticia and finally brought the plane in for a smooth landing. Fortunately, air traffic control had instructed Avianca to not take off until we had landed the DC-6. Otherwise there could have been a huge and tra- gic collision.
The air traffic control tower people were really upset and angry with us. They calmed down after I explained what had happened in flight. But they were pretty ruffled just the same. We got the cargo unloaded soon after landing and decided to spend an extra day in Leticia to check out the plane and make any necessary repairs. After going over the plane, John decided it would be better to fly the DC-6 without making any repairs. We advised Leticia's air traffc control the DC-6's radio and communications were out and asked if they could give us a set altitude to get us to San Jos??. The next day we took off for Costa Rica. Cecilia and my youngest son, George, had been in Leticia visiting and they accompanied me back to the US on this flight. If Cecilia had known about the condition ofthe DC-6 she would not have gone.
The shipping line that regularly passed through Leticia was a Peruvian company called NAPSA with offces in Savannah, GA; Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA; and Houston, TX. The fleet consisted ofthree ships which passed through Leticia once every ten to fifteen days. I contacted NAPSA, and after a few conversations, they assigned me to be their local agent in Leticia. When I studied NAPSA's northbound and southbound routes, Houston was the last port of call in the US before the ships headed south. It made sense to buy all of my goods in Houston to minimize spoilage and theft since my goods would be some of the last to be loaded; it would be easy to unload my stuff on arrival in Leticia. I was lucky to find a company in Houston where I could buy beer, liquor, tobacco, food, Honda motorcycles and other items.
The first shipments with NAPSA went quite smoothly and I was happy working with them. Problems, however, quickly started happening. The NAPSA ships started arriving in Houston late with little or no advance notice. They started increasing their prices with little warning. As I typically did my buying a week before the NAPSA ship was due in Houston's port, I started experiencing more spoilage and theft due to the delays of the ships. On one occasion my goods sat in Houston for almost a month before NAPSA picked them up and took them to Leticia. On yet another occasion, part of one of my shipments turned up missing only to be found several weeks later in Iqui- tos, Peru.
During the dry season, NAPSA's ships could not dock at the port of Leticia. I had to hire a barge to haul my goods to shore during these periods. And if we were too slow, the ship's captain could become very uncooperative. It was insulting when NAPSA withheld my agent's commission without plausible explanation. In order to get my commissions off the books, I was forced to ship some of my own personal belongings from the US.
I was getting fed up with NAPSNs deteriorating performance and decide to talk to one of my clients in Leticia about getting another ship. My client had a brother-in-law with a local saw mill in Benjamin Constant a few miles downstream in Brazil. The mill was producing enough lumber to make it profitable to ship to the US. I could buy enough goods in the US to fully load the ship for the return to Leticia. My client was sold on the plan. He and his family set up a family-owned company called Indaura Ltda and had it registered in George Town, the capital of Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. The main advantage of flying the Cayman Islands flag was that the nationality of the ship's crew was unrestricted. Soon afterwards, Indaura Ltda established a corporation in Panama called Hanko Trading Company that provided me with instructions and financing for the Leticia operations.
Indaura Ltda lasted about three years, and in that time we only made three shipments from the US to Leticia and only one US bound shipment of Spanish cedar wood on consignment from the saw mill in Benjamin Constant. This round trip voyage was doomed from the start because the ship was not fully loaded, either northbound or southbound. Also, we had not done a good job finding a suitable buyer in the US for the cedar wood. We were not very experienced handling rough sawed lumber and didn't know about using a kiln to dry the wood before ship- ping it. Once the load of wood arrived in the US, we couldn't sell it. I could see from all of this that I was not going to gain good traction working with Indaura or Hanko. If I was going to have any chance of success in the shipping business, I would eventually have to buy and operate my own ship. Still, with Indaura backing me I went shopping with their money for a ship and crew.
I bought the Atlantic Sky from The Southern Sky from Leo Oronati, who was a partner of Resolve Maritime Ser- vices, Inc. in Miami, Florida. When I first saw the ship in Miami, I talked to the ship's captain and crew. He gave me a tour of the vessel that was rated at one thousand pounds of cargo capacity. I'd never before seen a ship of this size from the inside. It was huge! My father had had two sponge boats that I worked on for a while as a teenager, but they were nothing compared to this gargantuan ship.
The shipped looked to be in fairly good condition. As part of my negotiating strategy I found and sent a Greek maritime engineer by the name of Emanuel Tsambarlis to Greece to look at available ships. When Emanuel informed me he'd found a ship for about $ 150,000 USD, I started making plans to travel to Greece to take a look and possibly buy it. Next, I heard that the New York broker's asking price for the Atlantic Sky was $ 500,000 USD and I decided to head to New York to talk to the broker about buying it. Keeping Emanuel on temporary hold, I con- tacted a friend who was a ship captain and asked him to go with me to look at the Atlantic Sky. My friend was also a maritime engineer who knew ships inside and out. After two days of inspections, we returned to Tarpon Springs to prepare a detailed report on the Atlantic Sky's condition.
My friend's report concluded that the Atlantic Sky was worth no more than $400,000 USD "You could offer the broker $ 350,000 and come up to $400,000, but no more than that!" my friend explained. I asked him if he could go with me to New York to meet the broker, but he had to return to work. Still, I kept his report close by and memor- ized the key points as these would come in handy when I talked to the broker in New York. I was starting to feel a little pressure: would I buy the Atlantic Sky or the boat Emanuel had found in Greece for $ 150,000 USD? The Atlantic Sky was in good operating condition and its papers were in good order. It also had a freezer rated at 300 tons of refrigeration. The Greek ship, on the other hand, was already twenty-five years old and had been sitting unused for over two years. It would have to go to dry dock for inspections and any repairs. Also, I'd have to find a crew and captain. The hidden expenses of the Greek ship could perhaps double the cost of ownership.
Armed with good information, I set out to New York City to meet the broker and work out a deal on the Atlantic Sky. I felt confident and hopeful. My daughter, Marie, and her family welcomed me to their home in New York and we had a good time. Vasilios Konstantas, my son-in-law, accompanied me to the broker's office the next morning. I expected to be at the broker's office for two or three hours, possibly more, before reaching an agreement for the Atlantic Sky. We were ushered into a meeting room with a large, long wooden table. We sat and exchanged a few pleasantries and then started talking about the ship. Then, I started off by explaining what I was looking for along with my plans for using the ship. The broker nodded his head and listened intently and jotted notes while I spoke. He said he would like to receive $500,000, which he felt was a fair price given the ship's condition and history. I flinched and then smiled. Trying not to laugh out loud, I told the broker his asking price was too high. I pulled out my notes and started going through the list of things needing attention on the ship. I also emphasized that the ship would need to be taken to dry dock to get checked out under the Norwegian Merchant Shipping Act. The broker looked at me as if I had an air of authority (it really helped that I had memorized the key points of my friend's status report.) Next, I counter-offered with $350,000, which I know caused him some indigestion as his face got a little pale. We spent the next hour or so talking and discussing any and all topics under the sun. People from the broker's office were going in and out of the meeting room. When I looked at my watch, it was nearly twelve o'clock noon. The broker suddenly told us he could reduce the price to $450,000 USD. I paused and took a deep breath and then just sat quietly for a few minutes. The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The broker was watching me intently. It was like a high stakes poker game.
I looked the broker in the eye and told him I would give him $400,000 USD and that was my very best offer. He paused and hesitated. He called in some ofhis other people and whispered to them to get some other information and advice. I knew we were close but he needed to stall and buy some time. I felt calm and steady. Timing and pa- tience were important in deals of this size. Vasilios and I went out for lunch.
By three o'clock that afternoon, I told the broker and his team that we had to go as we had another ship we were seriously considering for $ 150,000 USD I had a briefcase loaded with the cash, and said I had to go pick up my airline ticket so I could depart for Greece the next morning. When I gave them a quick peek of the cash, I knew the broker would fold. He said told me to wait and then he disappeared for a few minutes before returning to the meet- ing room. He said he could accept $400,000 USD for the Atlantic Sky. He accepted $40,000 as a down payrnent with $ 160,000 due in thirty days and the remaining $ 200,000 due in sixty days. I also insisted they dry dock the Atlantic Sky and be responsible for any and all repairs. We drew up a purchase agreement and signed it. As Vasilios and I left the broker's office I couldn't help but feel pretty light on my feet given that I knew next to nothing about ships but was still able to get the Atlantic Sky for a good price. I will always be grateful for my friend's good report on the ship's condition because without it I would have been lost and paid too much for the ship.
The year was 1982 and I bought the Atlantic Sky and paid the Resolve Maritime Services on time from the money I received from Hanko Trading Company in Panama City, Panama. The ship could carry around one thousand pounds of cargo.
The Atlantic Sky went to dry dock in Ft. Lauderdale, FL where it underwent some repairs and got checked out for overall sea fitness. The captain I'd hired, Captain Marcos, asked if we were going to change the ship's name and I said yes.
I chose 'Amazon Trader' and let Indaura's attorney in Ft. Lauderdale know about the new name, which needed to be filed with all of the other paperwork in George Town, Grand Cayman Island. In the meantime, I instructed Captain Marcos to have his crew remove the metal letters 'Atlantic Sky' and weld on the new letters for 'Amazon Trader.' Everything seemed to be going smoothly and in the right direction, or so I thought. I was interested in Fillette and Greene Shipping Company in Tampa being my broker to receive and handle all of the documents related to my shipments. When they asked more about the ship, I told them the name was 'Ama- zon Trader.' This raised their eyebrows and they told me the ship's owner owed them and many others money in the Tampa area.
I told Fillette and Greene that I'd just recently bought the ship and renamed it 'Amazon Trader.' Since another ship already had the name, 'Amazon Trader', according to Fillette and Greene, I was advised to use a different name for the ship to avoid future problems, especially in Tampa.
I returned to Tarpon Springs and called Captain Marcos to tell him I was changing the ship's name to 'Southern Sky' even though he and his crew had already created the metal letters for 'Amazon Trader' and welded them to the ship's side. Because Captain Marcos had not yet removed the letters for SKY yet, he solved the problem by leaving intact the letters for SKY and then painting over the metal letters for 'Amazon' with 'Southern.' This is how ultimately the 'Atlantic Sky' became known as the 'Southern Sky.' Later on, this paint job would come back to haunt me with the authorities in New Orleans and Brazil.
The Southern Sky received a nice face lift and was ready to sail after being in dry dock in Ft. Lauderdale for a few weeks. Once in the water, Captain Marcos navigated Southern Sky to Tampa, perhaps a bit prematurely, as I did not have a dock set up there at the time. I solved this problem using a small company with a warehouse and docks in St. Petersburg, FL. We made a deal for the first shipment in which I paid this company $ 120 US per ton of cargo, or in cube weight, whichever was highest. I turned over all of my merchandise for processing and handling to the company.
The maiden voyage of Southern Sky to Leticia launched from St. Petersburg loaded with general cargo with a lay- over in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where cement was loaded. The Southern Sky would arrive in Leticia be fully loaded. When no cement was available in Santo Domingo, the Southern Sky would sail to Barranquilla, Co- lombia to pick up a load of cement to take to Leticia.
The route St. Petersburg???Santo Domingo???Leticia was about twenty-two days which included a two day stopover in Santo Domingo to load cement. Southern Sky would normally stay in Leticia for seven days to offload every- thing and then another five days in Benjamin Constant, Brazil's western most port of entry along the Amazon River, to load Spanish cedar wood lumber, which, for the first shipment, I did on consignment as I didn't know much about handling lumber and wanted to minimize my financial exposure.
For the first several return voyages back to the US, Southern Sky's routine would be to depart Leticia and proceed downstream, making a stop in Benjamin Constant or Amatur?? on the Amazon River to pick up a load of lumber, and then go on to Manaus, Brazil to load her with plywood. After that Southern Sky would sail on to St. Petersburg without any further stops in between.
Ships transporting goods upstream or downstream along the Amazon River in Brazil required passing through three Brazilian check points located in Macap?? near the mouth of the Amazon River in the state of Amap??; Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas located about one thousand miles downstream from Leticia where the power- ful Rio Negro empties into the silty and yellow Amazon River; and Tabatinga, Brazil located right next to Leticia along the river. Hence, each ship would be checked a total of six times in Brazil during upstream and downstream voyages traversing the Amazon River across Brazil.
The Brazilian authorities could be strict. One time the Southern Sky stopped to lower its dinghy into the Amazon River to check the river's depth using sonar equipment. The Brazilian navy got pretty upset over this and wanted to impose a fine but eventually relented. I would laugh when I talked to Colombian or Peruvian authorities be- cause, according to them, Colombia and Peru have equal rights of navigation on the Amazon River. Brazilian au- thorities, on the other hand, could intervene if you stop and do business along the river banks.
