Jungle Mike
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-Jungle Mike - From Animal Trapper to Being Caged like an...
--This is the True Story of the "Largest Cocaine Bust in ...
*Preface [#y6ca98a8]
I was preparing for a business trip to Greece. I was head...
"I wonder what poor bastard did something wrong," I said.
Then, suddenly I realized the lights were for me. I was b...
agents. After my car was inspected I was ordered to drive...
What cocaine? I wondered. I told Crawford that I didn't k...
I said I had nothing to hide and before I knew it my ware...
*Acknowledgments [#cc960b82]
I dedicate the story that follows to my dear wife, Cecili...
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 ...
Your Honor, I plea to you to consider my sentencing to se...
Judge, when you said in your opening statement that I had...
The thing that has puzzled me for day one of my arrest, w...
Your Honor, I believe myself at the age of 61 to be intel...
If everything that I said in this statement seems self-se...
The previous statements are actual excerpts I said in cou...
--"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that ...
*Chapter 1 [#p890f757]
As youngsters we are taught that when someone commits a c...
I was arrested on charges of cocaine on May 3, 1988, and ...
I worked as a model citizen 100% for the United States of...
Finally, on February 15, 1989 1 was sentenced to 328 mont...
I spent more than two decades in jail for crimes I did no...
This book is my way of telling my side of the story. Than...
At the age of twelve I joined the Boy Scouts and became v...
After this I served as acting Scout Master even though I ...
Not only was I active in the scouts, I also worked at the...
**My First Rattle Snake [#n6d54dfa]
You never forget your first rattle snake and I caught my...
I walked back to camp with it to our reptile guy and whe...
Knowing I had no experience with snakes and seeing me wi...
*Chapter 2 [#jc6ccba8]
It was 1946; I had graduated from Tarpon Springs High Sch...
From 1946 to 1947 I served in the United States Army, but...
After Mexico I went to San Jose, Costa Rica to collect mo...
It was during all of this traveling that Trudie Jerkins l...
Then, in 1951 I ended up in Arrived in Barranquilla, Colo...
**Food poisoning in a foreign country [#o6aaeb8d]
In my travels one of the places I ended up in was Teguci...
Luckily, I managed to remember Roberto's sister's phone ...
I can definitely say that is one incident I didn't ever ...
*Chapter 3 [#oc8d93be]
My first attempt to go to Leticia was in 1952. I met a ma...
During this I also lived with Miguel and his family, but ...
A young and attractive lady named Laura worked behind the...
We had our first date that evening and walked up the stre...
We finished our Cokes and I walked with Laura about a blo...
I knew from experience that most fathers can be very prot...
The next day I went to buy some more stamps and mail lett...
I walked Laura back to her home again after we finished o...
On our third date I had simply planned to enjoy our Cokes...
As soon as we got to Laura's place she disappeared. I fea...
Laura's mom kept bringing me cafezinhos and as I continue...
*Chapter 4 [#wc4503b8]
Laura and I lived together in my hotel room for the next ...
Every day at 5: 15 pm, like clockwork, I would meet Laura...
About two weeks after living together, I gathered Laura, ...
I was still set on going to Leticia for my business, but ...
I was sad to realize I would be going to Leticia on my ow...
I bought a one-way airline ticket to Leticia in Belem and...
When Ray approached me I knew it wouldn't be a good conve...
The next morning I woke up bright and early, said goodbye...
**Dirty Dealings [#te3fa880]
Apparently my issues with Ray Perez left him contemplati...
Unbeknownst to me he planned for a speed boat to collect...
As soon as we deplaned in Benjamin Constant Ray hopped i...
*Chapter 5 [#ea478395]
In August 1953, I finally arrived in Leticia, Colombia fr...
We had to land in the water several yards offshore and th...
Max Oldenburg, the Leticia dispatcher of the Pan Air do B...
The Leticia port wasn't much to look at. In fact, the who...
*Chapter 6 [#rfa9fa16]
Alfonso Galindo, who was a pan Air do Brasil agent I met ...
There was a door that adjoined Senor Campos' room, but it...
Once I unpacked a bit and caught my breath, I went to see...
Pedro, one of Alfonso's employees, carried the motor to t...
Of course, because of our already cemented tiff, Ray told...
On the Peruvian side of the Amazon River just three kilom...
Julio was a significant local trader who traded and barte...
Julio and his guys helped me load the box with the anacon...
Max told me there was a man named Luis E. Diaz in town wh...
The hard part would be getting the snake out of Julio's b...
After making sure no one was around, we slowly and quietl...
By nightfall, I had become the talk of Leticia because of...
Once Ray left I took my place as the dominant buyer in Le...
*Chapter 7 [#gb119c45]
In 1953 Leticia was a small, sleepy and unprepossessing r...
There was little to no modern infrastructure in Leticia a...
I got the model and make of the plant's generator and wir...
I found the Leticianos to be very friendly and warm peopl...
I knew from the start that I was going to need reliable a...
Leticia had a small air strip, eight hundred meters long ...
So, I hired a small crew and we all staked out the strip,...
Several days later we had cleared and spruced up the stri...
The next challenge would be to convince the ASA that the ...
I was praying and keeping my fingers crossed that the pil...
*Chapter 8 [#b7324592]
I stayed in Senor Ocampos' boarding house for about three...
Senor Ocampos didn't like his standard fare either so he ...
**The Anaconda Gets Loose [#qd9236ce]
One night I went to see a movie at the local movie house...
Somehow it had worked its way out of its box. I froze in...
Apparently one of the boards on the box had weakened bec...
I put the flashlight in my mouth and as quietly as possi...
As luck would have it, Senor Ocampos did wake up while a...
*Chapter 9 [#g7b89530]
Alfonso Galindo, a native of Leticia, rented me a house a...
The day I moved out of Senor Ocampos' boarding house we t...
Not surprisingly, Senor Ocampos nearly threw a fit after ...
After securing the house I spent time settling into the n...
**Yahauarcaca Lakes [#ad87e6af]
I remembered that on my second day in Leticia, somebody ...
Once I got into the lakes, I paddled slowly around the l...
*Chapter 10 [#lb317941]
It was on my third day in Leticia that I befriended Senor...
Rafael was the fish collector and shipper for Paramount A...
I negotiated with Fred to let me ship his fish from Letic...
When my charter flight's maiden voyage happened about fou...
Once I landed in Miami with the first shipment I went to ...
After unloading the fish shipment in Miami and clearing m...
Venturing that far upstream along the Amazon River had be...
*Chapter 11 [#z8a817da]
Upon the arrival of our very first shipment of animals in...
Aquariums in Vero Beach, Florida, I went to talk with Mr....
Here is how it worked: A flight originated from St. Peter...
ASA worked up pricing for passenger tickets, domestic car...
Within a week, I travelled on one of ASA's flights to Bog...
Despite the auspicious start, business was slow in the be...
I sent some of my guys out to catch a large fish called G...
Soon I decided to return to St. Petersburg again on a fli...
Until then, we'd been trying to depart Bogota with fuel t...
This was not good news to ASA because, they argued, these...
Over the next three or so months, ASA bought fuel in Bogo...
After the fifth ASA flight using Villavicencio as a refue...
**Man Eating Catfish [#gc5c1eb1]
In 1953 1 started shipping a fresh fish called Piraiba t...
People around Leticia often catch the Piraiba with lines...
It is no exaggeration that the Piraiba and Bagre are oft...
Suddenly, our eyes grew wide as we incredulously watched...
Over the years, many people living along the Amazon Rive...
*Chapter 12 [#j5e942c4]
Three years after the ASA charter flights were fully oper...
for about two years before finally giving up.
Another Colombian carrier from Medellin, SAM, started up ...
Gabriel was quite persuasive, offering me a shipping rate...
SAM Charter Flight Services tried very hard to break into...
to stop ASA from operating out of Leticia. I had a lot of...
*Chapter 13 [#mb401e01]
After working with ASA for about three years, I was depar...
The cargo loaded inside ASA's C-46 transport was already ...
When they met Captain Tellez threatened to create problem...
On its first flight after overhauling the C-46, the plane...
*Chapter 14 [#c312d307]
Major storms didn't happen very often in and around Letic...
On one occasion the winds were so powerful they uprooted ...
There was one very close call when one of these squalls s...
the skies followed by deafening cracks of thunder. Everyb...
in Leticia was hit dead on by a lightning bolt, and hot s...
**Nuns and Me and a Storm [#zaf6a9de]
Six elderly nuns were visiting Leticia and asked me to ta...
Unfortunately, not long after we took off on the water we...
Arnaldo swung the boat around and hugged the bank on the ...
Sr. Hoyos gave everybody a hammock to hang up and stretch...
The nuns all tried to lie down in their hammocks and slee...
The nuns made their way one by one down a set of crude an...
*Chapter 15 [#f6d20836]
During my first two years in Leticia, 1953-1954, there wa...
After several talks with Trudie, we decided to make a pus...
Our New World Monkeys from the Leticia and Barranquilla c...
Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri Sciureus) ??? Cancer Research
- White Lip Marmoset (Nigricollis) ??? Hepatitis Research
- White Lip Marmoset (Mystax) ??? Hepatitis
???-ght Monkey (Aotus Trivirgatus) ??? Malaria
- Ringtail Monkey (Cebus Apela) ??? Heart Transplant and ...
- Capuchins Monkey (Cebus Albithron) ???Heart Transplants...
- Wooly Monkey (Lagothrix) ??? Human Virus Research
Some of the laboratories and experimental stations we con...
- 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...
What gave the island its name was the squirrel monkey pop...
I approached the original settlers of the island, and aft...
Monkey Island is endowed with two beautiful lakes brimmin...
Once I had the rights to Monkey Island I made two key dec...
Monkey Island, I discovered very fast, was incredibly ric...
Soon after buying the island about eighteen of my workers...
some insects. But insects would never be enough to sustai...
Soon we went to work planting various kinds of fruit tree...
Once the fruit trees on Monkey Island starting bearing fr...
When it became apparent that our gamble to develop a thri...
One year later I built a small hotel on Monkey Island for...
The famous Victoria Regia lily pad, the largest water lil...
*Chapter 16 [#oc3ca20f]
I started hunting alligators in the Everglades of Florida...
The South American version of the American alligator is t...
There were areas not far from Leticia where we would find...
would catch three or four hundred babies and as many as t...
eight of my men to go out on these hunts on two large can...
do most of the paddling while I would be at the bow ready...
The black caiman was much more interesting to hunt and ca...
They are very shy if they've had a lot of lights shined o...
During hunts for brown caiman, we would grunt for them fo...
**More Nuns and Gator Hunting [#t79fdba0]
A group of nuns, fifteen in all, visited Leticia from Ma...
The nuns were completely fascinated by what they'd just ...
*Chapter 17 [#s4f9e816]
As I mentioned earlier when I arrived in Leticia there we...
For the people in Leticia in those years, then around thr...
Some worked in the logging and rubber business and made s...
In spite of the very raw conditions I encountered, I rema...
The small army clinic in Leticia had a doctor named Dr. C...
The national government of Colombia, I quickly learned, h...
I had heard that it would take at least another year to g...
The first thing that happened was the US Navy sent a Capt...
The equipment arrived at Bogota's El Dorado airport via P...
One of the conditions that the local government officials...
Government officials from Bogota, Captain Evers of the US...
Following the initial hospital equipment shipment to Leti...
The outpouring of help from local doctors and dentists in...
When I think back on this project, I have to conclude tha...
When Captain Evers and his team came to Leticia for the i...
He demanded that the new x-ray unit be shipped and instal...
In the months that followed, I decided to set up a number...
Building and starting up the San Rafael de Leticia Hospit...
It's important to note that there were no charges for ser...
*Chapter 18 [#bc54c9ce]
During the late 1960s, the drug trade in Colombia was sta...
When people in Leticia started talking about cocaine, I r...
A sergeant from Barranquilla's custom's agency came to Le...
I had bought two houses in Leticia to provide lodging for...
The sergeant ended up staying at the guide house and eati...
One day an article appeared in one of Colombia's daily ne...
Several months later a truck loaded with sun dried fish c...
for the inbound and outbound flights that day.
The sergeant peered through the window as the men carried...
Sergeant Joe, however, was highly skeptical and instructe...