During the Southern Sky's final voyage, it arrived as usual in Leticia but was delayed because the lumber in Benja- min Constant wasn't quite ready to be picked up. I was in Florida at the time along with Cecilia, my wife. I didn't mind the ship being kept on hold in Leticia as it was a lot cheaper to be on hold in Leticia than St. Peters- burg. Soon Southern Sky arrived in Benjamin Constant where it was loaded with lumber that the company, Exotic Woods, Inc., had bought (I was a 50% partner of this company.)
Once the ship arrived in New Orleans, it was necessary to unload the lumber and have it transported to Kiln Dry Company about one hundred miles away. Margaret Tsangarinos, who was in charge of the lumber, Cecilia and I traveled from Tarpon Springs to New Orleans to greet the Southern Sky.
Because of insufficient advance notice, Southern Sky did not come to port for the next three days. We had already arrived at the buoy. I had to leave New Orleans and go somewhere else at the time. Margaret stayed on to handle the lumber shipment and see that it got to the Kiln Drying Company.
On the day the Southern Sky arrived, the lumber was loaded on to two semi-trailer trucks and began the trip to Kiln Dry Company. Along the way, both semi-trailers were stopped and pulled over by US Customs who instructed the drivers, both of whom were from Tarpon Springs, to go to a special place arranged by Customs. When the drivers reached the special place, Customs agents warned them [both drivers] that if they did not return immedi- ately to Tarpon Springs, or returned to the docks in New Orleans, that they would be arrested. US Customs agents then destroyed all ofthe lumber on both semi-trailers. By that time, Customs agents and DEA agents were scouring the Southern Sky in New Orleans where they destroyed about thirty percent of the remain- ing lumber.
Captain Marcos was interrogated by US Customs, claiming that the ship wasn't really the Southern Sky despite the name being clearly displayed on both sides of the ship. When Captain Marcos was allowed to call me, I then realized the agents were confused because they could still see the metal letters 'Amazon Sky' that had been painted over with 'Southern Sky.' After all of the confusion in New Orleans, the Southern Sky was allowed to return to St. Petersburg.
After hearing about the shakedown of the Southern Sky in New Orleans Fillette and Greene started asking for a cash deposit before they would receive the ship as insurance I suppose. This was quite a shift in thinking for a company that had handled ships the previous six years.
Meanwhile, I tried to keep the Southern Sky shipping goods; it was a money losing proposition to keep the ship in port. I called West America Shipping Company in Tampa on learning they needed a ship to haul their excess cargo to Central America and then return with a US-bound shipment.
West America and I talked and made a deal in which I leased the Southern Sky for one round-trip voyage at $900 USD per day for fourteen days. This would give me the chance to see how they operated as a business in addition to how they would handle the Southern Sky. They would be responsible for all costs including fuel, Customs entry and departure fees, loading expenses and a host of others. At the end of the trip, the gross revenue would be cal- culated along with total expenses incurred. West America would pay my $900 USD per day fee in advance and be deducted from the total expenses column. The difference between gross revenue and total costs would then be cal- culated and divided between me and West America.
The plan for this trip was roughly as follows: The Southern Sky would begin its trip out of Tampa and then pro- ceed unloaded to Mobile, AL where the ship would be fueled and loaded with cargo bound for Guatemala. From Mobile, Southern Sky would sail to the port of Houston where additional cargo bound for Guatemala would be loaded. After unloading in Guatemala, Southern Sky would be loaded with tomato stakes bound for the US. West America estimated that after all expenses (including my $900 USD per day fee) were deducted from the total freight charges, I should net $20,000 USD.
I turned Southern Sky over at the entry point of Tampa Bay next to West America's buoy. Next, the ship was towed into port to pick up cargo about which I had not been informed. Evidently, part of the cargo was destined for Hous- ton with the remainder going on to Guatemala. West America handed me a check for $7 , 500 and I took it to their bank to cash it. Fortunately, I did not play basketball with the check. I gave $ 5,000 to the captain of the Southern Sky to buy food and other supplies for the ship. When 6:00 p.m. rolled around, the captain said he needed oil otherwise he could not depart. So, I had to order about $3,000 worth of oil which could not be loaded until 6:00 a.m. the following morning.
The ship set sail early the next morning for Mobile and points west and south. I would receive another $ 5 , 100 over the next three days. When I tried to cash West America's check, it bounced sky high! This was not a good sign. A few days later I received a new check and this time it went through without problem. In the meantime, the Southern Sky had encountered delays and West America refused to pay me for the ship's downtime. The ship did not pick up any lumber that was supposed to ready in Guatemala. I had a customer, Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc., that wanted lumber from Guatemala and so I ordered several bundles of mahogany. By the time the Southern Sky arrived with the mahogany, Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc. had a rented a warehouse in St. Peters- burg to store the wood.
After this upset, the Southern Sky still owned by Indaura Ltda. (who loaned me the money for the purchase of the ship), was auctioned off by the sheriff's offce due to a lien placed on the ship by the crew. A company called Fenton International, Inc. of George Town, Grand Cayman Island bought the Southern Sky.
I talked with Fenton people and suggested becoming their agent and after a while they signed me up as a new agent. On further discussions, I told Fenton I wanted to buy the Southern Sky back from them and own it for myself. They accepted my offer of $400,000 to be paid in monthly installments of $ 10,000 USD without interest. However, this agreement would only come into effect if Fenton could not sell Southern Sky outright. Fenton's people told me they already had a buyer for the Southern Sky that was going to pay in cash. They asked me to receive the money, deduct expenses, any money owed to me and then send the remainder to Fenton. I sure did not like this. I actually had about six trips guaranteed by the new toy factory and the new hotel in Leticia to ship goods. I would have earned $ 150,000 USD per trip, but instead I accepted to turn the ship over when the new owners arrived in Tarpon Springs with the money.
West America and I talked and made a deal in which I leased the Southern Sky for one round-trip voyage at $900 USD per day for fourteen days. This would give me the chance to see how they operated as a business in addition to how they would handle the Southern Sky. They would be responsible for all costs including fuel, Customs entry and departure fees, loading expenses and a host of others. At the end of the trip, the gross revenue would be cal- culated along with total expenses incurred. West America would pay my $900 USD per day fee in advance and be deducted from the total expenses column. The difference between gross revenue and total costs would then be cal- culated and divided between me and West America.
The plan for this trip was roughly as follows: The Southern Sky would begin its trip out of Tampa and then pro- ceed unloaded to Mobile, AL where the ship would be fueled and loaded with cargo bound for Guatemala. From Mobile, Southern Sky would sail to the port of Houston where additional cargo bound for Guatemala would be loaded. After unloading in Guatemala, Southern Sky would be loaded with tomato stakes bound for the US. West America estimated that after all expenses (including my $900 USD per day fee) were deducted from the total freight charges, I should net $20,000 USD.
I turned Southern Sky over at the entry point of Tampa Bay next to West America's buoy. Next, the ship was towed into port to pick up cargo about which I had not been informed. Evidently, part of the cargo was destined for Hous- ton with the remainder going on to Guatemala. West America handed me a check for $7 , 500 and I took it to their bank to cash it. Fortunately, I did not play basketball with the check. I gave $ 5,000 to the captain of the Southern Sky to buy food and other supplies for the ship. When 6:00 p.m. rolled around, the captain said he needed oil otherwise he could not depart. So, I had to order about $3,000 worth of oil which could not be loaded until 6:00 a.m. the following morning.
The ship set sail early the next morning for Mobile and points west and south. I would receive another $ 5 , 100 over the next three days. When I tried to cash West America's check, it bounced sky high! This was not a good sign. A few days later I received a new check and this time it went through without problem. In the meantime, the Southern Sky had encountered delays and West America refused to pay me for the ship's downtime. The ship did not pick up any lumber that was supposed to ready in Guatemala. I had a customer, Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc., that wanted lumber from Guatemala and so I ordered several bundles of mahogany. By the time the Southern Sky arrived with the mahogany, Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc. had a rented a warehouse in St. Peters- burg to store the wood.
After this upset, the Southern Sky still owned by Indaura Ltda. (who loaned me the money for the purchase of the ship), was auctioned off by the sheriff's offce due to a lien placed on the ship by the crew. A company called Fenton International, Inc. of George Town, Grand Cayman Island bought the Southern Sky. I talked with Fenton people and suggested becoming their agent and after a while they signed me up as a new agent. On further discussions, I told Fenton I wanted to buy the Southern Sky back from them and own it for myself. They accepted my offer of $400,000 to be paid in monthly installments of $ 10,000 USD without interest. However, this agreement would only come into effect if Fenton could not sell Southern Sky outright. Fenton's people told me they already had a buyer for the Southern Sky that was going to pay in cash. They asked me to receive the money, deduct expenses, any money owed to me and then send the remainder to Fenton. I sure did not like this. I actually had about six trips guaranteed by the new toy factory and the new hotel in Leticia to ship goods. I would have earned $ 150,000 USD per trip, but instead I accepted to turn the ship over when the new owners arrived in Tarpon Springs with the money.
Chapter 34 In March, 1988 1 was in Leticia on business and decided to fly to Bogot??, Colombia on Avianca Airlines. Several days before departing Leticia, I received a call from Srta. Consuelo de Montejo who was owner of the daily news- papers El Bogot??no and El Espectador. She asked me to bring five thousand safari hats from Leticia for her and Srta. Maria Eugenia, the daughter of former President General Rojas Pinilla. I scoured Leticia but could only come up with about two hundred hats. I ordered the rest and had them shipped to Consuelo in Bogot??. She told me she would be waiting at El Dorado Airport to greet me.
When I landed at El Dorado Airport, Consuelo was right there waiting for me. It was around 4:00 p.m. and it was a Friday. As we proceeded through customs, my luggage, strangely, was not checked. Consuelo was very well known throughout Colombia, and I guess when the customs officials saw her with me they figured it wasn't necessary to check my bags. I gave all the hats I had to Consuelo and she paid me once we passed through customs. I told Con- suelo I would be in touch and she left.
Mauricio Castillo, the son of my dear friend Colonel Mario Castillo, was outside waiting for me in his car along with his girlfriend. I loaded my bags into Mauricio's car and we started driving away to the Hotel Cosmos 100 where I had a reservation for that evening. Once we were about a thousand yards from the airport, suddenly one car pulled in front of us and stopped. Mauricio had to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision. Right behind us another car pulled up and then two more cars pulled alongside our car on the driver's side. We were closed in and couldn't escape. I also saw a motorcycle pull up with two people on it. It was broad daylight. Everybody in the four cars jumped out with what looked like Uzi machine guns and surrounded our car. Two people were dressed in police uniforms. At the moment I wasn't overly frightened or panicking, though I couldn't say the same for Mauricio and his girlfriend. I was thinking probably we were being stopped because my belong- ings had not been inspected by customs at the airport. If it wasn't that then maybe these people were from the Co- lombian DAS.
We had to get out of the car. I handed over my passport to one of the people. They pushed me and Mauricio against the car and spread our legs and frisked us to see if were armed. Mauricio was carrying a .38 caliber handgun with a two inch barrel. I offered them my briefcase and my other luggage. They checked my briefcase but didn't bother with my luggage. This is when I started sensing something was terribly wrong. I hadn't done anything wrong or illegal that I was aware of. Again the only thing I could think of was that customs at the airport had not checked my belongings upon arrival from Leticia.
The people put me into the car that had stopped in front of Mauricio's car while Mauricio and his girlfriend were allowed to get back into their car along with two of the people who'd stopped us. Once all of us were in the car I was in (there were two people in the front seat and one other guy in the back seat with me), the uniformed policeman said none of this had anything to do with the law. He said I was being kid- napped and that he wasn't really a police officer.
I laughed somewhat nervously, and said in Spanish, "Hey wait a minute! Is this a joke or something?" I had heard and read about how kidnappers in Colombia study their targets, their patterns and whether the ransom would be high enough to make kidnapping financially worthwhile.
"You have the wrong guy!" I told them. "All of my bank accounts are in the red! If it's only money you want, you can loan me the money and then I would hand it all back to you! Maybe you mistook me for somebody else." I tried to smile and be pleasant all the time I was describing myself to them. At this point, I no longer cared if I was being kidnapped or not.
My mind drifted back several years when I told Cecilia that if I were ever kidnapped, and the ransom was just a few dollars, then just give the kidnappers a few dollars to see if they'll let me go. But if it's thousands or millions of dollars they wanted, then the best thing was to not pay and forget about me. I was sixty-one years old at the time and had had a good and successful life in Colombia. I had had everything I ever wanted in life and had been living on borrowed time, having worked many years with venomous snakes and wild animals that could have killed me anytime had I taken my offthe ball for one second.