Mr. Plifio Reina, the head of customs in Leticia, had gro...
Getting to the center of Leticia from the airport was abo...
"Is Jorge with you, Mike?" asked Plifio. I replied, "Yes ...
After I hung up the phone, Jorge and I went into my house...
When I arrived at Plifio's office a few minutes later, I ...
I parked my truck and went into my home and proceeded to ...
I don't recall exactly how much cocaine was in the four b...
As I sensed the man didn't have that kind of money, I ask...
Jorge was sentenced to several years in prison in Bogota ...
While this incident certainly helped silence any further ...
*Chapter 19 [#j128b604]
On another occasion, about twenty tourists from Germany w...
It looked like the police and the judge were in the proce...
Strangely, a few weeks later, the judge, in an amazing ca...
The German tourists, who had already departed from Letici...
Chapter 20
In another drug incident, a man in Leticia approached me ...
Everybody in Leticia knew I was shipping animals, tropica...
Besides, one of my largest customers was the pharmaceutic...
When I explained my concerns to this man making the drug ...
No doubt, I could have made a lot of money if I had accep...
*Chapter 21 [#s72f0ac7]
During the Kennedy administration in the early 1960s, inc...
On any given day, there might have been eight to ten of t...
A good number of the young travelers arrived in Leticia f...
Over time I was finding that being the US consular agent ...
While I was the US consular agent in Leticia, however, I ...
*Chapter 22 [#k942e157]
In 19601 decided to expand into the tourism industry in L...
August, 195 3 , I started receiving some publicity which ...
venture. The first people who started trickling into Leti...
would ride along on the boats I used to haul animals and ...
Most of the tourists would tell my boatmen they wanted to...
Indians.
Sometimes they would notice a creek feeding into the Amaz...
the creeks so they could take photos. Over time the touri...
the compound, which cost the animal business time and mon...
and down the Amazon River day and most every night. What ...
tourists?
I decided to diversify into the tourism business because ...
numbers of people wanting to experience the Amazon River ...
getting extra boats dedicated to tourism so the tourists ...
started up a whole new line of business and charged touri...
and one tour per day.
The federal government of Colombia and I negotiated so I ...
had twelve small rooms, each furnished with two single be...
room with shower and toilet. Though it was very basic, th...
hotel also had a restaurant that could handle up to eight...
parties at the Victoria Regia.
One time the director of Colombia's Tourist Board visited...
spoke with contagious enthusiasm about the future prospec...
ner, he told me, "Mike, you ought to set up a nice hotel ...
will surely come! I can help get financing from the Touri...
will definitely help you." That marked the beginning of t...
I was able to get two hundred sacks of cement that were l...
my men departed Leticia, traveled up the Javary River and...
banks. We broke ground with a few men whose job was hunti...
designing the hotel and what it would look like on comple...
designed the hotel myself using several match boxes and l...
to design a complex of twelve cabin-like rooms, each faci...
at an angle. The men working with me on the project appea...
operative word being "appeared").
We started breaking ground for the hotel in Leticia and s...
found the men had poured all of the footings but mistaken...
when I reminded them that I'd wanted the footings to be a...
again, this time with me paying very close attention so t...
I actually ended up building six large apartments on one ...
rows of apartments was a large and lovely swimming pool e...
system. Later on we added six more apartments, three on e...
for the Parador Ticuna. This project was a huge milestone...
On July 4, 1960 we celebrated the grand opening of the Pa...
of Leticia. We sent out 300 invitations and 600 people ca...
hotel to eat, drink and schmooze. The party went on until...
a.m. to deliver a speech I'd crafted. Thinking I was goin...
empty out my pockets. Once I finished my speech, everybod...
in the pool.
About twenty minutes after my speech, the crowd got prett...
was jumping into the pool, clothes and all. Whoever didn'...
we disappeared into one of the apartments. Another "escap...
The last thing I remember was seeing a normally very dign...
a bunch of drunken people lifted him up and heaved him in...
act. Hotel waiters and waitresses, all of the hotel staff...
When the morning sun appeared, it was eerily quiet and pe...
to their homes to sleep off the booze and hard partying f...
with everything you could imagine???rings, combs, glasses...
that party???and Colombians and Brazilians really know ho...
of attraction of Leticia and the surrounding area. Apart ...
Ticuna became known as the only real hotel in Leticia for...
parties and meetings.
The irony of all of this was that I never received one re...
empty promises of funding. I concluded that the board tal...
money, invariably, they would run for the tall grass.
*Chapter 23 [#n198a1cc]
Amidst building up the tourism in Leticia, I also started...
Tarapaca is located nearby. This is about 120 kilometers ...
El Cotuhe empties into the Rio Putumayo, a major tributar...
instructed them on what to clear away. It was important t...
George, could safely land and take off in his plane. Tree...
river's bank. We also cut one thousand five hundred feet ...
and take off. It turned into a beautiful campsite for tou...
wildlife.
George flew to and from the campsite to see how easy or d...
loaded but could only depart with one passenger because t...
something for George to take back to Leticia, I would hav...
empties into the Rio Putumayo. There was plenty of waterw...
I started advertising the camp as a place for tourists an...
three years I operated this camp only five people from It...
ture and I became disheartened.
Later, a woman named Julie Allen Field arrived in Leticia...
in the jungle for tourists to visit and stay. When she he...
enthusiastic. Frustrated with the upkeep, I decided to ha...
Julie tried to operate the camp, keeping a guy on locatio...
When I approached the Colombian Tourist Board for funding...
into a signature Amazon tourist attraction, my requests r...
made turned out to be empty.
*Chapter 24 [#j348e94f]
My next venture was on Monkey Island (Isla de los Micos) ...
the Amazon River. I built an upscale lodge on the island ...
experience the jungle and all of its wildlife. I had hope...
Tourist Board but ended up funding the project myself. Th...
The lodge turned out to be a good investment as we develo...
island. Eventually, a group from the Colombian Tourist Bo...
Parador Ticuna. The board's director said they had money ...
of Victor Zambrano.
I met with Victor and told him everything I wanted which ...
construction of a second story to double the hotel's capa...
renderings, I made the first of several personal trips to...
she drew her red pencil out and the proceeded to mark and...
took notes while she worked. She finished in a matter of ...
much of an explanation. I flew back to Leticia to return ...
gave me a new set of renderings that included all of the ...
having everything approved by the tourist board to move t...
the Hotel Intercontinental in Bogota for the tourist board.
The cocktail party had been lively and everybody thorough...
ing day I went to the tourist board's office in Bogota wh...
architect. Again, she took out her red pencil and quickly...
had not made the changes she had requested. Frankly speak...
young architect. "Have you ever been to Leticia?" I asked...
unfortunately she became defensive and coldly dismissed m...
I showed the marked up drawings again to Victor and he we...
and final visit to the Colombian Tourist Board to seek ap...
board pulled me aside and told me, "Mike doesn't give the...
no money in the budget. All the money for this year has b...
Later, I would receive an occasional call from the touris...
politely told them I was no longer interested in their su...
I met the tourist board's director at a meeting in Cali w...
introduced me to the president as "the man who doesn't ac...
money?" I added. "I understood the board had no money and...
There was one success story in dealing with the Colombian...
who built a swimming pool with his own money. Almost by m...
loan to George, but only after the pool was completed. Wh...
I don't think the Colombian Tourist Board really had a go...
strong tourism in the Amazon region in and around Leticia...
den away in some closet. So, for all intents and purposes...
*Chapter 25 [#i7df19aa]
George was my youngest brother and had been a high school...
already settled in Leticia, I talked him into leaving Flo...
taught for a year and even opened up a small bar as a sid...
business failed; not surprisingly, George's partner disap...
Unfortunately, George had to close the bar. At the end of...
he was left with nothing to do and making plans to return...
I told George to come to Leticia where I could put him to...
our mother was totally against it. George already had abo...
water, Florida. After a few years of being in Leticia, Ge...
good when I came across a Cessna 172 in Bogota. The plane...
pontoons for water takeoffs and landings.
George and I had always talked about how nice it would be...
and make some money in the process. So, I went ahead and ...
got??, Urdaneta and Galvis, paymg part in cash and then f...
of the Colombian air force in Bogota was a good friend an...
plane to Leticia and serve as George's personal flight in...
receiving his officer's pay from the Colombian air force ...
pesos a month. George was tickled pink and I couldn't hav...
as pilot would be a huge benefit to my animal and tourist...
area as a whole.
I told George to talk to Monseior Marceliano E. Canyes as...
churches and schools near the Amazon River, El Cotuhe Riv...
motes locations quickly by air would be a huge burden off...
George and Monseior Canyes agreed on a fifty-fifty partne...
just knowing George would be staying in Leticia, at least...
Lt. Maldonado, unfortunately, did not work out and we had...
himself how to fly the Cessna 172 over the next few month...
of Leticia. Finally the day arrived when George successfu...
I don't know if George ever got an instrument rating to f...
Soon, George formed a new company called Aero Transporte ...
He bought a used Cessna 185 with a 300 horsepower engine ...
As expected, George got very busy flying his planes all o...
a brand new Cessna 185 on floats. The remarkable thing is...
Cessna 185's solo from the US to Leticia, one with floats...
George landed in Leticia.
George opened a nice office in Leticia and soon expanded ...
It had eighteen rooms with double occupancy and included ...
been better for George. I was so happy and proud to see h...
out Monsefior Canyes' shares in the business partnership.
As in life, nothing lasts forever. Soon, we noticed other...
These individuals did not have offcial companies, and, as...
private use. But we soon learned these individuals were p...
churches and government. Clearly, the planes were owned b...
in and around Leticia; they were providing the free fligh...
their drug business.
I saw the writing on the wall and advised George to sell ...
excellent records of his business, he would not have any ...
selling his company. After all, it was his baby. Fortunat...
made a down payment with the remainder to be paid in inst...
following day.
The day is forever etched in memory???September 21, 1981....
mechanic who had overhauled the Cessna 185 told George he...
the government. The plane was docked on the Amazon River ...
mechanic got into the plane to take it up for a test flig...
the accelerator lever and then noticed something wrong as...
at the mechanic to jump for his life while he tried to sl...
river and George was knocked unconscious. A boat was sent...
nor anybody in the boat had a knife???or so it seemed???t...
Tragically, George drowned to death. It turned out the me...
so scared he couldn't think straight. Nobody thought to e...
George's body was kept at the port of Leticia while waiti...
George at the local hospital but to no avail. George's bo...
flight. His heart was left behind and placed in a tomb in...
As I reflect on my youngest brother, it makes me smile to...
except those in the drug business. George steadfastly ref...
opportunities and temptations to do so. He was completely...
His deeds were always aligned with his words. George abho...
nothing good could come of it.
George never married or had his own family. No doubt, bei...
George had no problem attracting many girlfriends in his ...
years. I know he would have been a great husband and fath...
I am forever grateful for the good times George and I sha...
George's estate settled, and there are still a few items ...
cause of who George was and the huge footprint he left be...
*Chapter 26 [#z41d8cc6]
The Colombian government imposed a ban on exporting wildl...
and lifted three times. I had not taken it seriously as t...
seemed.
On the third ban, I continued to buy wildlife, and during...
meet with various congress people about the ban and its i...
resulted in shutting down my export business. Throughout ...
There were about 125 in all working in the animal compoun...
By the end of ten months, I had to reduce my employee cou...
ing financial losses caused by the export ban, I was push...
as many of my men working as possible.
In 1976, my DC-6 airplane crashed in Santa Marta, Colombi...
to Barranquilla. Simon Daza G., who had been working for ...
since 1954, met me at the airport in Barranquilla togethe...
over time (at least I thought at the time he was a good f...
legal problems since the entire crew perished in the cras...
target me for liability and other damages, according to F...
owned in Barranquilla to Simon Daza G. as a protective me...
times in a very big way.
All of the work I'd done to build and operate the Barranq...
drain after I followed Flores' advice and signed over my ...
to return any of it. The families of the perished flight ...
Flores and another attorney in Bogota have been useless i...
three DC-6 engines and countless spare parts to Simon as ...
had promised him. Until the DC-6 crash, I had always had ...
going well, everybody is seen as upstanding, honest and r...
character reveals itself. Clearly the US Consular Service...
otherwise they would have never recommended him to me.