Suddenly, the driver told everybody, "Maybe we have the wrong guy!"
"Go ahead and shoot me! If you need help kidnapping, I can help you. I didn't need to go home." I told the kidnap- pers. They looked at me quizzically as if they thought I was crazy. I told them again I could help them and that it was 0k to shoot me as I had nothing to lose. It was then the driver told everybody "we better talk to the boss!" This bought me some time. I was wondering what the hell was really going on. What would the boss say? The next thing I heard was that the kidnappers had a helicopter waiting to take me to Medellin. Several minutes we pulled into a lonely dead end area where the driver got out of the car. Mauricio pulled his car right behind the one I was in. Things got very quiet. I figured I'd talked too much and they were deciding what to do with me, knock me off or let me live. By then, I could identify them all. So, there was no advantage in letting me walk away. Because the place where we'd stopped was so far out of the way, it would have been a perfect place to snuff me out.
The driver of the car I was in got out and took Mauricio off to one side, a bad sign, I thought to myself. I started to worry. Maybe they would kill Mauricio and then load me up in the helicopter. They said the helicopter could only hold four people: two gunmen, the pilot and either Mauricio or me. They talked for what seemed like ten minutes.
A police car was approaching and the driver of our car hurried back inside. Evidently Mauricio told my driver that we were going next to Mauricio's office in Bogot?? to talk and clarify everything. "What the hell is going on?" I asked myself. I was feeling a little relieved that we were going someplace. Now nothing can go wrong unless the police car notices something suspicious looking about our cars and a shoot-out happens. We sped away, the driver glancing through the rearview mirror to see if the patrol and the patrol car did not pursue us. Within a few minutes we were in the parking lot on the ground floor of the building where our new Tourism offlce was. Somehow the kidnappers didn't know the office building we'd come to was mine. We all en- tered my offices. Mauricio's girlfriend stayed off to the side and let the other girls know a kidnapping was under- way. They were prepared to call the cops if there was a heated argument or it if looked like things were spiraling out of control. We went to Mauricio's office where he offered everybody a beer or other drinks. The kidnappers all accepted a beer while I enjoyed a Coke. I figured by then that nobody would try to free me without a fight. It would be next to impossible for the kidnappers to get their car from the underground parking garage; the parking lot guard would not let any car leave without an approval from the person the people in the car had visited. Building security was very tight, which is one reason Mauricio chose the building for his business office.
When we were all in Mauricio's office, the driver of the car I'd been kidnapped in started calling his boss by the name of Negro Angulo. The phone was picked up by a person that I assume was the head of the kidnappers. Listening as carefully as I could to some of the conversation, I heard the driver of the car I'd been in asking the head of the kidnappers to speak with the guy who'd put out the contract to kidnap me. After a few minutes, the head of the kidnappers told the driver that the contract guy was not available, and instructed the driver to release me and let me go to Hotel Cosmos 100. I could not leave???perhaps nervous is more accurate???as there might be somebody on the ground floor with a gun waiting for me to appear. The head of the kidnappers also told the driver that Negro Angulo would see me later in the afternoon to talk things over. After the second beer, the four men who'd come upstairs to keep an eye on me and Mauricio left. I left with Mauricio and his girlfriend to go to the Hotel Cosmos 100.
While talking to the hotel's receptionist, I asked if a suite was available as I realized I was going to have a lot of company later. She did and I took it. The bellhop led us to the suite, and on entering Mauricio immediately went to the phone and called his father, Colonel Mario Castillo Ruiz and described what had been going on. Mario told his son not to worry and that he (Mario) would send a policeman to the hotel to talk to us. Then the suite room rang and I picked up. It was Negro Angulo and he warned me not to leave the hotel. He would show up the following morning to meet at 8: 30 a.m.
After a half hour passed, a lieutenant in Bogot??'s police department arrived and took down our story. Knowing that Negro would be at the hotel the next morning, the lieutenant said he would arrive at 7:00 a.m. with a backup team to intercept and take down the kidnappers.
The lieutenant, Mauricio and I discussed a plan on what we should do after Negro arrived. The lieutenant ex- plained that if Negro and his goons escorted us downstairs and out the hotel when the meeting was over, then we (Mauricio and I) should put our hands in our pockets to give the impression we were armed. We had to assume Negro and his goons would be fully locked and loaded. On opening the front door of the hotel we should drop to the ground after which the police would immediately take over. The lieutenant also explained that Negro and his goons would be allowed to go on if we weren't with them on exiting the hotel's front door.
Later, I spoke with some good friends to let them know what was happening. They offered to get in touch with Negro and try to find out what the problem was and why I was being held against my will. My friends were willing to help resolve whatever the problem was without anybody, especially me, getting hurt or killed. My friend who knew Negro told me he (Negro) handled contracts to kill, kidnap and extort money. The friend called Negro and learned that nothing would happen to me. It turned out Negro had a serious issue with my son, Michael.
At 7:00 a.m. sharp the next morning two lieutenants from the police department along with six police officers, all armed and ready, showed up at the Hotel Cosmos 100. It was Saturday. We reviewed the plan again to make sure everybody knew what he was supposed to do as things started to happen. Two goons showed up at the hotel at 8:30 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, Negro arrived and came to our suite. By 9:00 a.m. two more people showed up at the suite. I recognized one of these latter two as a guy named Leo was from Leticia.
The moment Leo saw me he immediately started yelling and accusing me of this and that. I felt the hair rising on the back of my neck, stood up and got right in Leo's face and cussed him out. I wasn't intimidated by him or the gun he was carrying as I was confident nothing bad was going to happen to me or Mauricio. After all, I had great protection downstairs courtesy of the Bogot?? police department. After a few minutes, calm was restored though I Leo and I continued to glare at each other across the room. For the next two and a half hours, Negro, Leo and Mauricio would go in and out of the room talking and arguing. By this time, I noticed the time was 11:30 a.m. Negro and his five goons, including Leo, decided to leave. Mauricio and I remained in the suite. Leo said he would get back with me when I returned to Colombia again in another month or so.
Ten or so minutes later the lieutenant in charge of protecting me and Mauricio came to the suite. He told us there was a change of plans: the police were going to take out Negro and his goons. I was aghast as I understood from the day before that the police would not start shooting unless Negro and his goons were holding me and Mauricio hostage on the way out of the hotel. The lieutenant explained he had received new orders from above to eliminate the kidnappers. I pleaded with the lieutenant to not go through with it, but he insisted he had his orders, got up and left. I told Mauricio that killing Negro and his goons was wrong and to call his father to send somebody to the hotel to stop the shootout. Mario said he would send someone.
Another lieutenant came to our room about fifteen minutes later and told us to go down to the police station with him. We tried to resist by telling the lieutenant we were waiting for somebody Mauricio's father had sent to main- tain calm and order. We went downstairs to wait for the guy who was supposedly sent by Mario Castillo but he didn't show. Mauricio and I grabbed something to eat and returned to the suite where the lieutenant, now very im- patient with us, was still waiting.
We left Mauricio's girlfriend in the room to let the guy who Mario Castillo had sent know we were being taken to the local police station close to the hotel. When we got to the station, Mauricio and I were separated. No charges as yet had been filed against either Mauricio or me, and I started thinking perhaps we were being held as suspects for killing Negro and his goons. Had Negro and his goons been shot and killed? I didn't hear any gunfire outside the hotel after they'd left our suite.
A major in the police department next drove me and Mauricio to the F-2 police station some distance away. We were allowed to make a few phone calls to let people know where we were. I also called Mario Castillo and to the General in charge of the F-2 police. Both Mario and the General told me not to worry and that Mauricio and I would soon be released and free to go. Neither of us was allowed any more phone calls.
We were escorted to the outer offce of the major where the secretary and another young offce worker took down our statements of everything that had happened. Later we learned that Negro and his goons had all been arrested near Hotel Cosmos and place in the jail's ground floor cell block. Mauricio and I would remain in the major's offce until the investigation was finished. It was already Saturday afternoon around 5:00 p.m. By 8:00 p.m. we were able to sneak out and make a brief call to Mauricio's mother who later delivered some pillows and blankets. Mauricio slept in a large chair while I slept on the sofa.
At 2:00 a.m. Sunday, my brother-in-law showed up at the jail with roasted chicken, whole boiled potatoes, bread and several soft drinks. When we feasted our eyes on the food, we'd momentarily forgotten how hungry we were. My brother-in-law offered to bring more food later in the morning but I told him not to bother as we would be get- ting out in a few more hours, or so I thought.
We spent the rest of Sunday holed up in the major's offce. During the afternoon, Mauricio saw the same guy who had been in a police uniform armed with an Uzi machine gun the previous Friday when we were kidnapped. He was there in the station with a woman that Mauricio did not recognize. Mauricio relayed this information to the maJor.
By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I told Mauricio we'd better call somebody to bring us more food as it didn't look like we were going to be released. For sure, I thought, we'd be released within seventy two hours. Mario's and the General's assurances we'd be released had been just that, some really good bullshit. We finally fell asleep though I tossed and turned a lot throughout the night.
On Monday morning we were taken to another offce in the same station where a woman attorney awaited us to take down our statements. Mauricio nudged me to let me know this was the same woman he'd seen the day before with the fake cop who'd participated in our kidnapping. Could this woman possibly be associated with the kidnap- pers? Was she possibly the wife of one of them? We went ahead and gave our statements which she duly recorded. The major had organized a lineup for that afternoon. When I heard about this I told Mauricio this could be prob- lematic and that it would be best for us to remain silent. About an hour before the lineup, we were summoned to another offce where there was yet another attorney who asked many questions. "VVho paid the lieutenant to have the five goons killed?" he asked us. Both Mauricio and I explained that we'd tried to tell the lieutenant not to shoot Negro and his goons because they'd left the hotel and were no longer holding us hostage. Evidently, the lieutenant who shot Negro and his five goons was in the lineup and we had to identify him. The attorney, satisfied with our response, sent us back to the major's offce to wait.
Much to my horror, the fake lieutenant who'd participated in our kidnapping entered the major's offce where Mauricio and I had been waiting. He looked at me and snarled, "If you finger me you son of a bitch I'll have you killed!" Mauricio saw and heard all ofthis while his face turned white as a ghost. The lieutenant stormed out ofthe major's offce. We were both scared shitless! I told Mauricio that we needed to play dumb and do whatever neces- sary to get out of this place, the sooner the better.
The lineup started. Eight police lieutenants, including the fake lieutenant who'd threatened me, were marched out single file on a small stage while Mauricio and I stood behind a single-direction, thick glass window with a police examiner. The examiner asked if I could positively identify the lieutenant who'd been ordered to kill Negro and the five goons, I said no because my right eye had been in bad condition and I didn't have my glasses on during my kid- napping. Mauricio said he couldn't give a positive identification.
After a couple of minutes, we went back to the major's offce where there were four lawyers waiting for us. The major entered and asked what was going on and I told him the lawyers learned I was being held and were there to get me released. The major said I didn't need these lawyers since I was not being held. It was already 8:30 p.m. Monday night and both Mauricio and I were free to go.
We went down to the first floor to exit the station. On the way out a sergeant stopped us to get our names so he could check us out. Strangely, neither of our names was on the list of suspects being held. It was as if we'd come and left without ever having stepped foot in the station. But I had heard this was very common practice in Colom- bia's law enforcement system.
Two plainclothes men escorted Mauricio and I to a waiting car parked outside the station. We sat in the back of the vehicle while they sat in front. They drove into a garage, told us to get out and then led us to yet another under- ground garage through a side door, and then forced us into yet another vehicle. From that point we were taken to the Hotel Tequendama in central Bogot??. Somebody had made a reservation at the Tequendama for both Mauricio and me.
We checked in and went to our room that had two beds. One of the men was quite tall, about 6' 6" tall perhaps, and turned out to be a Colombian DAS agent. He said he was then working for a friend of mine. Next, he pulled a .45 caliber handgun from behind him and tossed on one of the beds. He had another .45 weapon and tossed that on the bed as well. He and his partner would be staked outside our room that night before taking us to El Dorado the next day where I would catch a flight to Cali, and then an Avianca flight for Miami. Mauricio would be allowed to return to Bogota after I'd departed Cali for Miami. This plan was created by the attorneys who feared the kidnap- pers might again try to do something with me and Mauricio.
I learned later that Negro and his five goons had been released from the same jail about fifteen minutes after our release. I called Cecilia from our hotel room to let her know what was going on. Early next morning we departed Bogot?? for Cali where I had to stay overnight before going on to Miami. Nothing remarkable happened while I was in Cali. Mauricio and his girlfriend accompanied me to the Cali airport the next day along with the DAS agents to see me off.
This entire episode could have been easily avoided if my son, Michael, had told me what had happened between him and a guy named Leo who hired Negro to kidnap me. I would learn from Michael after I got back to Florida that Leo had given him $ 30,000 USD to buy Jeep Wagoneer and two Honda 500 cc motorcycles. The last time Michael traveled to Florida from Leticia, the Southern Sky had already departed for Leticia without the Jeep and the Hondas. Michael thought he would wait until the next shipment in another month or so after the Southern Sky had returned to Florida.
Instead of buying a new Jeep and Honda motorcycles, Michael used Leo's money to buy a fitness center and res- taurant in Florida. He evidently thought he would recover the original $ 30,000 USD from fitness club membership sales and the restaurant profits. As Michael tried to explain to me, he did not want to ask me for money as he knew I was struggling. I figured I would pay Leo what Michael owed him from the next shipment to Leticia. Hopefully that would make peace with everybody as I certainly didn't want any more close calls like the kidnapping episode.
The last time Southern Sky was in port at Cartagena, I got a call from the lumber people in Macapa, Brazil at the mouth of the Amazon River that there was a lumber shipment for Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc. of Tampa, FL. The lum- ber people in Macap?? originally planned to ship on NAPSA, but there wasn't enough water for the ship to arrive in St. Petersburg because of the Draft. The lumber people wanted to know if the Southern Sky could make the trip but I'd already sent it out on another voyage somewhere in the Caribbean.
I talked to the ship's captain and he told me that if he had a different mechanic and additional crew members then he could make the trip to Macap?? and take it to St. Petersburg. I told him to do it. He got the ship loaded with sup- plies and fuel in Barranquilla and set sail to Macap??.
The ship experienced engine failure four times during this voyage. Each time the captain called me to tell me he was in trouble. Yet each time he would get the ship's engine running again and keep on going.
Once the ship reached Macapa, the captain, who was fed up with the engineer he'd hired in Barranquilla, eventu- ally fired the Barranquilla engineer and hired a new one in Macap?? who started work about ten days later. Until the Barranquilla engineer's last day of duty, the Brazilian engineer checked the ship out from bow to stern while giv- ing the Barranquilla engineer some advice.
When the Southern Sky was fully loaded, the captain called to let me know he was ready to proceed to St. Peters- burg. West America also called me to let me know about a shipment of tomato stakes in Honduras. I instructed my captain to first proceed to Honduras to get this shipment before going on to St. Petersburg. Upon arriving in Honduras, the ship dropped its anchor. West America called again to alert me that the tomato stake shipment was lost and to have the ship divert and proceed to St. Petersburg. West America wanted to lease Southern Sky for a separate voyage. While the ship was anchored in Honduras, I called around to see if there was other cargo I could bring to Florida. One guy who was in the Honduran lumber business said he could organize a lumber shipment but it would take a few days. Good, I thought.
I called the ship's captain and told him to wait and get the lumber loaded before setting sail for St. Petersburg. It was then the captain told me he didn't have proper papers for the lumber loaded in Macap??. This was not good. The next thing I did was call the Macap?? sawmill to get the proper papers, but Walsh, the man in charge, couldn't be found there. After several phone calls I found Walsh in Miami and he told me he would call Macap?? to find out what had happened with the paperwork. Walsh called back to tell me the paperwork was, in fact, in Macap?? and that it would be shipped to him in Miami via DHL courier service.
When the documents arrived in Miami, Walsh called to let me know and that he would hand them over to me once he got to Sarasota, FL. We eventually met in St. Petersburg where he gave me the documents plus some blank invoices as he didn't have time to make the invoices out himself. He also advised me that the bank was making the export papers out under my name. Walsh was aware I was not the buyer of the lumber and that I could make the invoices out directly to the buyer, or Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc.
I got all of the documents in order and sent a man named Kent Nesbitt to Honduras to hand them to the captain. By the time Kent arrived, I learned the ship had been embargoed by a company that used to handle it during the
time Elias was the ship's agent. The account was in arrears to the tune of $3 2,000. I put up half and West America agreed to pay the remainder in two separate payments.
Southern Sky was released to return to St. Petersburg with the lumber. Gulf Exotic Woods, Inc. was informed that the ship had arrived and they offloaded their wood and took it to their warehouse in St. Petersburg. A few days later, a man named Pedro Narvaez called to tell me he needed more storage space and asked if I could lease him five thousand square feet at my warehouse in Tarpon Springs. I called Jonas, one of my employees, to let him know Pedro needed some storage space. Jonas and I toured my warehouse and I showed him how to stack the lumber so it would fit in the required space. I signed the trucker's bill of laden and the lumber was then put into my warehouse.
One of my employees came up to me to tell me he'd seen some cops or agents watching the area the past few days. I told him not to worry as we hadn't done anything wrong. Another employee advised me there he'd seen some people in the hotel across the street watching the place. I got a pair of binoculars and saw somebody in a hotel win- dow looking our way. I asked my son Michael if he knew of any problems going on at Boggie's Restaurant next door to my warehouse. Maybe some people were smoking or selling pot at night. Michael reassured me nothing of the sort was going on. He would keep an eye out for this kind of activity. So I didn't think much of all of this. I didn't think there were any other problems at the time around the Tarpon Financial Center.
Meanwhile, I closed a deal with a guy in Washington, D.C. to put up some money to buy a ship in Greece. I had bought tickets for Jonas; Emanuel, my maritime engineer; and myself to go to Greece for a few days to take a look at the ship. Another guy from England was supposed to meet us later in Athens, Greece. Little did I know at the moment that the world as I knew it was about to change into something unimaginable.
The next day, a day before my departure for my business trip to Greece, Freddy Perez and I were going to Countryside Mall and I saw flashing lights and said I wonder what poor bastard did something wrong, when the sheriffs pulled me over. While I was looking at one side to the problem an omcer came up to my car and ordered us out of the car. We got checked and were ordered to drive back to the offce. Going to the omce the D.E.A. man Mr. Mike Powers and Mr. Crawford said that I ought to tell them the truth that I had cocaine and it would better to tell them and who it belonged to and they will see that I would get taken care of.
I told Crawford that I didn't know anything about any cocaine. He insisted that it was in the lumber in the St. Petersburg warehouse of Gulf Exotic or in my rented warehouse of Gulf Exotic. I said hell check and find out your wrong. I said I knew there was someone investigating around the complex, but I figured it was because of the Restaurant and Bar that was at Tar- pon Financial Center, anyhow, coming into the omce. He told me to tell my secretary to go home, and take all of her personal belongings with her. This I did and Sherryl went home. Crawford left someone in the omce and then he wanted to go to my home to search there. So, we went to my home on 633 Bayshore Dr, several omcers searched my home and a couple searched my omce, at home.
They took all the files and were to separate them and return what they didn t need. They checked my closet in my omce that is fixed up with shelves for my books, photograph albums, albums on the book I am writing etc... As soon as they saw on the index of the photo albums the title Mike Tsalickis between the C.I.A. and Cocaine, they didn't understand it. I know they didn't because they went ape shit.
They thought they had inside information on cocaine etc. What are in those albums are pictures or newspaper write ups, and magazines write-ups that I have collected over the last few years, to help me remember events that have happened. I have been written up good and bad in newspapers. When they started writing up so much lies in the papers, I decided that if what they have written up on me is a lie, how about the rest of the stories. I stopped reading the newspapers because of that. From my home we went back to the omce at the complex. The agents were going through my files in the offce and all the while they were asking me lots of questions. Then, at about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. Mr. Crawford arrested me and read me my rights. I protested for all the good it did. My arrest was for smuggling cocaine with the intent to distribute. Conflicting reports stated that between just over 4,000 and more than 9 ,OOO pounds of cocaine were found in hollowed out wooden planks on the ship with the lumber for Gulf Exotic Woods. ( I think what caused the conflict is the 4,00 number was in kilos and the 9,000 number is the conversion of kilos to pounds.) All of this happened on May 3rd of 1988 on a Tuesday. I was then taken to Clearwater to a restaurant to eat. No handcuffs were put on me from the time they arrested me.
Agent Crawford and Powers begged for me to help them. They told me several times, that they knew I didn't have anything to do with the cocaine, but they have me in a position that I would have to help them. They claimed that if I would help, that they would take me back home and the next day I could go to the DEAs omce in Tampa at 10:00 a.m.
When I asked them what kind of help they were talking, they said that they needed to know whose cocaine that was and wanted the names of all the persons in the drug business in Leticia. They claimed that I would not do prison time and that they would not confiscate anything from me. I told them I wasn't sure what I did know and that even I disclosed infor- mation I suspected that the mafia would kill me and all my family. When I said this Crawford said that I and all my family would be put in a Federal Security System. Then I told them I feared that if I ever stopped giving them information they would give my name and address to the mafia in Columbia and they would kill me and my family even if we were in Federal Protection. Because ofthe fear for my family, admitting no guilt as I had done nothing wrong, I told them to just take me in because I would be safer in prison.
So, that's just what they did. They took me to the omce of the D.E.A. in Tampa, finger printed and photographed and brought to the County Jail about 1 a.m. on May 4th of 1988 , in Tampa, Florida.
I stayed in the offlce ofthe D.E.A. to be processed until about 10:00 p.m. They almost forgot about me. I was put in Federal holding cell 7. The inmates all there were nice and there were no problems. They were actually very friendly. I slept on the floor that night and the next morning I met all of the inmates and everyone discussed there cases and prob lerns to me. They all knew who I was, after so much publicity on T.V. I ended up sleeping two nights on the floor then one Of the inmates gave me his bed. That was much better than sleeping on the floor. I decided that next day that this would be my chance to write my book and it would occupy me so I can keep my mind from going crazy. thought, here I was always free to roam the Amazon jungle, now I am in a cage, like an animal. Well I put plenty Of wild animals in cages and they did Okay. so, by taking it easy I will be Okay until I finish the book and get out.
I'd like to tell you that after my arrest and a couple of months of uncertainty and confusion everything was fine and I was released. Alas, that is not how stories like mine go. Unfortunately, this arrest lead to a conviction and me spending the next two decades of my life caged like the animals I used to trap.
The conditions in Cell 2N7 are bad. I'm in a county jail in Hillsborough County being held without bond. There are twelve beds dilled and there are usually six to eight additional inmates sleeping on the floor. Sure, they have mattresses, but it's still cold. I keep getting sick from being so cold and medication is scarce. It can take five to ten days to even see a doctor when you tell the guards you are not feeling well. Once the medicine for colds is approved, you get it for seven days twice a day. Whether you still have the cold or not the medicine is stopped. You can get a relapse which I did and it got worse than the first time. It took me six days before they resumed with the cold medicine and that's only because my sister and attorney called with complaints every day. When the medicine cart comes, many times they don't even have Tylenol to give you and the nurses can't give you medicine without orders from the doctor. They just don't give a dam. I've stopped to think how the U.S. talks about Human Rights. We have only one shower and one toilet for all of us in the cell. Breakfast is given at 3:00 a.m. every morning. Lunch is at 11 a.m. and dinner is at 4:30 p.m.
As I said I am being held without a bond. I am legally innocent until proven guilty, but behind these walls I am guilty, and I have to prove myself innocent. The Government, Customs, D.E.A., and IRS can lie. That always excusable but, if I should tell a lie it's considered perjury.
For sixty-one years I have been 100% pro- U.S, law abiding citizen. Now things look bad. I can't believe what is happening. What jury is going to sit and listen well to the testimony with all the bad publicity I have gotten? Since this is already being called the largest cocaine bust in Florida history the papers have already painted a picture of me as a guilty man. How can anyone be unbiased in this trial?
While continuing to await a trial date I was moved from the Hillsborough County Jail to Sarasota County Jail cell 3D on Thursday, June 23, 1988. The food in Sarasota is okay- decent taste and variety. For example, on Sunday July, 3, 1988 we had a cup of orange juice, half a pint of milk, one cup of coffee, lots of corn flakes and chunks of sweet pineapple. I got full with no problem.
The cell here is much larger, about three times larger and there are beds for all the inmates. The medicine cart comes by three times a day. When filling a request to see the doctor you see him by the next day. The officers treat you good, and mail is fast. In the canteen they don't have a limit to what people can spend. There are lots more things available here than in the Hillsborough County Jail canteen. Three times a week we had recreation and it was always on time. I have been able to get longer or extensions to my visiting from my family as they come from Tarpon Springs, Florida. The bad thing about Sarasota is they wouldn't let my ten year Old at that time to visit me. You have to be 18 to be able to visit an inmate.