*Chapter 27 [#z2760b7a]
One Friday night around 10:00 p.m. I was walking into the...
Carlos Hinestroza, when we were approached by five agents...
uridad, or DAS, which is similar to the FBI in the US exc...
Carlos and I had been attending a meeting held at the loc...
bia's president discuss tourism.
The agents abruptly grabbed me by the arm and started esc...
staff could only watch with eyes wide open and mouths aga...
the car next to me. The driver and his partner sitting in...
both very nervous and speechless as we had no idea what w...
After several minutes the car pulled in front of a large ...
then led down a long hallway where we were put in very na...
hanging overhead, a metal fold out bed without blanket, t...
cell was a solid concrete wall on three sides including t...
about six by eight inches. The light bulb shined continuo...
night, or to know what time it was. I thought I could sle...
It helped that I had been a regular and well-known guest ...
witnessed the entire scene in the lobby, called my assist...
liver two mattresses, one for Carlos and the other for me.
"What in the hell are we in for?" I asked myself. My mind...
to relax and calm my mind.
Since it was Friday night in Bogota, I figured we would b...
was able to deliver meals the Hotel Dann had prepared for...
the inmates.
"What a goddamn shithole to be in!" I thought to myself. ...
couldn't hear him or anybody all that first night. My ner...
from yelling, cussing and swearing at the top of my lungs.
The guards took my shoe laces, belt and money. Somehow th...
pockets. I decided to play a game to keep from going craz...
coins into the center hole of the toilet paper roll while...
Early Monday morning a guard appeared, unlocked my cell a...
take me back to the Hotel Dann. I hadn't brushed my teeth...
high heaven. All I wanted to do was get cleaned up and pu...
When we arrived at the Hotel Dann, I was escorted to the ...
and sealed with a paper. Somebody unlocked the door and w...
lawyers working for the DAS, a photographer, a judge and ...
snapping pictures of me, the inside of my hotel room and ...
had set up an impromptu kangaroo court in the room, and t...
The judge unceremoniously opened the session with a list ...
??? 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 explai...
stream from Leticia, and only the local Indian tribes and...
did so it was only behind their homes in the jungle. The ...
the monkeys I bought from the Indians and natives helped ...
papaya, bananas and other fruits. So basically I was elim...
local natives. The judge nodded as if to indicate he unde...
and that it wasn't me or my workers who were carelessly k...
I spent several minutes explaining that it did not make s...
rainforest. We did not cut down any trees or foliage. At ...
homestead or establish local colonies. Local Indians and ...
rivers and streams to build their homes and plant bananas...
and bushes. The local Indians and natives had little or n...
As for killing animals for their skins, I explained that ...
search laboratories to develop new drugs that would hopef...
being involved in killing animals only for their skins. T...
Finally, I emphatically stated that in no way was I invol...
Colombia knew it was growing out of control. I noticed se...
checking everything in the room including curtains, the b...
drugs whatsoever.
After about four hours of this, I was taken back to the j...
inmates. I sat there for a long time. Suddenly, some peop...
told him and that I was free to go. When I asked why I ha...
taken to the jail, I had received a phone call from a man...
the man had called me to ask if I would deliver a letter ...
DAS, it turned out, was arresting everybody who had been ...
had arrested and jailed fifteen people over the past seve...
half hours just before hitting the time limit when the US...
an attorney to go with me to the jail to get a letter sta...
said there was no record I had spent any time in jail.
*Chapter 28 [#j283134f]
By the end of 19 79, the world as I knew it was coming to...
animals in 19 75 had taken a serious toll on me financial...
money to keep me and my employees afloat. I closed down t...
went ahead and closed the Tarpon Zoo, sold what she could...
The realization that it was time to move on was painful, ...
in Leticia than any other place in my life, and while the...
sinking in, I knew deep down there weren't many choices a...
Cecilia, my wife of nearly twenty five years, and I decid...
our children and just make occasional trips to Leticia to...
burg in charge of the Parador Ticuna Hotel and the touris...
haunt me. Max agreed to send a monthly check to Florida f...
house in Tarpon Springs. We had a maid who helped care fo...
I worked very hard the next two and half years to stay af...
did what I had to do to take care of my family. My attorn...
not allow me to do so. I was determined to pay off all de...
If you haven't gathered by now, I've been a man of action...
morning and working until late at night, often operating ...
to be in Tarpon Springs and not have something to do that...
ran deeply in my blood???this was who I was and what I di...
loved to do. So I started working on a plan to develop a ...
One day while in Tarpon Springs, I picked up the phone an...
to import and export. INCOMEX is a Colombian government a...
porting. Fabio put me in contact with several people in L...
from me rather than from parties in Panama where there we...
untold thousands of dollars for merchandise in Panama and...
Cardenas, a store owner in Leticia, paid for a shipment o...
twenty-one days before the goods finally arrived. We call...
and the Panamanians could only tell us "tomorrow, tomorro...
even after countless trips to the airport every morning a...
About a week later I got a telegram from Alberto Villarea...
me to send him a quote on several pieces of merchandise. ...
fit inside a DC-6 aircraft. He requested that my quote in...
safely fit inside a DC-6 along with the cost of the fligh...
for the merchandise including the cost to rent a DC-6. I ...
me back accepting the quote and instructed me to meet his...
I headed to Panama to meet Jorge and he paid me on the sp...
to buy everything and organize the flight. Renting the DC...
a couple of days, we took off on the flight route We ende...
gao and rose early the next morning for a 5:00 am departu...
sometime before noon as the flight is roughly five hours....
pear suddenly during the afternoons in Leticia, making la...
Once we landed in Leticia, we off-loaded the cargo at the...
ness in Leticia and later that night I went to visit Albe...
me $ 10, 000 USD for my time and trouble. He also gave me...
peated the same procedure and had another shipment sent t...
I made two more shipments to Alberto. Things were going w...
While all this was going on Tomas Cardenas decided to let...
his own money most of the time and he usually picked out ...
looking for and bought in large quantities. He was a good...
believe I made two shipments for Tomas' store called Prim...
I was renting the same DC-6 at $9,000 US per trip. Normal...
being paid upon my return. I had done this already on sev...
USD to the attorney in charge of the rental DC-6. I was a...
Jackson was the captain of the airplane at the time, and ...
check them out.
Mysteriously, the plane was not there. We looked all over...
should have been at the airport. He told me not to worry ...
sound and look very suspicious to me and John. We left th...
When we returned to the airport the next day, the airplan...
wing was damaged. We could see signs of clay and cactus o...
we asked him if we could help as we needed to the plane o...
had the plane ready and checked out in time for a 1 a.m. ...
ing I should stop renting this plane and look for another...
using the airplane to haul marijuana from Guajira, Colomb...
would be the last time I would rent this DC-6.
John and I spent a lot of time trying to find another DC-...
success. A couple of days later, John received a call fro...
Jose, Costa Rica. As I could overhear the conversation, I...
the guy to allow us to fly our cargo to Leticia on his DC...
leave it there.
The DC-6 was already at a small airport near Miami Intern...
went to see the DC-6. The owners told us the plane hadn't...
would be necessary to get it ready for service. We charge...
etc. It took three days to get the plane ready for take-o...
Rican number on the airplane, which seemed a bit odd at t...
John, his wife (co-pilot) and a flight engineer flew the ...
there after they'd already landed. We did one more check ...
from the front nose wheel. I got my belongings organized ...
DC-6.
We took off from Miami International Airport at 1 :OO a.m...
layover to refuel in Curagao, it was best to touch down t...
and breezes. Otherwise we would have to spend overnight a...
lucky as we arrived early enough to refuel, pay landing f...
good trade wind.
The plane was at capacity as we took off from Curagao bou...
Before taking off we had to fix the front strut by wrappi...
Barring any mishaps or disasters we had enough fuel to fl...
we had ten hours' worth of fuel.
About a half hour out of Curagao, things started to get i...
coming from somewhere. The instrument panel's lights went...
me as if to ask, "VVhat's next boss?" John asked what I t...
return to Curagao?
I asked John, "How dangerous is it to keep going?"
"As long as the engines keep running and the weather rema...
replied.
I told John to maintain the bearing for Leticia and keep ...
checked and repaired before heading off to San Jos?? to d...
seemed like a wild bunch of cowboys flying this DC-6 by t...
Once we were about an hour and a half out of Leticia, dar...
to three we started hitting turbulent air as the plane sh...
The plane's radio was dead and the instrument panel was o...
was starting to sweat bullets. John kept a steady hand on...
We flew out over the Amazon River about thirty minutes to...
the ground indicating we were over Peru. I told John to v...
stream as that was where Leticia was. Soon the Leticia ai...
land, we could see an Avianca aircraft on the runway read...
two turns around Leticia and finally brought the plane in...
instructed Avianca to not take off until we had landed th...
gic collision.
The air traffic control tower people were really upset an...
had happened in flight. But they were pretty ruffled just...
We got the cargo unloaded soon after landing and decided ...
and make any necessary repairs. After going over the plan...
making any repairs. We advised Leticia's air traffic cont...
asked if they could give us a set altitude to get us to S...
youngest son, George, had been in Leticia visiting and th...
had known about the condition of the DC-6 she would not h...
*Chapter 29 [#oed75c85]
The shipping line that regularly passed through Leticia w...
Savannah, GA; Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA; and Houston, T...
through Leticia once every ten to fifteen days.
I contacted NAPSA, and after a few conversations, they as...
studied NAPSA's northbound and southbound routes, Houston...
headed south. It made sense to buy all of my goods in Hou...
would be some of the last to be loaded; it would be easy ...
a company in Houston where I could buy beer, liquor, toba...
The first shipments with NAPSA went quite smoothly and I ...
quickly started happening. The NAPSA ships started arrivi...
They started increasing their prices with little warning....
was due in Houston's port, I started experiencing more sp...
occasion my goods sat in Houston for almost a month befor...
yet another occasion, part of one of my shipments turned ...
During the dry season, NAPSA's ships could not dock at th...
shore during these periods. And if we were too slow, the ...
It was insulting when NAPSA withheld my agent's commissio...
commissions off the books, I was forced to ship some of m...
I was getting fed up with NAPSNs deteriorating performanc...
about getting another ship. My client had a brother-in-la...
downstream in Brazil. The mill was producing enough lumbe...
enough goods in the US to fully load the ship for the ret...
He and his family set up a family-owned company called In...
the capital of Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. The ...
that the nationality of the ship's crew was unrestricted....
in Panama called Hanko Trading Company that provided me w...
operations.
Indaura Ltda lasted about three years, and in that time w...
only one US bound shipment of Spanish cedar wood on consi...
This round trip voyage was doomed from the start because ...
southbound. Also, we had not done a good job finding a su...
very experienced handling rough sawed lumber and didn't k...
ping it. Once the load of wood arrived in the US, we coul...
to gain good traction working with Indaura or Hanko. If I...
business, I would eventually have to buy and operate my o...
with their money for a ship and crew.
*Chapter 30 [#v567e29f]
I bought the Atlantic Sky from The Southern Sky from Leo ...
a tour of the vessel that was rated at one thousand pound...
from the inside. It was huge! My father had had two spong...
they were nothing compared to this gargantuan ship.
The shipped looked to be in fairly good condition. As par...
maritime engineer by the name of Emanuel Tsambarlis to Gr...
informed me he'd found a ship for about $ 150,000 USD, I ...
and possibly buy it. Next, I heard that the New York brok...
and I decided to head to New York to talk to the broker a...
tacted a friend who was a ship captain and asked him to g...
a maritime engineer who knew ships inside and out. After ...
to prepare a detailed report on the Atlantic Sky's condit...
My friend's report concluded that the Atlantic Sky was wo...
broker $ 350,000 and come up to $400,000, but no more tha...
with me to New York to meet the broker, but he had to ret...
ized the key points as these would come in handy when I t...
I was starting to feel a little pressure: would I buy the...
$ 150,000 USD? The Atlantic Sky was in good operating con...
a freezer rated at 300 tons of refrigeration. The Greek s...
and had been sitting unused for over two years. It would ...
Also, I'd have to find a crew and captain. The hidden exp...
ownership.
Armed with good information, I set out to New York City t...
Sky. I felt confident and hopeful. My daughter, Marie, an...
we had a good time. Vasilios Konstantas, my son-in-law, a...
I expected to be at the broker's office for two or three ...