The nurses are very nice, but I'm not allowed to receive newspapers or magazines while in the Sarasota County Jail.
I've been moved again from Sarasota to the Kissimmee, Ela. , Osceola County Jail. I'm in Cell C- B Room 1B in the lower bed. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we get to go out for one hour Of recreation provided it's not raining and they have enough guards to watch us. During recreation time we play volleyball or basketball or we can jog around the basketball court. Tuesdays and Thursdays after lockdown and headcount we're allowed to buy from the canteen. The canteen carries cigarettes, shampoos, soaps, tooth paste, assortment Of Tom's brand junk food, etc. Visitation is Sunday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and up to five persons can come to see you through a 30" X 30" glass pane and talk on a telephone. Whatever is said here is recorded. One has to make up a list Of persons that you want the front office give permission to visit you. The list up to five persons is only allowed to change once a month.
There is a telephone in the cell. This gets turned on about 8:00 a.m. each morning and off at 1 1 p.m. each day. If any inmate is transferred from the cell at any time the telephone is cut Off. This is so that the person who is getting transferred doesn't call to someone and try an interception Of a Van carrying the inmate.
When one is called to leave, they don't give you much chance or time. Most Of the time the officer is standing right there for you to get you stuff together and get out. One had to turn in his mattress and bedding as he goes. If you go on an airlift you have to ship everything in cartons provided by the Marshall's omce to you to ship to relatives. If you don't have relatives you would normally give everything to other inmates left in the cell. However, ifyou are transferred to another jail in this district then you can take everything with you. They chain your wrists together and chain your wrists to your legs and add chains to your legs during transfer. If another person is going with you for the same place then they normally chain two per- sons together. The right leg of one to the left leg of the other.
Doctors, nurses, and medication: One can request to see the doctor who is available about three to four times a week. Ifthere is an emergency you can be taken to the local hospital. What drugs that are prescribed are given out three times a day by the nurse on duty. She will not give out anything not prescribed by the doctor. You can get Tylenol, antacid and milk of magne- Sia without a prescription, but that is all.
Down time is spent reading, writing, playing cards, playing chess, playing board games, etc... All of the cells are required to be kept very clean and we are given schedules for the dates we will get brooms, mop, and disinfectant- these items are gener- ally distributed right after breakfast.
I am in a cell with a Haitian man and when it's our time to clean we are supposed to clean our own cell, but because I am an Old man other inmates take pity on me and help me out.
On Thursday morning about 6:00 a.m., I was called to get ready to leave. I asked the guard where I was going, but he said he didn't know. I imagined that I was going to Kissimmee. The attorney said he was going to talk with the Marshall and see if it is a much better then Hillsborough County Jail and Sarasota County Jail. What the attorney mentioned was that I might have to spend a little time in the Hillsborough County Jail.
NO one has been taken directly from Sarasota County Jail to Oseola County Jail. In thirty minutes I got all my stuff together and out I came from cell 3-D Sarasota County Jail. I was processed downstairs and was on my way back to Tampa. I figured Tampa was first because in the Van there was a fellow that was 52 years Old that just had a stomach cancer operation in March, and three others that were going to court in Tampa. We went directly to the holding pen at the Court House, the Marshalls officer that brought us, told me that everything I was carrying would have to be left in Tampa and that I would be flying and the only thing that could be taken was my dentures and prescription glasses.
As soon as we arrived at the Court House holding cell, I asked the man in charge if I could use the telephone. This he did and called my attorney Frank Winkles. He wasn't there but the secretary said he was due in any moment. By that time it was about 9: 15 a.m. and as he would come in she will notify him. I knew that Winkles's office wasn't that far from the Court House so if he would arrive in his office by 9:30 a.m. he would probably make it here before we were to leave. Winkles came in minutes after my call. He said that he just talked the Marshall and that I would be taken directly to Kissim- mee. That I could take whatever I wanted with me and that the order to travel light was for the ones going to Orlando, in transit to other destinations that would be traveling by plane. That is by a heavy guarded Federal DC-9 plane. I gave Mr. Win- Ides some paperwork to give to my wife Cecilia and the gaurds started putting on the chains for the trip Tampa/ Kissimmee. On this trip there was the 52-year-old man stricken by cancer and two women. We were put in the same van that came from Sarasota, FL. The trip was about one hour and forty five minutes, we were given lunch in Tampa. I was given a pepper steak cut up into pieces with fried rice, desert, salad and a large root beer. That was the best meat I've had since I've be held over two months. I ate everything and drank the root beer completely.
Just before lunch several more men were brought in and several more women were placed in another cell. We all ate and off they took us chained again for the van. From the Marshall's omce we were taken to the airport and to a heavy guarded DC-9 plane. There were omcers holding shotguns all over that place. I couldn't believe it and we were heavily chained. From the airport four of us were brought to the Osceola County Jail. It took about an hour to process us, before we were assigned to the cell. They actually make you take a shower with some stuff that is supposed to get lice etc out of your hair. The fellow that was assigned with in the cell me claims he is in jail for racketeering business and murder. He said not a lot of people get accused of racketeering. All you have to do is to have a legal business going and get in to working with drugs. This is considered racketeering.
At the Osceola County Jail they feed you pretty good. Every morning you get good coffee, milk and juice. One morning we got oatmeal, bananas, two pieces of toast, jelly, and sugar. I was losing weight in the Hillsborough County Jail, but I will be gaining the weight back in here. The canteen doesn't have the variety that the Sarasota County Jail had. From the three jails the Sarasota County Jail has the best variety.
I can't see why they can't be uniform in the merchandise they have for sale. The canteen comes in handy when the food isn't so good. We get dinner about 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. and we get locked in about 1 1 :OO p.m. From 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. we play cards, checkers, or Monopoly, or write letters and eat from the canteen. You'd be surprised the inmates that do not have any- thing and no one on the outside to help out or give them some money. I fell sorry for them; I generally buy lots of stuff from the canteen and let anyone that would like take from my canteen.
One inmate here in Osceola had been is jail for six months. After the first month his wife stopped writing him and he hasn't heard from her or how his children are doing. Another fellow from Nicaragua doesn't have a cent in the canteen and no one to give him anything. Before I came I understood that a fellow by the name of Tom was helping out with some of the things for these inmates that didn't have anything.
On a Friday in July of 19881 was waiting to hear from Mr. Frank Winkles my attorney. Frank had sent the Judge fifteen motions that I have seen in Sarasota. Frank claimed that he had given the Judge several others before these. That afternoon I was waiting for the answer on these motions. I called Frank's office at 4:30 p.m. and the secretary said he was still tied up at the Court House. I prayed everything would turn out alright and Frank would have some real good news for me. At about 5:00 p.m. the guard called me over the loud speaker that I was supposed to call Mr. Winkles my attorney. The phone was not being used and immediately I proceeded to make my call. Frank goes to the phone and said that things have not gone as he planned and that the court date will have to be delayed until January 1989. I blew my stack. First we were set for August, which was bad enough, I was arrested on the 3rd of May 1988 and I had to wait to go to court in August. I figured the Judge had all the paperwork that I was not guilty so I should be out by now. A few days after the plea in court, where my attorney pleaded Not Guilty and the Judge set the case for court for August, Frank and Tom Fotopoulos came by Hillsborough County Jail to tell me how important it was to wait until October to go to court and that he would have to get an investigator to help him, I didn't like it but I agreed to get it post pone until October providing they can get me out of Hillsborough. The attorney needed me for my case close by, so I agreed to wait longer in the Hillsborough County Jail, mostly because of Goldie, my sister raising hell with the jail authorities because of the bad food and lack of medical care for me. From Hillsborough to Sarasota was much better.
In Sarasota I called Winkles telling him that I wanted to go to Gilchrest Jail an wait there, I told him according to an inmate that had been in all four jails of this area that the best one was Gilchrest, as one has direct contact with one's family, plus on Friday one can get meals brought in from a near by restaurant etc. The next day I get a call from Mr. Winkles that I would be moved right away but the Marshall said that the best place was Osceola County Jail. Anyhow I figured there might be some lying somewhere. The Colombian that told me this might have been stretching the truth. So I said okay. The next day I was on my way to Osceola County Jail in Kissimmee, Florida, Now in July 1988 my attorney is telling me I will have to wait until Jan 1989. I told him that was bull shit; I am supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Mr. Winkles said that he knew of an innocent man that was in jail for four years waiting trail. This hit me hard. I did not want to be sitting in jail for four years waiting trial and I am not going to wait until January 1989 for trial and wait until a month before for you to tell me that I will have to wait until June or July for trail. Mr. Winkles said that he would come to the jail Tuesday to ex- plain everything.
I hung up and went to pieces. I couldn't believe it. I called home and told Cecilia that something is going wrong and I am get- ting messed up. I called Goldie and told her the same and Mr. Winkles had just talked with Goldie for her to calm me down. I told her I didn't need calming down, I needed action. That I wasn't horsing around in jail for the next six months and then whatever. Mr. Winkles might want a Plea Bargain for me to get off in a few years. I don't understand his reasoning. Anyhow I told Goldie, I would rather die then to spend my last years in jail. I would rather remember my good life as it was before this incident a not go through this jail and drag my family through this mess. Dead and gone they will cry a little and in a couple of days all is finished. Our justice stinks. Why did I come back to the U.S.? I can't believe it. After those two calls I said I wouldn't call anymore and the hell with everything. I wanted to go to court in August if the Jury returns a Not Guilty verdict, good and if not, I wanted a motion prepare by the attorney that I wanted a death penalty a soon as possible. It's not worth living; I broke down and cried all night all the next day Saturday. My cell mate, Mat tried to talk with me, but I didn't want any talking. Saturday morning Tom Dillon another inmate about 46 years old came to my cell to talk. He was very helpful explaining our system and explaining that even the attorney will sell you out. That I shouldn't wait; wait until the D.E.A. can set up a story against you.
He claimed that the D.E.A. and the Government was so good that they can get whatever amounts of witnesses to testify whatever lies are necessary to mess you up. Ones attorney can get paid by the Government also. He figured according to my story 9,292.8 lbs, only three jailed and one released as not guilty. No one wants to release anyone. Three in is not enough and two is nothing. Tom said that I need an attorney like his hard core attorney Barry Cohen. He fights for his clients rights, right down to the line. You can't wait long he says. The longer you wait the easier it is for the D.E.A. to get a good story worked up on you.
Tom talked and talked to me, he found out from the others that I hadn't used the phone all day. He asked me why. I said I didn't want to talk to anyone. He said that's wrong. Why am I putting my family through all this, it's not their fault what the attorney is doing. I should call them right up and talk to them. This I did and it made me feel good. Cecilia my wife said she was coming over with Goldie my sister and we can look into another attorney if I wanted to. Actually I called Saturday night and my wife was out grocery shopping so I only talked with Carmen, one of my nieces from Leticia. With Cecilia I talked Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and Goldie was there they were getting ready to come visit me. Tom is a terrific guy. He said everything is not lost but you need to see what you can do. You know how stupid I was. All my life I kept saying, think before you do something and try and work things out. Don't ever jump to conclusions, but on Friday night I went to pieces. Tom had the medicine. He talked with me and calmed me down and to think about my attorney is doing to me. The man was terrific. Stop and Think. On Sunday morning he called me in his cell.
He said, "How are you feeling?" I said, 'Okay". He said, want to show you something", "would you want a fresh shave to meet your wife", I said, "sure". Tom gave me a razor and lemon shaving soap. It was even the kind I used at home. I took a good shave for the first time in over nine weeks and with good hot water. This was nice Of him. I don't know why Tom is in jail. I haven't asked him. There are so many lies; I stopped asking people what they are in here for.
TRIAL DATE: After a lot of back and forth Mr. Winkles told me the Judge and he agreed on October 3, 1988 for the trial date. Now, right now this is set for all three of the defendants (I was charged with two other co-defendants- Pedro Narvaez and Freddy Perez), Winkles is still tying to get me on a separate trial date. Winkles was also trying to get me in a closed door hear- ing. This means the T.V. and newspapers will not be able to attend and it would be just the Judge, D.A., D.E.A., and Jury, my attorneys, witnesses and I. Mr. Winkles claims that this might still be possible. I hope that the only change now would be to have the other two on trial before me. I am hoping that I will be left here in Kissimmee until a week before the trial. This is a much better installation and food is much better. Plus visiting hours are much longer etc. I was transferred from Oseola County Jail of Kissimmee, Florida to the Hillsborough County Jail on Tuesday September 27, 1988. Two Marshalls picked me up in Oseola about 12:30 p.m. and I arrived in Tampa to the Hillsborough County Jail on about 3:00 p.m. I was processed and put in a holding cell with lots of other inmates. There was no space to lie down on the seats. The holding cells have two feet by eight feet all the way around for seats and they where full. It was 3:30 a.m. Wed- nesday when a Sergeant came and got four of us and took us to get clothes and turn in the clothes we had on. All this took to about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday before I was put in 2N7 cell, the same cell I was staying in when I was first locked up on May 4th of 1988. When I got in the cell I tried to place my mattress on the floor next to the bed of Cesar a Colombian. I met him the last time I was in 2N7. I woke him up and said good morning. He gave me his bottom bunk and took the floor space. I tried to talk him out Of it but he insisted on sleeping on the floor and now two more inmates arrived. This meant that the twelve men holding cell had twenty-three people in it.
Slightly over crowded, there were bodies everywhere. What a mess, one toilet one shower and twenty-three humans in a small area. Our human rights the U.S. has been preaching all over the world should start looking at conditions at home first. The U.S. is so worried and emotionally upset of conditions away from the U.S. that they don't have time to look under their nose. Our own system is screwed up.
When I first came in the jail, while getting processed I was asked by the nurse if I had anything. I said that I still had a cold and I had welts on my legs and I also had a couple papers from my physician on a liver/ spleen scan and an abdominal echo. The nurse said to wait and show the doctor, that for sure he will see me tomorrow. The next day I was not called to the clinic. That was Wednesday, but on Thursday I was called to the clinic to see the doctor. I stayed about forty minutes in the holding cell of the clinic and when they asked me to go in. No doctor, but there was a nurse who asked me questions about my health. The same forms I filled in when I first came to jail on May 4th. After going and seeing the nurse I started getting cold tablets, cough medicine and some salve for my welts. This was a difference from the first time I came to Hillsborough County Jail. The doctor must have seen my papers and was afraid that I would start raising hell so he ordered more medicine. As of the following Monday, I do not have the welts or itching. The medication prescribed is what I took twice before, prescribed by Dr. Jairo Pinzon my physician. Dr. Pinzon did not want me to take anymore of this drug because I was showing problems with my liver. Anyhow, neither itching nor welts. It's nice and comfortable to be myself again, medication three times a day, just like Oseola County Jail, hard to believe this but it was true. Chapter 45 October 4, 1988. My first day in court, I got up at 5:00 a.m., brushed my teeth, shaved, took a shower, washed some clothes and was ready to go by 6:30 a.m. I was picked up just about that time and was taken down to the property room where I changed into my street clothes, which my wife had sent the day before. After I was ready there I was locked in a holding pen for the time being until 8:30 a.m. Pedro Narvaez and Freddy Perez and the Marshall's showed up and I was chained--chains around my waist and both hands handcuffed to the chain, them cuffed with chains on my legs. After being prepared we were escorted to the Federal Courtroom building. On the ground floor the Marshall has their office and holding pens. This is a nicer installation than the one I was taken on previous occasions. Here we were released. To my surprise who was in the holding pen with me, it was Everret Jones, a notorious bank robber at the time. He had been going to trail for the last week and his Jury was in recess for the verdict of armed bank robbery. Court was to start at 9:30 a.m. and just about that time I along with Pedro and Freddy Perez was escorted to the courtroom. We were let out of the holding pen, chained are hands from behind and escorted to the courtroom. Just before opening the last exit door still at the steps we were freed from the handcuffs and escorted in the courtroom. I was seated next to Cathy and Robert Dweyer. As I walked in I saw my wife Cecilia and my daughter Krisula and my daughter-in-law Haven in the rear Of the courtroom.
I was accompanied by my attorney Frank Winkles, by Cathy E. Bennett, my Jury and trial consultant and by Robert Dweyer, my investigator. pedro Narvaez had his attorney Mr. William M. Moran and Freddy Perez had his attorney Douglas C. Hart- man. The government had one Of the Asst. D.A. by the name Of Walter Furr plus his assistant Gregory Miller plus Mr. Richard Crawford Of the D.E.A. and Mr. Taman Of Customs.
Mr. Frank Winkles also had one man in the back to use for errands. I had Cecilia my wife there from the time she arrived she didn't leave the courtroom. My daughter Krisula and daughter- in- law Haven (Michael's wife at the time) and a few other friends were also at the trial. I was cold in the courtroom so Krisula and Haven went out and bought me a jacket, it kept me from freezing. There were sixty people's men and women, young and old as candidates for the Jury. Only twelve are picked for the Jury and four alternates. The rest which is two more alternates will be picked tomorrow the 5th of October. The Judge asked for twenty people so we could pick out two alternates. I found the procedure very interesting. This was the first time under these conditions. The picking went all morning and every now and then the Judge, who by the way was George C. Carr would call the attorneys and the Government people next to his bench to discuss in private anything he needed related to the case.
At 12 noon we were escorted out of the courtroom after everyone left for lunch and through the exit room to the bottom floor where the holding pen was. This time we were cuffed with our hands to our backs. In the holding pen we had pepper steak sandwiches with cokes, which we had previously ordered through the man in charge of the holding pens. This fellow is in charge of all on the first floor. I think his name was Tony. Anyhow he is a nice guy. We ate and returned with the same pro- cedure at 1 p.m. to the courtroom.
All afternoon was used to pick the Jury and by 5:00 p.m. we still lacked two alternates, which were left for tomorrow to pick. When the Jury left, the Judge and the attorneys started to go over procedures and to explain some of the motions presented to the judge previously. Most of the business was left for the next day and the Judge did turn down some of the motions we had. About 5:30 p.m. we were returned to holding pens at the courtroom building and then to the county jail, same proced- ure as before. I was kind of tired, but it was very interesting how thing function in the courtroom. I got in my cell 2N7 and it wasn't long after that they brought me supper. Everyone in the cell wanted to know how things went, so for the next two hours I explained things to them. I went to bed by midnight in order to be able to wake up early the next morning for court. According to Judge Carr, court was to last six to seven weeks. Chapter 46 October 5, 1988. I got up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for court. For some reason I was left or forgotten until about 8:45 a.m. This is very late. I barely made it to court. I would have imagined that I would have been picked up earlier today. Today we were sup- posed to pick out two more alternates. I actually arrive in court at 9:30 a.m. and in the next few minutes the Judge entered and ordered the court in session. Judge Carr had some motions to think about overnight, so at this time before Jury arrival they Judge started the business Of the day.
Judge Carr accepted to try pedro Narvaez and Freddy Perez and myself separate. This was discussed by the attorneys, D. A. and the Judge. Judge Carr also said that as we were to be tried separately, we could have up to twelve jurors or not less then nine jurors. so, Frank Winkles and I decided we would stay with what Jury we had and not to add anymore. As soon as this was settled, the other co-defenders and their attorneys were excused by the Judge. The Jury was asked to enter. The Judge explained what his decision was and explained what the Jury was to do and what they could expect for time last Of the trial as up to what was happening. After all this was settled the Judge started court by letting the D.A. have two hours for the opening session. The D.A. explained to the Jury, that he will prove that I was the mastermind Of the importation Of the cocaine and that the documents were forged shipment ordered and paid by me. After the D.A., my attorney Mr. Frank Winkles was allowed two hours to explain to the court my innocence and my background. After the attorneys, the Judge asked the D.A. to put their first witness to the stand. This was the Customs man who received the Southern Sky, upon arrival in St. Petersburg--Bayboro Harbor. The D.A.'s first witness stayed on the stand until the ter- mination of the court day for today.
At noon I was taken down to the holding pens of the Marshall and given a Cuban sandwich and a coke. At the holding pens were three people that I met in 2N7 the first time of being jailed and there were three Haitians from the cell C-B in Kissim- mee and Everret Jones the bank robber who was waiting for trail in Kissimmee. At 1 p.m. I was returned to the courtroom and the session got started again. At about 5:30 p.m. was returned to the holding pen and on to the Hillsborough County Jail where my temporary home was. Change street clothes for jail uniforms and back to 2N7. After supper I sat down to analyze what was said in court, the D.A. talking without knowing what he is talking about. The Customs man does not know the operations of the ships at the St. Petersburg--Bayboro Harbor. He left something out. He forgot or did it intentionally. Who knows? Nor does he know Customs procedures. For the last six years lumber shipments after cleared by Customs and Agri- culture Dept. and the ship cleared by Customs, Agriculture and Immigration have proceeded to where ever the consignee de- sired. Customs normally is there at the ship controlling what comes out of the ship. My attorney Frank Winkles is forgetting what I have been telling him and also given it to him in writing. I made notes on all this and I will see what happens tomorrow.
My court case started Oct. 4, 1988 and lasted until Oct. 3 1, 1988. The Jury started deliberation on the morning of the 1st of November at 9:30 a.m.
I accepted the Oct. 29 and 30 to get on the stand and try to explain everything I was asked by my attorney and the assistant D.A. Mr. Furr. This was the first time I had ever gone to court. I didn't realize that the truth was no good. I couldn't believe what I hearing. I figured that the D.A. and D.E.A. wouldn't set up witness to testify against me. I thought that the D.A., even though it is a part of the government, that ones proves his right he would consider this. What I found out is that the more they could lie, the more data they can suppress from the court the best they liked it. What matters is a guilty charge and it doesn't make a difference if you are innocent or how they get it. I was told that everything that is in the discovery is what they want to clear up. At the last minute, the D.A. came up with one picture Of Tabatinga, Brazil showing about four to five shacks that were about seven feet high and out Of boards. I don't believe that it took over thirty pieces Of two by fours by twelve feet long, and a forty-eight pieces Of three fourths inches by eight inches wide by twelve feet long boards to build each shack. I could probably build a better one with the above mater- ials. Another picture showed another shack with writing on the outside saying that they make excursions on the Amazons. These are pictures to show that what I said about Tabatinga, Brazil was a lie. These pictures were presented by Mr. Crawford Of the D.E.A., it clearly shows they are lying, and the D.A. gets upset when one claims they are lying. During the weekend I got a hold Of my brother in law in Leticia and asked him to take about twenty pictures Of Tabatinga, Brazil. Ken Nesbitt met the Avianca flight in Miami and received the roll Of film from one Of Avianca's flight attendant. Ken flew the film to the St. Petersburg/ Clearwater airport where Cecilia was waiting to pick the roll up. My wife had a one hour photo shop opened on a Sunday night so she could get three sets Of pictures developed for $ 160.00. got the pictures in time for court but because everything was closed on the 30th they wouldn't let my attorney Mr. Winkles present the pictures. Yet still the D.A. gets mad about anyone saying that the D.E.A. is lying. I would like to send a copy to the D.E.A. and one copy to the D.A. to set the record straight.
On the 31 st Of October, the closing statements got started about 9:30 a.m. by Mr. Furr Of the D.A. Mr. Furr was talking and accusing me for about two and a half hours. Then, Mr. Frank Winkles my attorney started to explain who was and an ex- planation of what happened and that the Government did not show beyond a reasonable doubt on my case against me. Next up was Mr . Furr who and he mad as hell with Mr. Winkles' closing debate. So, Mr. Furr threw in crap, bull and a smoke screen into his debate still trying to condemn me.
It's hard for me to believe what is going on. I can't really believe that the D.A. and the D.E.A. thinks that I am bad beyond a doubt. It makes me feel bad. I thought I was a pro American U.S. citizen and a model citizen of the United States when I trav- eled. I have talked so much of the fairness of our Judicial Department and how one in the U.S. is innocent until proven guilty beyond a doubt. I wanted to shake Mr. Furr's and Mr. Crawford's hand and tell them that if they ever need information on the Amazon upper river area that I would be at their service. Now, it looks like what they would rather rely on is information from agents or individuals that would lie to make a case for the Government. No matter whom it hurts...... The courtroom on Monday the 31 st of October 1988 was filled with friends that came to hear the closing debates. It was nice to see everyone even though I could only raise my hand to make a motion to them. I called my wife after retiring into my cell to talk to her on what went on in the courtroom as she really doesn't understand all the goes on. I told her longer they take for the verdict the better as they are going through all the papers. I also told her that it wouldn't be necessary to go to the courtroom and wait. That it might be a few days that I would call her. I told her if they turn me loose that I would go home with the investigator but she said she wants to bring me home.
On Tuesday November 1 , 1988 , I got up early as normal and got ready in the usual manner. I was ready to go when the officer came at 7:30 a.m. to pick me up and get my clothes changed. As I come into the property room I see Paul Haulk. He arrived yesterday from Kissimmee, Oseola County Jail and was in the holding pen for twelve hours before he was put in the 300 cell. Since he was in 2N7 before he and I thought they would put him in 2N7 as he had spent about three months before there. He was upset, he had brought some canteen items for me, like popcorn, potato chips, peanut rolls etc. and now it would be im- possible to get them to me.