Atlantic Sky. We were ushered into a meeting room with a ...
pleasantries and then started talking about the ship. The...
with my plans for using the ship. The broker nodded his h...
He said he would like to receive $500,000, which he felt ...
flinched and then smiled. Trying not to laugh out loud, I...
my notes and started going through the list of things nee...
ship would need to be taken to dry dock to get checked ou...
The broker looked at me as if I had an air of authority (...
friend's status report.) Next, I counter-offered with $35...
face got a little pale. We spent the next hour or so talk...
from the broker's office were going in and out of the mee...
twelve o'clock noon. The broker suddenly told us he could...
a deep breath and then just sat quietly for a few minutes...
broker was watching me intently. It was like a high stake...
I looked the broker in the eye and told him I would give ...
paused and hesitated. He called in some ofhis other peopl...
and advice. I knew we were close but he needed to stall a...
tience were important in deals of this size. Vasilios and...
By three o'clock that afternoon, I told the broker and hi...
seriously considering for $ 150,000 USD I had a briefcase...
airline ticket so I could depart for Greece the next morn...
broker would fold. He said told me to wait and then he di...
with $ 160,000 due in thirty days and the remaining $ 200...
Atlantic Sky and be responsible for any and all repairs. ...
As Vasilios and I left the broker's office I couldn't hel...
nothing about ships but was still able to get the Atlanti...
friend's good report on the ship's condition because with...
ship.
The year was 1982 and I bought the Atlantic Sky and paid ...
I received from Hanko Trading Company in Panama City, Pan...
pounds of cargo.
*Chapter 31 [#kf19183c]
The Atlantic Sky went to dry dock in Ft. Lauderdale, FL w...
overall sea fitness. The captain I'd hired, Captain Marco...
said yes.
I chose 'Amazon Trader' and let Indaura's attorney in Ft....
to be filed with all of the other paperwork in George Tow...
Captain Marcos to have his crew remove the metal letters ...
Trader.' Everything seemed to be going smoothly and in th...
I was interested in Fillette and Greene Shipping Company ...
the documents related to my shipments. When they asked mo...
I told Fillette and Greene that I'd just recently bought ...
I returned to Tarpon Springs and called Captain Marcos to...
Sky' even though he and his crew had already created the ...
the ship's side. Because Captain Marcos had not yet remov...
leaving intact the letters for SKY and then painting over...
how ultimately the 'Atlantic Sky' became known as the 'So...
haunt me with the authorities in New Orleans and Brazil.
The Southern Sky received a nice face lift and was ready ...
weeks. Once in the water, Captain Marcos navigated Southe...
not have a dock set up there at the time. I solved this p...
in St. Petersburg, FL. We made a deal for the first shipm...
or in cube weight, whichever was highest. I turned over a...
company.
The maiden voyage of Southern Sky to Leticia launched fro...
over in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where cement w...
be fully loaded. When no cement was available in Santo Do...
lombia to pick up a load of cement to take to Leticia.
The route St. Petersburg???Santo Domingo???Leticia was ab...
in Santo Domingo to load cement. Southern Sky would norma...
thing and then another five days in Benjamin Constant, Br...
River, to load Spanish cedar wood lumber, which, for the ...
much about handling lumber and wanted to minimize my fina...
For the first several return voyages back to the US, Sout...
downstream, making a stop in Benjamin Constant or Amatur?...
and then go on to Manaus, Brazil to load her with plywood...
without any further stops in between.
Ships transporting goods upstream or downstream along the...
three Brazilian check points located in Macap?? near the ...
the capital of the state of Amazonas located about one th...
ful Rio Negro empties into the silty and yellow Amazon Ri...
along the river. Hence, each ship would be checked a tota...
voyages traversing the Amazon River across Brazil.
The Brazilian authorities could be strict. One time the S...
River to check the river's depth using sonar equipment. T...
to impose a fine but eventually relented. I would laugh w...
cause, according to them, Colombia and Peru have equal ri...
thorities, on the other hand, could intervene if you stop...
*Chapter 32 [#jde270bd]
During the Southern Sky's final voyage, it arrived as usu...
min Constant wasn't quite ready to be picked up. I was in...
I didn't mind the ship being kept on hold in Leticia as i...
burg. Soon Southern Sky arrived in Benjamin Constant wher...
Woods, Inc., had bought (I was a 50% partner of this comp...
Once the ship arrived in New Orleans, it was necessary to...
Company about one hundred miles away. Margaret Tsangarino...
traveled from Tarpon Springs to New Orleans to greet the ...
Because of insufficient advance notice, Southern Sky did ...
arrived at the buoy. I had to leave New Orleans and go so...
the lumber shipment and see that it got to the Kiln Dryin...
On the day the Southern Sky arrived, the lumber was loade...
Kiln Dry Company. Along the way, both semi-trailers were ...
the drivers, both of whom were from Tarpon Springs, to go...
drivers reached the special place, Customs agents warned ...
US Customs agents then destroyed all of the lumber on bot...
agents were scouring the Southern Sky in New Orleans wher...
ing lumber.
Captain Marcos was interrogated by US Customs, claiming t...
the name being clearly displayed on both sides of the shi...
realized the agents were confused because they could stil...
over with 'Southern Sky.' After all of the confusion in N...
Petersburg.
After hearing about the shakedown of the Southern Sky in ...
cash deposit before they would receive the ship as insura...
company that had handled ships the previous six years.
Meanwhile, I tried to keep the Southern Sky shipping good...
port. I called West America Shipping Company in Tampa on ...
to Central America and then return with a US-bound shipme...
West America and I talked and made a deal in which I leas...
USD per day for fourteen days. This would give me the cha...
to how they would handle the Southern Sky. They would be ...
and departure fees, loading expenses and a host of others...
deducted from the total expenses column. The difference b...
The plan for this trip was roughly as follows: The Southe...
Mobile, Southern Sky would sail to the port of Houston wh...
loaded. After unloading in Guatemala, Southern Sky would ...
America estimated that after all expenses (including my $...
freight charges, I should net $20,000 USD.
I turned Southern Sky over at the entry point of Tampa Ba...
into port to pick up cargo about which I had not been inf...
bank to cash it. Fortunately, I did not play basketball w...
Sky to buy food and other supplies for the ship. When 6:0...
otherwise he could not depart. So, I had to order about $...
a.m. the following morning.
The ship set sail early the next morning for Mobile and p...
the next three days. When I tried to cash West America's ...
few days later I received a new check and this time it we...
In the meantime, the Southern Sky had encountered delays ...
downtime. The ship did not pick up any lumber that was su...
Exotic Woods, Inc., that wanted lumber from Guatemala and...
time the Southern Sky arrived with the mahogany, Gulf Exo...
burg to store the wood.
*Chapter 33 [#bcbbebfc]
After this upset, the Southern Sky still owned by Indaura...
ship), was auctioned off by the sheriff's office due to a...
International, Inc. of George Town, Grand Cayman Island b...
I talked with Fenton people and suggested becoming their ...
agent. On further discussions, I told Fenton I wanted to ...
myself. They accepted my offer of $400,000 to be paid in ...
However, this agreement would only come into effect if Fe...
Fenton's people told me they already had a buyer for the ...
me to receive the money, deduct expenses, any money owed ...
did not like this. I actually had about six trips guarant...
ship goods. I would have earned $ 150,000 USD per trip, b...
owners arrived in Tarpon Springs with the money.
West America and I talked and made a deal in which I leas...
USD per day for fourteen days. This would give me the cha...
to how they would handle the Southern Sky. They would be ...
and departure fees, loading expenses and a host of others...
deducted from the total expenses column. The difference b...
The plan for this trip was roughly as follows: The Southe...
Mobile, Southern Sky would sail to the port of Houston wh...
loaded. After unloading in Guatemala, Southern Sky would ...
America estimated that after all expenses (including my $...
freight charges, I should net $20,000 USD.
I turned Southern Sky over at the entry point of Tampa Ba...
into port to pick up cargo about which I had not been inf...
ton with the remainder going on to Guatemala. West Americ...
bank to cash it. Fortunately, I did not play basketball w...
Sky to buy food and other supplies for the ship. When 6:0...
otherwise he could not depart. So, I had to order about $...
a.m. the following morning.
The ship set sail early the next morning for Mobile and p...
the next three days. When I tried to cash West America's ...
few days later I received a new check and this time it we...
In the meantime, the Southern Sky had encountered delays ...
downtime. The ship did not pick up any lumber that was su...
Exotic Woods, Inc., that wanted lumber from Guatemala and...
time the Southern Sky arrived with the mahogany, Gulf Exo...
burg to store the wood.
*Chapter 33 [#m159be48]
After this upset, the Southern Sky still owned by Indaura...
ship), was auctioned off by the sheriff's office due to a...
International, Inc. of George Town, Grand Cayman Island b...
I talked with Fenton people and suggested becoming their ...
agent. On further discussions, I told Fenton I wanted to ...
myself. They accepted my offer of $400,000 to be paid in ...
However, this agreement would only come into effect if Fe...
Fenton's people told me they already had a buyer for the ...
me to receive the money, deduct expenses, any money owed ...
did not like this. I actually had about six trips guarant...
ship goods. I would have earned $ 150,000 USD per trip, b...
owners arrived in Tarpon Springs with the money.
Chapter 34
In March, 1988 1 was in Leticia on business and decided t...
days before departing Leticia, I received a call from Srt...
papers El Bogotano and El Espectador. She asked me to bri...
Srta. Maria Eugenia, the daughter of former President Gen...
up with about two hundred hats. I ordered the rest and ha...
would be waiting at El Dorado Airport to greet me.
When I landed at El Dorado Airport, Consuelo was right th...
Friday. As we proceeded through customs, my luggage, stra...
throughout Colombia, and I guess when the customs officia...
check my bags. I gave all the hats I had to Consuelo and ...
Mauricio Castillo, the son of my dear friend Colonel Mari...
his girlfriend. I loaded my bags into Mauricio's car and ...
I had a reservation for that evening. Once we were about ...
pulled in front of us and stopped. Mauricio had to slam o...
car pulled up and then two more cars pulled alongside our...
escape. I also saw a motorcycle pull up with two people o...
Everybody in the four cars jumped out with what looked li...
people were dressed in police uniforms. At the moment I w...
say the same for Mauricio and his girlfriend. I was think...
ings had not been inspected by customs at the airport. If...
lombian DAS.
We had to get out of the car. I handed over my passport t...
the car and spread our legs and frisked us to see if were...
a two inch barrel. I offered them my briefcase and my oth...
with my luggage. This is when I started sensing something...
I hadn't done anything wrong or illegal that I was aware ...
at the airport had not checked my belongings upon arrival...
The people put me into the car that had stopped in front ...
allowed to get back into their car along with two of the ...
Once all of us were in the car I was in (there were two p...
with me), the uniformed policeman said none of this had a...
I laughed somewhat nervously, and said in Spanish, "Hey w...
and read about how kidnappers in Colombia study their tar...
high enough to make kidnapping financially worthwhile.
"You have the wrong guy!" I told them. "All of my bank ac...
can loan me the money and then I would hand it all back t...
to smile and be pleasant all the time I was describing my...
kidnapped or not.
My mind drifted back several years when I told Cecilia th...
few dollars, then just give the kidnappers a few dollars ...
dollars they wanted, then the best thing was to not pay a...
and had had a good and successful life in Colombia. I had...
on borrowed time, having worked many years with venomous ...
anytime had I taken my offthe ball for one second.
Suddenly, the driver told everybody, "Maybe we have the w...
"Go ahead and shoot me! If you need help kidnapping, I ca...
pers. They looked at me quizzically as if they thought I ...
was 0k to shoot me as I had nothing to lose. It was then ...
This bought me some time. I was wondering what the hell w...
thing I heard was that the kidnappers had a helicopter wa...
into a lonely dead end area where the driver got out of t...
Things got very quiet. I figured I'd talked too much and ...
me live. By then, I could identify them all. So, there wa...
where we'd stopped was so far out of the way, it would ha...
*Chapter 35 [#qa486055]
The driver of the car I was in got out and took Mauricio ...
worry. Maybe they would kill Mauricio and then load me up...
hold four people: two gunmen, the pilot and either Mauric...
A police car was approaching and the driver of our car hu...
that we were going next to Mauricio's office in Bogota to...