Paul was dressed out and ready to go before the Judge. He pleaded guilty and he is hoping to get only five years. Last time he was here he was told the plea bargain the D.A. wanted was fifteen years. He wouldn't sign. Now today his attorney said he was pretty sure he could get him four to five years and so he pleaded guilty. Now he is at the mercy Of the court. Paul is a terrific guy that has learned form his mistakes and has a great determination to go on and do something Of him. Like he said, "to much time has gone by I have to do something for my family and myself". Paul was returned to the jail. He has asked the Marshall to move him from 300 to 2N7. They said they would. I will see when I get back. so today have spent all day at the holding pen on the first floor Of the Federal Court House building. I am supposed to be on stand by in case the Jury might get the verdict that it wouldn't take me long to be able to return to court to face the Jury. I spent the day reading the newspaper, magazines and writing on this book. I had a pepper sandwich, coke, and potato chips for lunch. I will stay here until the Jury adjourns for the day.
Wednesday November 2, 1988. I got up at 4:00 a.m. and got some breakfast, then I went back to bed until 5:30 a.m. When I woke up the second time it was to shower and be ready to be picked up at 7:30 a.m. to be taken to the property room. There I finished get ready and changed clothes, and then they put in a holding cell until the Marshall's came and get me. The Mar- shall's put a chain around my waist were the handcuffs are attached to plus cuffs for my legs. In the holding cell at the Mar- shall's omce I will again have to wait until the Jury comes back with a verdict. This morning Frank Winkles my attorney came by and we talked for over an hour. We talked about how the investigation can be done, in order to clear myself in the eyes of the D.A. and the D.E.A... Irve made a several page memorandum of the way it should be conducted if I am found guilty. If I am found innocent I will keep Winkles and Mr. Dweyer, my investigator so I could investigate the case with them and produce the paperwork to clear my name beyond a doubt. Frank mentioned that it would be a good idea for my family and friends to come everyday to the court house and wait just outside until the Jury brings the verdict. Frank said it would be a good gesture and the Jury would see that this way. Like there is someone that cares for me out there.
About 10:00 a.m. I was called upstairs. Man, I thought maybe the Jury had reached a verdict. I thought that was hell. I was told that if the Jury comes back fast, it's because it's a guilty verdict. What it was that the Jury wanted a VHS unit and T.V. as they wanted to see the tapes again. My attorney Winkles and the D.A. Mr. Furr accepted, so I was returned to the cell down- stairs, and keep waiting.
At 3:30 p.m. I was called back to the courtroom. The Jury came back to all four counts as guilty. What a blow! I couldn't believe it, but it's true. Now I was brought back to the holding cell and the Jury is out to see my forfeiture to everything I owned. The Jury came back saying yes to forfeiture on all belonging to Amazon Trader of Pinellas County Inc., to Tarpon Financial Center, To Amazon Sky, to Southern Sky, to Barellan Inc., to Fenton Shipping Inc., to Hanko Inc., and to Indaura Inc. All this was hard to believe, all the work of sixty-one years down the drain. After all the good prestige I had all these years and now my government thinks I am no good and a smuggler of cocaine. I have to come back for sentencing January 17, 1989 at 9:00 a.m. I will take my case to the 1 1 th District of Atlanta, Georgia for my appeal then a retrial.
On Friday November 4, 1988, I was moved to the Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, 16425 Spring Hill Dr., Brooksville, Florida. Paul Haulk, Manuel Palma, Jose Palma, Frank Mannon and I were picked up by the Marshall at 2:00 p.m. for the transporta- tion to the Hernando County C.C.A. Jail. We arrived at about 3:00 p.m. and placed in a holding cell by the time they processed us it was 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning. I was tired and worn out. I thought I wouldn't be able to make it. Itis been a long time since I have felt this way. I was put in cell E-49. This is a new jail this section was opened only two weeks ago. We were given everything new, uniforms, bedding, blankets etc. What a change. The mattresses and pillow are terrific. I slept terrific. On November 5 , 1988, Breakfast was given to us at 6:30 a.m. We had pancakes which were good, piece of ham, good coffee and orange juice. After breakfast I return to sleep awhile and woke up at 11:00 a.m. to take a shower and organize my per- sonal belongings. We were given a large plastic box that could be locked for our personal things. It's hard to believe there is this much difference in the jail and the others. There are twelve cells, three men each inside this large area. That is six cells on the first floor and six cells on the second floor. The lounge or area outside of the cell is very big I would say off the bat about 7 5' X 7 5' area. Plus three showers upstairs and three showers downstairs. In the actual sleeping cell E-49 there is three bunk beds and a stainless steal sink and toilet with a wall up. This is a big change, a wall. You can be half way private while on the toilet.
Lunch was served about 12:30 p.m. We had a large portion of broccoli, and a large portion of beef stew. Both were delicious. We got two home made biscuits and a cup of chocolate ice cream, to drink orange drink. Luckily I sat nest to Manuel Palma and he gave me his chocolate ice cream. All this was too much to be true. The telephone is on twenty-four hours a day and the telephone also receives calls. So for the first time one can call me. On the weekend starting on Friday we are not locked in at 11:30 p.m... So Friday night, through Saturday night until Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. we are not locked in and we can use the telephone. During the week there is a lock down at 11:30 p.m. and the T.V. and all lights get turned off. On Monday the 7th of November 1988 we went out for recreation. I believe that Kissimmee, Oseola Count Jail was much better. Here in Brooksville we were given two areas with all concrete floors and high walls of the surrounding buildings on all four sides. We got one soccer ball, two footballs to throw around and two small balls for hand ball. You can imagine the mess, everyone getting in everyone's way.
On the 9th of November 1988 1 decided to call Jack Greenburg to find out what Washington can do to help me. I figured he believed me and he was in the courtroom three days during my trial and the Government would not let him testify on my behalf. Jack said he will get in touch with his people and call me back, in two to three days. Jack called me the next day, the 10th of November telling me that he talked to his people and that I should get in touch with Mike Powers of the D.E.A. in Tampa. Mike Powers would tell me what they need. I called Mike Powers; Jack said to use only my first name when I am asked for whom is calling. This I did. I got through to Mike Powers and he said that he talked to Mr. Frank Winkles two times during the trial and one time after the trial, but Winkles didn't tell me anything about the talks he had with Mike Powers. Mike Powers said that I can talk direct with them or have my attorney there with me. Mike Powers said to call him by 11 :OO a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the next day and tell him which way I would want to go. I said okay, and hung up the phone. I called Frank and explained what happened the last two days with the phone calls with Mike Powers and Jack Greenburg. I asked Winkles to come here at Hernando County C.C.A. Jail in Brooksville and talk with me. He said that it was impossible until Monday or Tuesday that he would call Mike Powers and put it off until he has talked with me, which was okay with me. On the 1 lth day of Nov. about 8:00 a.m. Jack Greenburg called again and said that he heard that the meeting was held up by my attorney for a few days. Jack said that I should be very honest with Mike Powers and that they were after a person that I knew very well. That if I helped them that they would see that I would get my walking papers. I talked for a few minutes with Jack. He finally said that everything could have been straightened out during the trial, but because of my attorney Win- Ides it wasn't that the D.A. could have fixed the Jury so I would have been off. I told Jack that various witnesses lied like Mr. Richard Crawford. Jack said, that's normal, he said you can't trust Crawford, but this is how the Government works. They have to lie if they don't have you dead to rights and they pay witnesses in order to get a conviction. Then, they will get back to you, saying you got 100 years, now if you tell us what we want to know we can get you off. We really don't want you we want so and so. It should be noted that when I was talking to Mike Powers he said that I am facing 30 years to life. He also told me that if I didn't want to do this time I should cooperate and they could work something out. The last thing that Jack Greenburg said to me was; listen to what Mike Powers has to say, then call me and I will help you. What a mess. What do they want? Do I have to lie to them to get out? If I know what they want me to tell them, I would- beyond a doubt, no problem. What if I don't know, would they believe me? I would like to be fair with the government, but I have to think on what I really know to be a fact not hearsay. I got convicted on pure hearsay and the D.A. knows it. They don't care if they destroy one man and his family. After all these years I tried to raise my family with all the care and preaching against drugs and now I am convicted on a drug charge that I didn't know anything about. Chapter 50 On November 22nd, 1988 the head of the D.E.A. in this area Mr. Mike Powers, the assistant D.A. Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Frank Win- Ides and Mr. Tom Fotopoulos came to talk to me. I had called Mr. Jack Greenburg, to find out what this was happening to me and what he could do. Mr. Greenburg called Mr. Mike Powers and set the meeting up. On the 15th of December we were advised from a Mr. Brown that we would have coffee and donuts Wednesday night the 21 st of December. This was part of being here in the Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, for Christmas. On the last canteen order we were also given $2.00 against ordering something from the canteen. On Wednesday the 21 st of Dec also the Salvation Army gave us a coffee cup and one pair of white socks. We were also advised by Mr. Brown that we will have contact visits for the 22nd, 23rd, and the 24th. This would be terrific. From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Yesterday December 20, 1988, my wife Cecilia had papers from the Grand Jury served on her. According to the papers she has to be in Tampa for the Grand Jury session at 9:00 a.m. on the 7th of February 1988. I guess they made a mistake on date and put 1988 instead of 1989. What now? The Government doesn't quite. I can't believe this. She said they wanted finger prints, pictures and a hand writing analysis. After receiving this information I call Mr. Frank Winkles. He said he would rep- resent Cecilia, and would check and see what it was all about.
On the 22nd, Thursday my wife Cecilia, son Dimitrios, son George, grandson Michael Coriaty and granddaughter Cilia Coriaty came to see me. The get together was in the court area were we played basketball. It was very nice and the area was full of visitors. After the visit we were given a good shake down before going to our cells. The authorities didn't want us to take anything back to our cells that we shouldn't have.
On the 23rd, my mother Maria, sister Goldie, wife Cecilia, daughter Asteropi, son George, Goldie's granddaughter Daniel, grandson Michael Coriaty, a friend Joe Bobo, another friend David Hilton and my son Michael and his wife Haven came to visit me. It was terrific that they would let all these people in at one time. Goldie brought a plate of Greek pastries for each of the personnel of the Hernando County C .C.A. Jail and also enough for the approximate 200 inmates so we can have one each. I know that Goldie had to talk like hell to get these pastries in. The pastries were made by Goldie and her friend in Tar- pon; this was nice that they think enough about you to go thru all that problem. Goldie also brought enough candy that was placed at the exit of the jail for the children to get a handful on their way out. Today the 24th of December. I had my wife Cecilia, my daughter Krisula, my son George, my grandson Michael, a friend Magola, a friend George Roberts, a friend David Hilton with his wife Denise and their son Jeffery come and visit me. The visit was great. I just hope they will keep it up. This was a contact visit on the basketball court. There are a lot of people out there. It was nice to see that I had more persons visiting me than any other inmate. The contact visit lasted two hours. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and after supper looking at the T.V. We were shown a VHS cassette movie. Then I waited until after midnight to call home.
A PRISONER'S CHRISTMAS: Taw's the night before Christmas, and all through the jail, not an inmate was stirring, not one out on bail. I in my long johns, with visions of open doors and running abound, when a sound caught my attention off in the dark. Could it be Santa? Or is it a lark? I leaped from my bed, for curiosity's sake, and looked down the hall for a dis- cerning shape. Is it him? Could it be? Or is it something forbidden? Oh shit, back in bed here comes, the warden.
I called at 12:30 a.m. on the 25th of December. Everyone was up. Santa Clause was giving out the gifts. I tried to talk with Michael and Cilia, but they wanted their gifts. I was able to talk with my wife Cecilia, and our children Krisula, Dimitrios, and George. Asteropi had gone to deliver some gifts. Everyone felt bad that I wasn't there. Twenty-two years married to Ce- cilia and I haven't missed a Christmas with her and the children. I felt awful and so I hung up the telephone and went right to bed. It was hell. I later woke up at 6:00 a.m. for breakfast and I took a shower and now I am waiting for 8:30 a.m. to call my family, Goldie, my mother, and Marie and her family in New York.
Here in Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, all will be the same, our meals on time, head count every so often, read, write, phone calls, watch T.V., and conversations among inmates.
Today, 27th of December, Tuesday, I sent the attorney Frank Winkles four additional motions to file with Judge Carr Before the 17th of January. Frank had filed one motion to suppress the new guidelines on the basis that they are unconstitutional and another motion on the finding and presentation in court of the four keys that Freddy had on him when arrested by the D.E.A. on the 3rd of May. Frank asked for a retrial on this motion.
The following are a list of motions that my attorney Frank Winkles filed with the court on my case: UNDATED 7/01/88 8/16/88 9/16/88 9/16/88 9/--/88 10/03/88 Motion to revoke or amend Magistrate's detention order 5/18/88 Memorandum in support of motion to revoke or amend Magistrate's detention order Motion to dismiss 7/26/88 Motion to dismiss Indictment Or, in the Alternative, Segregate Evidence and Quash outstanding third party Grand Jury Subpoenas. Motion to Suppress Evidence Motion to Suppress Evidence Seized through Abuse Motion to Dismiss due to Destruction of Evidence Motion to Dismiss Due to Destruction of Evidence Motion and Memorandum for Change of Venue of Process
Susan Lauery has called Goldie, she was in Leticia, and she would like to write on my case. This is for T.V. She is willing to come to the Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, and wants Mr. Frank Winkles my attorney to be present as she doesn't want to put on T.V. something that will hurt me on my appeal. I have written Mr. Frank Winkles on this and I am waiting an answer. Frank Winkles wanted me to get some character reference letter from people that know me. But at the time he told me he said that he would only use five to six letters. I have thought this over and have also written him to present all letters to Judge Carr, if he reads them all okay, if not I will use them on my appeal and retrial. Friday, Dec. 30, 1988, I decided to do two things one is to call Mr. Jack Greenburg to thank him "Jack, I want to thank you for your lack of support on my case, you preferred to accept the tale of the Government authorities in this area, against my say so, and fifteen years of knowing me and how I work and think. I can't believe after you and Washington authorities choose me to help in the Peruvian covert operation, that now I am no one. You did this knowing that I am right against loosing you friends in Washington. I thought you were a fighter of the truth and rights of a person, especially one like me that you know. Thanks again and good bye.
In the cell next door holds state inmates. About two weeks ago two black inmates tried to rape one white inmate. Finally the two black inmates where placed in a separate holding cell for their indecent act. Now I understand that one ofthese two was appointed as a trustee. This is hard to believe.
I am in cell E which is very disorganized in compared to cell D The Jamaicans literally raise hell, loud mouths, dirty, and talk back to the offices, especially to the women officers; they keep the television on until lock down for the night. Raise all kind of hell calling one another names from one room to the other and turn on the TV. loud in the morning so no one can sleep. Paul and I tried four different times to get transferred to cell D, but nothing. Fights arising with whites and Jamaicans have resulted to transfers to cell D In occasions just request stating racial problems with the blacks has been used for transfers to D cell. Paul and I just wanted to get transferred, Paul because of noise and he can't sleep. Personally I wanted to go with Paul as he has become a good friend. I do not have anything to say against the Jamaicans. I keep my mouth shut but can't get a transfer to cell D What a mess. The only way is to fight with the blacks or lie about it. Today, December 31, 1988 last day of 1988, I am sitting here this morning thinking of what happened in 1988 and what the future holds for me in 1989.
1988, I began the year with difficulties in making payments to Cari Bank on the construction loan on Tarpon Financial Center of $3 dollars. The reason for the difficulty was lack of tenants plus promised the loan for a take out bank and also for a loan from a foreign bank that didn't materialized. My on the premises leasing agent Jonas Brumett was no Damn good, more mouth than accomplishments.
Arrest on May 3rd and in jail May 4th on cocaine charges. Innocent, but the D.E.A. and Customs figured and lied to make a good enough story against me. Jury finds me guilty and here I am awaiting sentencing in Hernando County C.C. A Jail. U.S. Government covert operations with me exposed by my attorney and Mr. Jack Greenburg, the U.S. Government man. U.S. Government has taken everything from me, Tarpon Financial Center, which I bought with a loan from Cari Bank, cars and trucks belonging to me, wife, children and the business, bank accounts etc. None of which were bought with illegally earned money. The Government has not done this to others arrested in other areas. I understand that the middle district of Florida is harsher. The Government wants you family on the street and start drawing food stamps and welfare program, making it more of a burden to the tax payers, instead of being out there working and paying taxes. I stayed up to midnight on the 31 st of Dec. 1988 in order to wish my family a Happy New Year. For 1989, I want to be able to get out of jail by a presidential pardon, or by the appeals court in Atlanta, throwing my case out of court or by the appeals court overthrowing the Jury verdict and new guidelines for the Judge or await for a retrial to be found Not Guilty. The new guidelines on sentencing are unconstitutional and should be thrown out. If anyone of the above works I should be out of jail in 1989 and working before the end of the year 1989.
I started the new year of Jan 1, 1989 by getting up for breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and taking a shower and then calling my wife, children, my sister, and my mother. I have a good feeling for the year 1989.
On January 3rd. 1989 at about 6:00 p.m. an offcer came by asking Paul Haulkto get ready and his baggage that he was going. Paul had to be in court on the 4th but he figured that he wouldn't have to leave before the next morning of the 4th. Paul was huffing and puffing as his attorney made the move to be able to talk to him in Tampa. His attorney has been coming up to Brooksville for the last week to talk with him. The attorney didn't care that Paul would have to sit in a holding cell at the Hillsborough County Jail for about twelve hours while getting processed. Anyhow Paul went out, worried about his sentencing. The D.A. wanted to hang him. They were talking for a fifteen year sentencing. Paul wanted a three year sentencing but he would accept five years without to much trouble.
Paul on the 4th of January 1989 was given three years. Paul must be a happy man. He has been in jail since the 3rd of May. That is eight months. If he got three years, this means he would sewe about one year on the old guidelines. So he will probably be out by this June. I will probably receive a letter from Paul explaining everything. I know he had some state charges. I don't know if these were included in the settlement.
Goldie, my sister went to Tampa yesterday on the fourth to pickup the transcript on my case and still there are on the 8th volume. Something is wrong. Over a month ago they had eight volumes and everything was supposed to be ready by the week before Christmas. Now it's still the same eight volumes. She was furious. I will call the attorney and find out what is happening. Goldie wanted to take my transcript to an attorney in Atlanta, Georgia for reviewing before she decided who will take my appeals case.
On the 5th of January 19891 received my P.S.I., pre sentencing investigation. By law I am supposed to receive my P.S.I. five days before sentencing which is the 17th and I have ten days to answer. Because of the delay in receiving my P.S.I., I will ask for a thirty day delay on my sentencing. This was also recommended by my appeals attorney of Atlanta. The Government wants for has charged me with a level 42 , and category 1 and he is asking for a sentencing of 360 months to life. I almost got a 43 level giving me life sentencing. I have sat down ever since I received this P.S.I. to figure it out. I have made a complete report on my P.S.I. and as I see it, it is super rough. I have found out that this is normal for the Government P.S.I. man to do. I was told that I better hire a private P.S.I. man to make up my report and fight for me. I am getting in touch with this attorney to see what he can do. By dropping to a 36 level would only give me 188 to 235 months.
One ofmy last statements that I have is after hearing tales of homosexuals and talking with inmates that are presently and have had time in jail before. It's our government's fault for what is happening in jail and prison. Also what happens when an inmate has served his time and is released? You are not allowed to have sex while in jail, after having sex most of your life. So by the time one is released most oftheir wives or love ones, have divorced them or have gone off with someone else. What is it to do now? Have you ever stopped to think what you would do if this happened to you.
I personally have had a good sex life and lived for my sex life. I am not a dirty old man. I live and don't believe in drinking, I have never drunk. I live and don't believe in smoking, I have never smoked. I live and don't believe in drugs, I have never done drugs. But I do believe in sex. Something that God gave me and the States should not be able to take it away from me. And I've raised and love my family. I live for my family. This is what I was placed on the earth to believe by God. Everything that I worked for is for my wife and children and also if my mother or sister or brother needs. I don't think that this is think- ing nor doing bad. So whatever comes out by one loosing his family and changes his morals it's the Government to blame. The Government of the United States by an Act of Congress has declared that the bible is "The Word of God" and "Holy Scrip- ture". (PUBLIC LAW 97-28 OF OCT 4, 1982)
My family and my friends keep telling me, don't worry, believe in God and justice will be done. I have believed in God all my life by being brought up in a strict Greek Orthodox home and my family built the Saint Michael's Shrine next to our home on 113 Hope Street. My mother takes care of St. Michael Shrine and prays for me each day. I was hoping that Judge George C. Carr, Mr. Walter Furr, Mr. Richard Crawford and Mr. Taman (Customs) had enough religion in them to see the light. I hope that my incarceration, the destruction of my family will be on their conscious the rest of their lives. TRIAL PEDRO NARVAEZ AND FREDDY PEREZ: pedro and Freddy are my co-defenders. This is what they are called when they are in the same case with you. The case was tried by a different Jury than who tried my case and Judge George C. Carr was the Judge. Judge Carr was also on my case. Pedro and Freddy after being in court around three weeks the Jury was out for fifty-five minutes and came back with a guilty verdict on all four counts. They had the same counts as me. Sentencing for them was set by Judge Carr for February 15, 1989.
According to other inmates that were in the same cell in Sarasota with both Pedro and Freddy, Pedro was pulled out ofthe cell several times by the D.E.A. and the D.A. to talk. A deal was made for Pedro to denounce me so he would go free or get a drastic reduction of his sentencing. The attorney of Pedro, Mr. Moran of Miami, Florida told several attorneys visiting the courtroom during and especially December 1, 1988 that Pedro Narvaez would get out on a non-guilty verdict. Mr. Moran told a person the day before he went to trial on Pedro's case that he gave Mr. Winkles, Mike's attorney to beat the case, but he screwed up, now it's his chance to get his client off. Which he could do, is what he said. I guess for the deal that Pedro struck with the D.E.A. and the D.A. in the Sarasota County Jail.
As far as Freddy was concerned, I understood that he also was pulled out of the cell in Sarasota County Jail by the D.E.A. and the D.A. for a deal. But Freddy told them that I did not know anything about the shipment nor did he know anything about the shipment. While Freddy was going to court these last few weeks the D.E.A. and the D.A. made him a deal to tell what he knew about the case and accused me and instead of thirty years to one hundred years that he will get, that, they would talk to the Judge to get him off in five years. He agreed. I was told he signed a statement in the courtroom and the D.A. didn't accept the testimony of Freddy. The D.A. said, that what he said, they already knew, so the D.A. tore up the plea bargain of five years. Freddy returned to cell in Hillsborough Count Jail #300, closed himself in the cell and cut his wrist to commit suicide. I understand Pedro found him in a poodle of blood, unconscious. Freddy was taken to the clinic downstairs and worked on. I also understand that for the last three weeks he was chained leg to leg, waist to wrists and strapped to a bed, except for eating and bathing.
As I said in the first chapter of this book I was arrested on charges of cocaine on May 3, 1988, and booked on May 4, 1988, convicted on Wednesday November 2, and sentenced to 328 months in jail on February 15 , 1989. I was finally released under the Second Chance Act on August 3 , 2009 and placed in the Goodwill Halfway House in Tampa. Then, on February 23 , 2012 I was released from house arrest. For a man who believed so strongly in the justice system, I still can't believe that I spent more than two decades in jail for crimes I did not commit.
My name and reputation are still smeared online. In fact, nowhere online will you find anything that says I'm innocent. Sure, you will find quotes from people who to this day don't believe I did the crimes I was convicted of, but no one has publicly stated on the record that I was an innocent man who was convicted and caged like the animals I used to catch. I'm not an animal, I am a human being and what was done to me was wrong.
These days I still feel like I am in prison. I may be free of the walls and bars that kept me from physical freedom, but I will never feel free again. My family and I continue to fight to get back the things that belonged to us and were stripped of us as a result of these wrongful convictions, but even if we do win any of these futile battles nothing can give me back the time that was taken from me.
So many years ago all I wanted was to build up a town that I had moved to and make it a better place. I built an airstrip, funded a hospital, got modern equipment to furnish that hospital, built a hotel, owned an island, owned several planes, and so much more, but no one remembers any ofthat. All they remember about Jungle Mike is that he was convicted in part of the second largest cocaine bust in United States history of it's time. It is my hope that with the writing ofthis book you will see the other side to the story my side of the story and hopefully even though this may be the end ofthe book you're reading right now this won't be the end of my story.
Want to learn more about Jungle Mike BEFORE the convictions that ruined his life and what he is up to these days? Follow Mike on his blog TheAdventuresofJungleMike.com.
[1] See "Milk Fever" in htW;,' /en.wikipediaMVwiki/Milk fever for more information about this health condition.
[2] Antioch College approached me in 1968 to form a co-op student program. They would send as many students as I needed in Leticia for three to six months to work and learn the hospitality industry including tourism and hotel management. This program lasted four years. The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia becomes involved after a US citizen has been held at least 72 hours.