I asked myself. I was feeling a little relieved that we w...
police car notices something suspicious looking about our...
We sped away, the driver glancing through the rearview mi...
pursue us. Within a few minutes we were in the parking lo...
Tourism offlce was. Somehow the kidnappers didn't know th...
out of control. We went to Mauricio's office where he off...
accepted a beer while I enjoyed a Coke. I figured by then...
be next to impossible for the kidnappers to get their car...
guard would not let any car leave without an approval fro...
security was very tight, which is one reason Mauricio cho...
When we were all in Mauricio's office, the driver of the ...
name of Negro Angulo. The phone was picked up by a person...
Listening as carefully as I could to some of the conversa...
of the kidnappers to speak with the guy who'd put out the...
the kidnappers told the driver that the contract guy was ...
let me go to Hotel Cosmos 100. I could not leave???perhap...
on the ground floor with a gun waiting for me to appear. ...
Angulo would see me later in the afternoon to talk things...
upstairs to keep an eye on me and Mauricio left. I left w...
100.
While talking to the hotel's receptionist, I asked if a s...
company later. She did and I took it. The bellhop led us ...
the phone and called his father, Colonel Mario Castillo R...
son not to worry and that he (Mario) would send a policem...
and I picked up. It was Negro Angulo and he warned me not...
morning to meet at 8: 30 a.m.
After a half hour passed, a lieutenant in Bogota's police...
that Negro would be at the hotel the next morning, the li...
team to intercept and take down the kidnappers.
The lieutenant, Mauricio and I discussed a plan on what w...
Later, I spoke with some good friends to let them know wh...
Negro and try to find out what the problem was and why I ...
to help resolve whatever the problem was without anybody,...
My friend who knew Negro told me he (Negro) handled contr...
called Negro and learned that nothing would happen to me....
Michael.
At 7:00 a.m. sharp the next morning two lieutenants from ...
armed and ready, showed up at the Hotel Cosmos 100. It wa...
everybody knew what he was supposed to do as things start...
Two goons showed up at the hotel at 8:30 a.m. Fifteen min...
a.m. two more people showed up at the suite. I recognized...
Leticia.
The moment Leo saw me he immediately started yelling and ...
the back of my neck, stood up and got right in Leo's face...
gun he was carrying as I was confident nothing bad was go...
protection downstairs courtesy of the Bogota police depar...
Leo and I continued to glare at each other across the room.
For the next two and a half hours, Negro, Leo and Maurici...
By this time, I noticed the time was 11:30 a.m. Negro and...
and I remained in the suite. Leo said he would get back w...
month or so.
Ten or so minutes later the lieutenant in charge of prote...
was a change of plans: the police were going to take out ...
the day before that the police would not start shooting u...
hostage on the way out of the hotel. The lieutenant expla...
the kidnappers. I pleaded with the lieutenant to not go t...
and left. I told Mauricio that killing Negro and his goon...
hotel to stop the shootout. Mario said he would send some...
Another lieutenant came to our room about fifteen minutes...
him. We tried to resist by telling the lieutenant we were...
didn't show. Mauricio and I grabbed something to eat and ...
We left Mauricio's girlfriend in the room to let the guy ...
the local police station close to the hotel. When we got ...
yet had been filed against either Mauricio or me, and I s...
killing Negro and his goons. Had Negro and his goons been...
hotel after they'd left our suite.
A major in the police department next drove me and Mauric...
were allowed to make a few phone calls to let people know...
General in charge of the F-2 police. Both Mario and the G...
soon be released and free to go. Neither of us was allowe...
We were escorted to the outer office of the major where t...
our statements of everything that had happened. Later we ...
near Hotel Cosmos and place in the jail's ground floor ce...
until the investigation was finished. It was already Satu...
By 8:00 p.m. we were able to sneak out and make a brief c...
and blankets. Mauricio slept in a large chair while I sle...
At 2:00 a.m. Sunday, my brother-in-law showed up at the j...
and several soft drinks. When we feasted our eyes on the ...
My brother-in-law offered to bring more food later in the...
We spent the rest of Sunday holed up in the major's offic...
had been in a police uniform armed with an Uzi machine gu...
was there in the station with a woman that Mauricio did n...
maJor.
By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I told Mauricio...
it didn't look like we were going to be released. For sur...
Mario's and the General's assurances we'd be released had...
asleep though I tossed and turned a lot throughout the ni...
On Monday morning we were taken to another office in the ...
take down our statements. Mauricio nudged me to let me kn...
with the fake cop who'd participated in our kidnapping. C...
The major had organized a lineup for that afternoon. When...
another office where there was yet another attorney who a...
the five goons killed?" he asked us. Both Mauricio and I ...
Negro and his goons because they'd left the hotel and wer...
who shot Negro and his five goons was in the lineup and w...
response, sent us back to the major's office to wait.
Much to my horror, the fake lieutenant who'd participated...
Mauricio and I had been waiting. He looked at me and snar...
killed!" Mauricio saw and heard all ofthis while his face...
major's office. We were both scared shitless! I told Maur...
The lineup started. Eight police lieutenants, including t...
single file on a small stage while Mauricio and I stood b...
examiner. The examiner asked if I could positively identi...
five goons, I said no because my right eye had been in ba...
After a couple of minutes, we went back to the major's of...
major entered and asked what was going on and I told him ...
to get me released. The major said I didn't need these la...
Monday night and both Mauricio and I were free to go.
We went down to the first floor to exit the station. On t...
could check us out. Strangely, neither of our names was o...
and left without ever having stepped foot in the station....
Two plainclothes men escorted Mauricio and I to a waiting...
vehicle while they sat in front. They drove into a garage...
the Hotel Tequendama in central Bogota. Somebody had made...
and me.
We checked in and went to our room that had two beds. One...
I learned later that Negro and his five goons had been re...
Early next morning we departed Bogota for Cali where I ha...
This entire episode could have been easily avoided if my ...
Instead of buying a new Jeep and Honda motorcycles, Micha...
*Chapter 36 [#refe95ce]
The last time Southern Sky was in port at Cartagena, I go...
I talked to the ship's captain and he told me that if he ...
The ship experienced engine failure four times during thi...
Once the ship reached Macapa, the captain, who was fed up...
When the Southern Sky was fully loaded, the captain calle...
Upon arriving in Honduras, the ship dropped its anchor. W...
I called the ship's captain and told him to wait and get ...
was then the captain told me he didn't have proper papers...
The next thing I did was call the Macap?? sawmill to get ...
be found there. After several phone calls I found Walsh i...
what had happened with the paperwork. Walsh called back t...
that it would be shipped to him in Miami via DHL courier ...
When the documents arrived in Miami, Walsh called to let ...
once he got to Sarasota, FL. We eventually met in St. Pet...
invoices as he didn't have time to make the invoices out ...
export papers out under my name. Walsh was aware I was no...
invoices out directly to the buyer, or Gulf Exotic Woods,...
I got all of the documents in order and sent a man named ...
By the time Kent arrived, I learned the ship had been emb...
time Elias was the ship's agent. The account was in arrea...
agreed to pay the remainder in two separate payments.
Southern Sky was released to return to St. Petersburg wit...
the ship had arrived and they offloaded their wood and to...
A few days later, a man named Pedro Narvaez called to tel...
lease him five thousand square feet at my warehouse in Ta...
him know Pedro needed some storage space. Jonas and I tou...
lumber so it would fit in the required space. I signed th...
my warehouse.
*Chapter 37 [#bf5f8627]
One of my employees came up to me to tell me he'd seen so...
I told him not to worry as we hadn't done anything wrong....
people in the hotel across the street watching the place....
dow looking our way.
I asked my son Michael if he knew of any problems going o...
Maybe some people were smoking or selling pot at night. M...
He would keep an eye out for this kind of activity. So I ...
other problems at the time around the Tarpon Financial Ce...
Meanwhile, I closed a deal with a guy in Washington, D.C....
Little did I know at the moment that the world as I knew ...
*Chapter 38 [#k9146946]
The next day, a day before my departure for my business t...
I told Crawford that I didn't know anything about any coc...
warehouse of Gulf Exotic or in my rented warehouse of Gul...
there was someone investigating around the complex, but I...
They took all the files and were to separate them and ret...
They thought they had inside information on cocaine etc. ...
and magazines write-ups that I have collected over the la...
have been written up good and bad in newspapers. When the...
what they have written up on me is a lie, how about the r...
From my home we went back to the omce at the complex. The...
while they were asking me lots of questions. Then, at abo...
rights. I protested for all the good it did. My arrest wa...
reports stated that between just over 4,000 and more than...
planks on the ship with the lumber for Gulf Exotic Woods....
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 w...
were put on me from the time they arrested me.
Agent Crawford and Powers begged for me to help them. The...
to do with the cocaine, but they have me in a position th...
they would take me back home and the next day I could go ...
When I asked them what kind of help they were talking, th...
wanted the names of all the persons in the drug business ...
they would not confiscate anything from me. I told them I...
would be put in a Federal Security System. Then I told th...
would give my name and address to the mafia in Columbia a...
Protection. Because of the fear for my family, admitting ...
because I would be safer in prison.
So, that's just what they did. They took me to the omce o...
to the County Jail about 1 a.m. on May 4th of 1988 , in T...
*Chapter 39 [#l2f0244b]
I stayed in the offlce of the D.E.A. to be processed unti...
holding cell 7. The inmates all there were nice and there...
I slept on the floor that night and the next morning I me...
lerns to me. They all knew who I was, after so much publi...
the inmates gave me his bed. That was much better than sl...
chance to write my book and it would occupy me so I can k...
roam the Amazon jungle, now I am in a cage, like an anima...
by taking it easy I will be Okay until I finish the book ...
I'd like to tell you that after my arrest and a couple of...
released. Alas, that is not how stories like mine go. Unf...
two decades of my life caged like the animals I used to t...
*Chapter 40 [#wabd3b85]
The conditions in Cell 2N7 are bad. I'm in a county jail ...
beds dilled and there are usually six to eight additional...
cold. I keep getting sick from being so cold and medicati...
tell the guards you are not feeling well.
Once the medicine for colds is approved, you get it for s...
medicine is stopped. You can get a relapse which I did an...
resumed with the cold medicine and that's only because my...
medicine cart comes, many times they don't even have Tyle...
orders from the doctor. They just don't give a dam. I've ...
only one shower and one toilet for all of us in the cell....
and dinner is at 4:30 p.m.
As I said I am being held without a bond. I am legally in...
have to prove myself innocent. The Government, Customs, D...
lie it's considered perjury.
For sixty-one years I have been 100% pro- U.S, law abidin...
What jury is going to sit and listen well to the testimon...
called the largest cocaine bust in Florida history the pa...
anyone be unbiased in this trial?
*Chapter 41 [#q9e0c708]
While continuing to await a trial date I was moved from t...
Thursday, June 23, 1988. The food in Sarasota is okay- de...
a cup of orange juice, half a pint of milk, one cup of co...
problem.
The cell here is much larger, about three times larger an...
three times a day. When filling a request to see the doct...
is fast. In the canteen they don't have a limit to what p...
Hillsborough County Jail canteen. Three times a week we h...
I have been able to get longer or extensions to my visiti...
bad thing about Sarasota is they wouldn't let my ten year...
inmate.
The nurses are very nice, but I'm not allowed to receive ...
*Chapter 42 [#a7e1e790]
I've been moved again from Sarasota to the Kissimmee, Ela...
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we get to go out for o...
enough guards to watch us. During recreation time we play...
court. Tuesdays and Thursdays after lockdown and headcoun...
cigarettes, shampoos, soaps, tooth paste, assortment of T...
Visitation is Sunday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 ...
come to see you through a 30" X 30" glass pane and talk o...
up a list of persons that you want the front office give ...
change once a month.
There is a telephone in the cell. This gets turned on abo...
inmate is transferred from the cell at any time the telep...
doesn't call to someone and try an interception of a Van ...
When one is called to leave, they don't give you much cha...
you to get you stuff together and get out. One had to tur...
have to ship everything in cartons provided by the Marsha...
you would normally give everything to other inmates left ...
district then you can take everything with you. They chai...
chains to your legs during transfer. If another person is...
Doctors, nurses, and medication: One can request to see t...
is an emergency you can be taken to the local hospital. W...
nurse on duty. She will not give out anything not prescri...
Down time is spent reading, writing, playing cards, playi...
be kept very clean and we are given schedules for the dat...
I am in a cell with a Haitian man and when it's our time ...
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 ...
didn't know. I imagined that I was going to Kissimmee. Th...
it is a much better then Hillsborough County Jail and Sar...
have to spend a little time in the Hillsborough County Ja...
NO one has been taken directly from Sarasota County Jail ...
and out I came from cell 3-D Sarasota County Jail. I was ...
Tampa was first because in the Van there was a fellow tha...
March, and three others that were going to court in Tampa...
Marshalls officer that brought us, told me that everythin...
flying and the only thing that could be taken was my dent...
As soon as we arrived at the Court House holding cell, I ...
called my attorney Frank Winkles. He wasn't there but the...
about 9: 15 a.m. and as he would come in she will notify ...
House so if he would arrive in his office by 9:30 a.m. he...
Winkles came in minutes after my call. He said that he ju...
transit to other destinations that would be traveling by ...
On this trip there was the 52-year-old man stricken by ca...
Sarasota, FL. The trip was about one hour and forty five ...
cut up into pieces with fried rice, desert, salad and a l...
two months. I ate everything and drank the root beer comp...
Just before lunch several more men were brought in and se...
they took us chained again for the van. From the Marshall...
plane. There were omcers holding shotguns all over that p...
From the airport four of us were brought to the Osceola C...
assigned to the cell. They actually make you take a showe...
The fellow that was assigned with in the cell me claims h...
people get accused of racketeering. All you have to do is...
is considered racketeering.
At the Osceola County Jail they feed you pretty good. Eve...
got oatmeal, bananas, two pieces of toast, jelly, and sug...
gaining the weight back in here. The canteen doesn't have...
the Sarasota County Jail has the best variety.
I can't see why they can't be uniform in the merchandise ...
so good. We get dinner about 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. and we get...
cards, checkers, or Monopoly, or write letters and eat fr...
thing and no one on the outside to help out or give them ...
the canteen and let anyone that would like take from my c...
One inmate here in Osceola had been is jail for six month...
heard from her or how his children are doing. Another fel...
to give him anything. Before I came I understood that a f...
for these inmates that didn't have anything.
*Chapter 43 [#nbbc8c09]
On a Friday in July of 19881 was waiting to hear from Mr....
motions that I have seen in Sarasota. Frank claimed that ...
I was waiting for the answer on these motions. I called F...
at the Court House. I prayed everything would turn out al...
5:00 p.m. the guard called me over the loud speaker that ...
being used and immediately I proceeded to make my call. F...
planned and that the court date will have to be delayed u...
First we were set for August, which was bad enough, I was...
in August. I figured the Judge had all the paperwork that...
in court, where my attorney pleaded Not Guilty and the Ju...
came by Hillsborough County Jail to tell me how important...
have to get an investigator to help him, I didn't like it...
out of Hillsborough. The attorney needed me for my case c...
mostly because of Goldie, my sister raising hell with the...
me. From Hillsborough to Sarasota was much better.
In Sarasota I called Winkles telling him that I wanted to...
that had been in all four jails of this area that the bes...
Friday one can get meals brought in from a near by restau...
moved right away but the Marshall said that the best plac...
lying somewhere. The Colombian that told me this might ha...
The next day I was on my way to Osceola County Jail in Ki...
have to wait until Jan 1989. I told him that was bull shi...
that he knew of an innocent man that was in jail for four...
jail for four years waiting trial and I am not going to w...
to tell me that I will have to wait until June or July fo...
plain everything.
I hung up and went to pieces. I couldn't believe it. I ca...
I told her I didn't need calming down, I needed action. T...
whatever. Mr. Winkles might want a Plea Bargain for me to...
told Goldie, I would rather die then to spend my last yea...
incident a not go through this jail and drag my family th...
of days all is finished. Our justice stinks. Why did I co...
After those two calls I said I wouldn't call anymore and ...
Jury returns a Not Guilty verdict, good and if not, I wan...
a soon as possible. It's not worth living; I broke down a...
talk with me, but I didn't want any talking. Saturday mor...
to talk. He was very helpful explaining our system and ex...
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...
whatever lies are necessary to mess you up. Ones attorney...
story 9,292.8 lbs, only three jailed and one released as ...
two is nothing. Tom said that I need an attorney like his...
down to the line. You can't wait long he says. The longer...
on you.
Tom talked and talked to me, he found out from the others...
didn't want to talk to anyone. He said that's wrong. Why ...
attorney is doing. I should call them right up and talk t...
was coming over with Goldie my sister and we can look int...
and my wife was out grocery shopping so I only talked wit...
Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and Goldie was there they were gettin...
He said everything is not lost but you need to see what y...
think before you do something and try and work things out...
pieces. Tom had the medicine. He talked with me and calme...
man was terrific. Stop and Think. On Sunday morning he ca...
He said, "How are you feeling?" I said, 'Okay". He said, ...
meet your wife", I said, "sure". Tom gave me a razor and ...
good shave for the first time in over nine weeks and with...
jail. I haven't asked him. There are so many lies; I stop...
*Chapter 44 [#k03e1d4b]
TRIAL DATE: After a lot of back and forth Mr. Winkles tol...
Now, right now this is set for all three of the defendant...
Freddy Perez), Winkles is still tying to get me on a sepa...
ing. This means the T.V. and newspapers will not be able ...
attorneys, witnesses and I. Mr. Winkles claims that this ...
have the other two on trial before me. I am hoping that I...
much better installation and food is much better. Plus vi...
I was transferred from Oseola County Jail of Kissimmee, F...
1988. Two Marshalls picked me up in Oseola about 12:30 p....
about 3:00 p.m. I was processed and put in a holding cell...
seats. The holding cells have two feet by eight feet all ...
nesday when a Sergeant came and got four of us and took u...
about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday before I was put in 2N7 cell, t...
of 1988. When I got in the cell I tried to place my mattr...
last time I was in 2N7. I woke him up and said good morni...
to talk him out of it but he insisted on sleeping on the ...
men holding cell had twenty-three people in it.
Slightly over crowded, there were bodies everywhere. What...
small area. Our human rights the U.S. has been preaching ...
The U.S. is so worried and emotionally upset of condition...
nose. Our own system is screwed up.
When I first came in the jail, while getting processed I ...
and I had welts on my legs and I also had a couple papers...
The nurse said to wait and show the doctor, that for sure...
That was Wednesday, but on Thursday I was called to the c...
cell of the clinic and when they asked me to go in. No do...
The same forms I filled in when I first came to jail on M...
cough medicine and some salve for my welts. This was a di...
The doctor must have seen my papers and was afraid that I...
As of the following Monday, I do not have the welts or it...
prescribed by Dr. Jairo Pinzon my physician. Dr. Pinzon d...
problems with my liver. Anyhow, neither itching nor welts...
times a day, just like Oseola County Jail, hard to believ...
Chapter 45
October 4, 1988. My first day in court, I got up at 5:00 ...
and was ready to go by 6:30 a.m. I was picked up just abo...
changed into my street clothes, which my wife had sent th...
for the time being until 8:30 a.m. Pedro Narvaez and Fred...
around my waist and both hands handcuffed to the chain, t...
were escorted to the Federal Courtroom building. On the g...
a nicer installation than the one I was taken on previous...
holding pen with me, it was Everret Jones, a notorious ba...
and his Jury was in recess for the verdict of armed bank ...
Court was to start at 9:30 a.m. and just about that time ...
We were let out of the holding pen, chained are hands fro...
last exit door still at the steps we were freed from the ...
and Robert Dweyer. As I walked in I saw my wife Cecilia a...
of the courtroom.
I was accompanied by my attorney Frank Winkles, by Cathy ...
my investigator. pedro Narvaez had his attorney Mr. Willi...
man. The government had one of the Asst. D.A. by the name...
Crawford of the D.E.A. and Mr. Taman of Customs.
Mr. Frank Winkles also had one man in the back to use for...
didn't leave the courtroom. My daughter Krisula and daugh...
friends were also at the trial. I was cold in the courtro...
from freezing. There were sixty people's men and women, y...
for the Jury and four alternates. The rest which is two m...
asked for twenty people so we could pick out two alternat...
under these conditions. The picking went all morning and ...
would call the attorneys and the Government people next t...
the case.
At 12 noon we were escorted out of the courtroom after ev...
floor where the holding pen was. This time we were cuffed...
steak sandwiches with cokes, which we had previously orde...
in charge of all on the first floor. I think his name was...
cedure at 1 p.m. to the courtroom.
All afternoon was used to pick the Jury and by 5:00 p.m. ...
When the Jury left, the Judge and the attorneys started t...
to the judge previously. Most of the business was left fo...
had. About 5:30 p.m. we were returned to holding pens at ...
ure as before. I was kind of tired, but it was very inter...
I got in my cell 2N7 and it wasn't long after that they b...
went, so for the next two hours I explained things to the...
next morning for court. According to Judge Carr, court wa...
*Chapter 46 [#y58935ea]
October 5, 1988. I got up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for cou...
very late. I barely made it to court. I would have imagin...
posed to pick out two more alternates. I actually arrive ...
and ordered the court in session. Judge Carr had some mot...
they Judge started the business of the day.
Judge Carr accepted to try pedro Narvaez and Freddy Perez...
and the Judge. Judge Carr also said that as we were to be...
nine jurors. so, Frank Winkles and I decided we would sta...
was settled, the other co-defenders and their attorneys w...
The Jury was asked to enter. The Judge explained what his...
they could expect for time last of the trial as up to wha...
by letting the D.A. have two hours for the opening sessio...
mastermind of the importation of the cocaine and that the...
the D.A., my attorney Mr. Frank Winkles was allowed two h...
After the attorneys, the Judge asked the D.A. to put thei...
the Southern Sky, upon arrival in St. Petersburg--Bayboro...
mination of the court day for today.
At noon I was taken down to the holding pens of the Marsh...
were three people that I met in 2N7 the first time of bei...
mee and Everret Jones the bank robber who was waiting for...
and the session got started again. At about 5:30 p.m. was...
where my temporary home was. Change street clothes for ja...
what was said in court, the D.A. talking without knowing ...
operations of the ships at the St. Petersburg--Bayboro Ha...
knows? Nor does he know Customs procedures. For the last ...
culture Dept. and the ship cleared by Customs, Agricultur...
sired. Customs normally is there at the ship controlling ...
My attorney Frank Winkles is forgetting what I have been ...
this and I will see what happens tomorrow.
*Chapter 47 [#r8d2d23c]
My court case started Oct. 4, 1988 and lasted until Oct. ...
November at 9:30 a.m.
I accepted the Oct. 29 and 30 to get on the stand and try...
D.A. Mr. Furr. This was the first time I had ever gone to...
what I hearing. I figured that the D.A. and D.E.A. wouldn...
though it is a part of the government, that ones proves h...
they could lie, the more data they can suppress from the ...
doesn't make a difference if you are innocent or how they...
I was told that everything that is in the discovery is wh...
one picture of Tabatinga, Brazil showing about four to fi...
believe that it took over thirty pieces of two by fours b...
eight inches wide by twelve feet long boards to build eac...
ials. Another picture showed another shack with writing o...
These are pictures to show that what I said about Tabatin...
of the D.E.A., it clearly shows they are lying, and the D...
During the weekend I got a hold of my brother in law in L...
Brazil. Ken Nesbitt met the Avianca flight in Miami and r...
flew the film to the St. Petersburg/ Clearwater airport w...
photo shop opened on a Sunday night so she could get thre...
for court but because everything was closed on the 30th t...
still the D.A. gets mad about anyone saying that the D.E....
the D.A. to set the record straight.
On the 31st of October, the closing statements got starte...
It's hard for me to believe what is going on. I can't rea...
I called my wife after retiring into my cell to talk to h...
*Chapter 48 [#je69a378]
On Tuesday November 1 , 1988 , I got up early as normal a...
Paul was dressed out and ready to go before the Judge. He...
Wednesday November 2, 1988. I got up at 4:00 a.m. and got...
This morning Frank Winkles my attorney came by and we tal...
About 10:00 a.m. I was called upstairs. Man, I thought ma...
At 3:30 p.m. I was called back to the courtroom. The Jury...
*Chapter 48 [#j0456b33]
On Friday November 4, 1988, I was moved to the Hernando C...
On November 5 , 1988, Breakfast was given to us at 6:30 a...
Lunch was served about 12:30 p.m. We had a large portion ...
We got two home made biscuits and a cup of chocolate ice ...
and he gave me his chocolate ice cream. All this was too ...
the telephone also receives calls. So for the first time ...
at 11:30 p.m... So Friday night, through Saturday night u...
the telephone. During the week there is a lock down at 11...
On Monday the 7th of November 1988 we went out for recrea...
On the 9th of November 1988 1 decided to call Jack Greenb...
believed me and he was in the courtroom three days during...
behalf. Jack said he will get in touch with his people an...
10th of November telling me that he talked to his people ...
Tampa. Mike Powers would tell me what they need. I called...
for whom is calling. This I did. I got through to Mike Po...
the trial and one time after the trial, but Winkles didn'...
Mike Powers said that I can talk direct with them or have...
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the next day and tell him which way I ...
and explained what happened the last two days with the ph...
to come here at Hernando County C.C.A. Jail in Brooksvill...
Tuesday that he would call Mike Powers and put it off unt...
On the 1 lth day of Nov. about 8:00 a.m. Jack Greenburg c...
my attorney for a few days. Jack said that I should be ve...
I knew very well. That if I helped them that they would s...
with Jack. He finally said that everything could have bee...
Ides it wasn't that the D.A. could have fixed the Jury so...
Richard Crawford. Jack said, that's normal, he said you c...
They have to lie if they don't have you dead to rights an...
back to you, saying you got 100 years, now if you tell us...
we want so and so. It should be noted that when I was tal...
told me that if I didn't want to do this time I should co...
Greenburg said to me was; listen to what Mike Powers has ...
What a mess. What do they want? Do I have to lie to them ...
beyond a doubt, no problem. What if I don't know, would t...
have to think on what I really know to be a fact not hear...
care if they destroy one man and his family. After all th...
against drugs and now I am convicted on a drug charge tha...
*Chapter 50 [#yabd5995]
On November 22nd, 1988 the head of the D.E.A. in this are...
Ides and Mr. Tom Fotopoulos came to talk to me. I had cal...
and what he could do. Mr. Greenburg called Mr. Mike Power...
On the 15th of December we were advised from a Mr. Brown ...
21 st of December. This was part of being here in the Her...
we were also given $2.00 against ordering something from ...
Army gave us a coffee cup and one pair of white socks. We...
the 22nd, 23rd, and the 24th. This would be terrific. Fro...
Yesterday December 20, 1988, my wife Cecilia had papers f...
has to be in Tampa for the Grand Jury session at 9:00 a.m...
and put 1988 instead of 1989. What now? The Government do...
prints, pictures and a hand writing analysis. After recei...
resent Cecilia, and would check and see what it was all a...
On the 22nd, Thursday my wife Cecilia, son Dimitrios, son...
Coriaty came to see me. The get together was in the court...
full of visitors. After the visit we were given a good sh...
take anything back to our cells that we shouldn't have.
On the 23rd, my mother Maria, sister Goldie, wife Cecilia...
grandson Michael Coriaty, a friend Joe Bobo, another frie...
visit me. It was terrific that they would let all these p...
of the personnel of the Hernando County C .C.A. Jail and ...
each. I know that Goldie had to talk like hell to get the...
placed at the exit of the jail for the children to get a ...
Today the 24th of December. I had my wife Cecilia, my dau...
Magola, a friend George Roberts, a friend David Hilton wi...
was great. I just hope they will keep it up. This was a c...
It was nice to see that I had more persons visiting me th...
rest of the afternoon reading and after supper looking at...
after midnight to call home.
A PRISONER'S CHRISTMAS: Taw's the night before Christmas...
*Chapter 51 [#a00aabf5]
I called at 12:30 a.m. on the 25th of December. Everyone ...
Here in Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, all will be the same...
Today, 27th of December, Tuesday, I sent the attorney Fra...
The following are a list of motions that my attorney Fran...
-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 Magist...
Motion to dismiss
-7/26/88
Motion to dismiss Indictment Or, in the Alternative, Segr...
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 s...
come to the Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, and wants Mr. Fr...
on T.V. something that will hurt me on my appeal. I have ...
Frank Winkles wanted me to get some character reference l...
said that he would only use five to six letters. I have t...
Judge Carr, if he reads them all okay, if not I will use ...
Friday, Dec. 30, 1988, I decided to do two things one is ...
your lack of support on my case, you preferred to accept ...
so, and fifteen years of knowing me and how I work and th...
me to help in the Peruvian covert operation, that now I a...
friends in Washington. I thought you were a fighter of th...
Thanks again and good bye.
In the cell next door holds state inmates. About two week...
two black inmates where placed in a separate holding cell...
appointed as a trustee. This is hard to believe.
I am in cell E which is very disorganized in compared to ...
back to the offices, especially to the women officers; th...
of hell calling one another names from one room to the ot...
Paul and I tried four different times to get transferred ...
resulted to transfers to cell D In occasions just request...
D cell. Paul and I just wanted to get transferred, Paul b...
as he has become a good friend. I do not have anything to...
transfer to cell D What a mess. The only way is to fight ...
Today, December 31, 1988 last day of 1988, I am sitting h...
future holds for me in 1989.
1988, I began the year with difficulties in making paymen...
Center of $3 dollars. The reason for the difficulty was l...
and also for a loan from a foreign bank that didn't mater...
Damn good, more mouth than accomplishments.
Arrest on May 3rd and in jail May 4th on cocaine charges....
good enough story against me. Jury finds me guilty and he...
U.S. Government covert operations with me exposed by my a...
Government has taken everything from me, Tarpon Financial...
trucks belonging to me, wife, children and the business, ...
money. The Government has not done this to others arreste...
is harsher. The Government wants you family on the street...
more of a burden to the tax payers, instead of being out ...
I stayed up to midnight on the 31 st of Dec. 1988 in orde...
to get out of jail by a presidential pardon, or by the ap...
court overthrowing the Jury verdict and new guidelines fo...
guidelines on sentencing are unconstitutional and should ...
in 1989 and working before the end of the year 1989.
I started the new year of Jan 1, 1989 by getting up for b...
On January 3rd. 1989 at about 6:00 p.m. an officer came b...
Paul on the 4th of January 1989 was given three years. Pa...
Goldie, my sister went to Tampa yesterday on the fourth t...
volume. Something is wrong. Over a month ago they had eig...
week before Christmas. Now it's still the same eight volu...
happening. Goldie wanted to take my transcript to an atto...
take my appeals case.
On the 5th of January 19891 received my P.S.I., pre sente...
days before sentencing which is the 17th and I have ten d...
for a thirty day delay on my sentencing. This was also re...
wants for has charged me with a level 42 , and category 1...
a 43 level giving me life sentencing. I have sat down eve...
report on my P.S.I. and as I see it, it is super rough. I...
was told that I better hire a private P.S.I. man to make ...
to see what he can do. By dropping to a 36 level would on...
One ofmy last statements that I have is after hearing tal...
have had time in jail before. It's our government's fault...
inmate has served his time and is released? You are not a...
by the time one is released most of their wives or love o...
it to do now? Have you ever stopped to think what you wou...
I personally have had a good sex life and lived for my se...
I have never drunk. I live and don't believe in smoking, ...
done drugs. But I do believe in sex. Something that God g...
And I've raised and love my family. I live for my family....
that I worked for is for my wife and children and also if...
The Government of the United States by an Act of Congress...
My family and my friends keep telling me, don't worry, be...
life by being brought up in a strict Greek Orthodox home ...
on 113 Hope Street. My mother takes care of St. Michael S...
C. Carr, Mr. Walter Furr, Mr. Richard Crawford and Mr. Ta...
that my incarceration, the destruction of my family will ...
TRIAL PEDRO NARVAEZ AND FREDDY PEREZ: pedro and Freddy ar...
they are in the same case with you. The case was tried by...
was the Judge. Judge Carr was also on my case. Pedro and ...
for fifty-five minutes and came back with a guilty verdic...
for them was set by Judge Carr for February 15, 1989.
According to other inmates that were in the same cell in ...
cell several times by the D.E.A. and the D.A. to talk. A ...
drastic reduction of his sentencing. The attorney of Pedr...
courtroom during and especially December 1, 1988 that Ped...
told a person the day before he went to trial on Pedro's ...
he screwed up, now it's his chance to get his client off....
struck with the D.E.A. and the D.A. in the Sarasota Count...
As far as Freddy was concerned, I understood that he also...
and the D.A. for a deal. But Freddy told them that I did ...
about the shipment. While Freddy was going to court these...
what he knew about the case and accused me and instead of...
would talk to the Judge to get him off in five years. He ...
D.A. didn't accept the testimony of Freddy. The D.A. said...
plea bargain of five years. Freddy returned to cell in Hi...
wrist to commit suicide. I understand Pedro found him in ...
downstairs and worked on. I also understand that for the ...
strapped to a bed, except for eating and bathing.
*Epilogue [#tcb6255e]
As I said in the first chapter of this book I was arreste...
My name and reputation are still smeared online. In fact,...
These days I still feel like I am in prison. I may be fre...
So many years ago all I wanted was to build up a town tha...
Want to learn more about Jungle Mike BEFORE the convictio...
[1] See "Milk Fever" in htW;,' /en.wikipediaMVwiki/Milk f...
[2] Antioch College approached me in 1968 to form a co-op...
The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia becomes involved after...
End:
-Jungle Mike - From Animal Trapper to Being Caged like an...
--This is the True Story of the "Largest Cocaine Bust in ...
*Preface [#y6ca98a8]
I was preparing for a business trip to Greece. I was head...
"I wonder what poor bastard did something wrong," I said.
Then, suddenly I realized the lights were for me. I was b...
agents. After my car was inspected I was ordered to drive...
What cocaine? I wondered. I told Crawford that I didn't k...
I said I had nothing to hide and before I knew it my ware...
*Acknowledgments [#cc960b82]
I dedicate the story that follows to my dear wife, Cecili...
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 ...
Your Honor, I plea to you to consider my sentencing to se...
Judge, when you said in your opening statement that I had...
The thing that has puzzled me for day one of my arrest, w...
Your Honor, I believe myself at the age of 61 to be intel...
If everything that I said in this statement seems self-se...
The previous statements are actual excerpts I said in cou...
--"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that ...
*Chapter 1 [#p890f757]
As youngsters we are taught that when someone commits a c...
I was arrested on charges of cocaine on May 3, 1988, and ...
I worked as a model citizen 100% for the United States of...
Finally, on February 15, 1989 1 was sentenced to 328 mont...
I spent more than two decades in jail for crimes I did no...
This book is my way of telling my side of the story. Than...
At the age of twelve I joined the Boy Scouts and became v...
After this I served as acting Scout Master even though I ...
Not only was I active in the scouts, I also worked at the...
**My First Rattle Snake [#n6d54dfa]
You never forget your first rattle snake and I caught my...
I walked back to camp with it to our reptile guy and whe...
Knowing I had no experience with snakes and seeing me wi...
*Chapter 2 [#jc6ccba8]
It was 1946; I had graduated from Tarpon Springs High Sch...
From 1946 to 1947 I served in the United States Army, but...
After Mexico I went to San Jose, Costa Rica to collect mo...
It was during all of this traveling that Trudie Jerkins l...
Then, in 1951 I ended up in Arrived in Barranquilla, Colo...
**Food poisoning in a foreign country [#o6aaeb8d]
In my travels one of the places I ended up in was Teguci...
Luckily, I managed to remember Roberto's sister's phone ...
I can definitely say that is one incident I didn't ever ...
*Chapter 3 [#oc8d93be]
My first attempt to go to Leticia was in 1952. I met a ma...
During this I also lived with Miguel and his family, but ...
A young and attractive lady named Laura worked behind the...
We had our first date that evening and walked up the stre...
We finished our Cokes and I walked with Laura about a blo...
I knew from experience that most fathers can be very prot...
The next day I went to buy some more stamps and mail lett...
I walked Laura back to her home again after we finished o...
On our third date I had simply planned to enjoy our Cokes...
As soon as we got to Laura's place she disappeared. I fea...
Laura's mom kept bringing me cafezinhos and as I continue...
*Chapter 4 [#wc4503b8]
Laura and I lived together in my hotel room for the next ...
Every day at 5: 15 pm, like clockwork, I would meet Laura...
About two weeks after living together, I gathered Laura, ...
I was still set on going to Leticia for my business, but ...
I was sad to realize I would be going to Leticia on my ow...
I bought a one-way airline ticket to Leticia in Belem and...
When Ray approached me I knew it wouldn't be a good conve...
The next morning I woke up bright and early, said goodbye...
**Dirty Dealings [#te3fa880]
Apparently my issues with Ray Perez left him contemplati...
Unbeknownst to me he planned for a speed boat to collect...
As soon as we deplaned in Benjamin Constant Ray hopped i...
*Chapter 5 [#ea478395]
In August 1953, I finally arrived in Leticia, Colombia fr...
We had to land in the water several yards offshore and th...
Max Oldenburg, the Leticia dispatcher of the Pan Air do B...
The Leticia port wasn't much to look at. In fact, the who...
*Chapter 6 [#rfa9fa16]
Alfonso Galindo, who was a pan Air do Brasil agent I met ...
There was a door that adjoined Senor Campos' room, but it...
Once I unpacked a bit and caught my breath, I went to see...
Pedro, one of Alfonso's employees, carried the motor to t...
Of course, because of our already cemented tiff, Ray told...
On the Peruvian side of the Amazon River just three kilom...
Julio was a significant local trader who traded and barte...
Julio and his guys helped me load the box with the anacon...
Max told me there was a man named Luis E. Diaz in town wh...
The hard part would be getting the snake out of Julio's b...
After making sure no one was around, we slowly and quietl...
By nightfall, I had become the talk of Leticia because of...
Once Ray left I took my place as the dominant buyer in Le...
*Chapter 7 [#gb119c45]
In 1953 Leticia was a small, sleepy and unprepossessing r...
There was little to no modern infrastructure in Leticia a...
I got the model and make of the plant's generator and wir...
I found the Leticianos to be very friendly and warm peopl...
I knew from the start that I was going to need reliable a...
Leticia had a small air strip, eight hundred meters long ...
So, I hired a small crew and we all staked out the strip,...
Several days later we had cleared and spruced up the stri...
The next challenge would be to convince the ASA that the ...
I was praying and keeping my fingers crossed that the pil...
*Chapter 8 [#b7324592]
I stayed in Senor Ocampos' boarding house for about three...
Senor Ocampos didn't like his standard fare either so he ...
**The Anaconda Gets Loose [#qd9236ce]
One night I went to see a movie at the local movie house...
Somehow it had worked its way out of its box. I froze in...
Apparently one of the boards on the box had weakened bec...
I put the flashlight in my mouth and as quietly as possi...
As luck would have it, Senor Ocampos did wake up while a...
*Chapter 9 [#g7b89530]
Alfonso Galindo, a native of Leticia, rented me a house a...
The day I moved out of Senor Ocampos' boarding house we t...
Not surprisingly, Senor Ocampos nearly threw a fit after ...
After securing the house I spent time settling into the n...
**Yahauarcaca Lakes [#ad87e6af]
I remembered that on my second day in Leticia, somebody ...
Once I got into the lakes, I paddled slowly around the l...
*Chapter 10 [#lb317941]
It was on my third day in Leticia that I befriended Senor...
Rafael was the fish collector and shipper for Paramount A...
I negotiated with Fred to let me ship his fish from Letic...
When my charter flight's maiden voyage happened about fou...
Once I landed in Miami with the first shipment I went to ...
After unloading the fish shipment in Miami and clearing m...
Venturing that far upstream along the Amazon River had be...
*Chapter 11 [#z8a817da]
Upon the arrival of our very first shipment of animals in...
Aquariums in Vero Beach, Florida, I went to talk with Mr....
Here is how it worked: A flight originated from St. Peter...
ASA worked up pricing for passenger tickets, domestic car...
Within a week, I travelled on one of ASA's flights to Bog...
Despite the auspicious start, business was slow in the be...
I sent some of my guys out to catch a large fish called G...
Soon I decided to return to St. Petersburg again on a fli...
Until then, we'd been trying to depart Bogota with fuel t...
This was not good news to ASA because, they argued, these...
Over the next three or so months, ASA bought fuel in Bogo...
After the fifth ASA flight using Villavicencio as a refue...
**Man Eating Catfish [#gc5c1eb1]
In 1953 1 started shipping a fresh fish called Piraiba t...
People around Leticia often catch the Piraiba with lines...
It is no exaggeration that the Piraiba and Bagre are oft...
Suddenly, our eyes grew wide as we incredulously watched...
Over the years, many people living along the Amazon Rive...
*Chapter 12 [#j5e942c4]
Three years after the ASA charter flights were fully oper...
for about two years before finally giving up.
Another Colombian carrier from Medellin, SAM, started up ...
Gabriel was quite persuasive, offering me a shipping rate...
SAM Charter Flight Services tried very hard to break into...
to stop ASA from operating out of Leticia. I had a lot of...
*Chapter 13 [#mb401e01]
After working with ASA for about three years, I was depar...
The cargo loaded inside ASA's C-46 transport was already ...
When they met Captain Tellez threatened to create problem...
On its first flight after overhauling the C-46, the plane...
*Chapter 14 [#c312d307]
Major storms didn't happen very often in and around Letic...
On one occasion the winds were so powerful they uprooted ...
There was one very close call when one of these squalls s...
the skies followed by deafening cracks of thunder. Everyb...
in Leticia was hit dead on by a lightning bolt, and hot s...
**Nuns and Me and a Storm [#zaf6a9de]
Six elderly nuns were visiting Leticia and asked me to ta...
Unfortunately, not long after we took off on the water we...
Arnaldo swung the boat around and hugged the bank on the ...
Sr. Hoyos gave everybody a hammock to hang up and stretch...
The nuns all tried to lie down in their hammocks and slee...
The nuns made their way one by one down a set of crude an...
*Chapter 15 [#f6d20836]
During my first two years in Leticia, 1953-1954, there wa...
After several talks with Trudie, we decided to make a pus...
Our New World Monkeys from the Leticia and Barranquilla c...
Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri Sciureus) ??? Cancer Research
- White Lip Marmoset (Nigricollis) ??? Hepatitis Research
- White Lip Marmoset (Mystax) ??? Hepatitis
???-ght Monkey (Aotus Trivirgatus) ??? Malaria
- Ringtail Monkey (Cebus Apela) ??? Heart Transplant and ...
- Capuchins Monkey (Cebus Albithron) ???Heart Transplants...
- Wooly Monkey (Lagothrix) ??? Human Virus Research
Some of the laboratories and experimental stations we con...
- 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...
What gave the island its name was the squirrel monkey pop...
I approached the original settlers of the island, and aft...
Monkey Island is endowed with two beautiful lakes brimmin...
Once I had the rights to Monkey Island I made two key dec...
Monkey Island, I discovered very fast, was incredibly ric...
Soon after buying the island about eighteen of my workers...
some insects. But insects would never be enough to sustai...
Soon we went to work planting various kinds of fruit tree...
Once the fruit trees on Monkey Island starting bearing fr...
When it became apparent that our gamble to develop a thri...
One year later I built a small hotel on Monkey Island for...
The famous Victoria Regia lily pad, the largest water lil...
*Chapter 16 [#oc3ca20f]
I started hunting alligators in the Everglades of Florida...
The South American version of the American alligator is t...
There were areas not far from Leticia where we would find...
would catch three or four hundred babies and as many as t...
eight of my men to go out on these hunts on two large can...
do most of the paddling while I would be at the bow ready...
The black caiman was much more interesting to hunt and ca...
They are very shy if they've had a lot of lights shined o...
During hunts for brown caiman, we would grunt for them fo...
**More Nuns and Gator Hunting [#t79fdba0]
A group of nuns, fifteen in all, visited Leticia from Ma...
The nuns were completely fascinated by what they'd just ...
*Chapter 17 [#s4f9e816]
As I mentioned earlier when I arrived in Leticia there we...
For the people in Leticia in those years, then around thr...
Some worked in the logging and rubber business and made s...
In spite of the very raw conditions I encountered, I rema...
The small army clinic in Leticia had a doctor named Dr. C...
The national government of Colombia, I quickly learned, h...
I had heard that it would take at least another year to g...
The first thing that happened was the US Navy sent a Capt...
The equipment arrived at Bogota's El Dorado airport via P...
One of the conditions that the local government officials...
Government officials from Bogota, Captain Evers of the US...
Following the initial hospital equipment shipment to Leti...
The outpouring of help from local doctors and dentists in...
When I think back on this project, I have to conclude tha...
When Captain Evers and his team came to Leticia for the i...
He demanded that the new x-ray unit be shipped and instal...
In the months that followed, I decided to set up a number...
Building and starting up the San Rafael de Leticia Hospit...
It's important to note that there were no charges for ser...
*Chapter 18 [#bc54c9ce]
During the late 1960s, the drug trade in Colombia was sta...
When people in Leticia started talking about cocaine, I r...
A sergeant from Barranquilla's custom's agency came to Le...
I had bought two houses in Leticia to provide lodging for...
The sergeant ended up staying at the guide house and eati...
One day an article appeared in one of Colombia's daily ne...
Several months later a truck loaded with sun dried fish c...
for the inbound and outbound flights that day.
The sergeant peered through the window as the men carried...
Sergeant Joe, however, was highly skeptical and instructe...
Mr. Plifio Reina, the head of customs in Leticia, had gro...
Getting to the center of Leticia from the airport was abo...
"Is Jorge with you, Mike?" asked Plifio. I replied, "Yes ...
After I hung up the phone, Jorge and I went into my house...
When I arrived at Plifio's office a few minutes later, I ...
I parked my truck and went into my home and proceeded to ...
I don't recall exactly how much cocaine was in the four b...
As I sensed the man didn't have that kind of money, I ask...
Jorge was sentenced to several years in prison in Bogota ...
While this incident certainly helped silence any further ...
*Chapter 19 [#j128b604]
On another occasion, about twenty tourists from Germany w...
It looked like the police and the judge were in the proce...
Strangely, a few weeks later, the judge, in an amazing ca...
The German tourists, who had already departed from Letici...
Chapter 20
In another drug incident, a man in Leticia approached me ...
Everybody in Leticia knew I was shipping animals, tropica...
Besides, one of my largest customers was the pharmaceutic...
When I explained my concerns to this man making the drug ...
No doubt, I could have made a lot of money if I had accep...
*Chapter 21 [#s72f0ac7]
During the Kennedy administration in the early 1960s, inc...
On any given day, there might have been eight to ten of t...
A good number of the young travelers arrived in Leticia f...
Over time I was finding that being the US consular agent ...
While I was the US consular agent in Leticia, however, I ...
*Chapter 22 [#k942e157]
In 19601 decided to expand into the tourism industry in L...
August, 195 3 , I started receiving some publicity which ...
venture. The first people who started trickling into Leti...
would ride along on the boats I used to haul animals and ...
Most of the tourists would tell my boatmen they wanted to...
Indians.
Sometimes they would notice a creek feeding into the Amaz...
the creeks so they could take photos. Over time the touri...
the compound, which cost the animal business time and mon...
and down the Amazon River day and most every night. What ...
tourists?
I decided to diversify into the tourism business because ...
numbers of people wanting to experience the Amazon River ...
getting extra boats dedicated to tourism so the tourists ...
started up a whole new line of business and charged touri...
and one tour per day.
The federal government of Colombia and I negotiated so I ...
had twelve small rooms, each furnished with two single be...
room with shower and toilet. Though it was very basic, th...
hotel also had a restaurant that could handle up to eight...
parties at the Victoria Regia.
One time the director of Colombia's Tourist Board visited...
spoke with contagious enthusiasm about the future prospec...
ner, he told me, "Mike, you ought to set up a nice hotel ...
will surely come! I can help get financing from the Touri...
will definitely help you." That marked the beginning of t...
I was able to get two hundred sacks of cement that were l...
my men departed Leticia, traveled up the Javary River and...
banks. We broke ground with a few men whose job was hunti...
designing the hotel and what it would look like on comple...
designed the hotel myself using several match boxes and l...
to design a complex of twelve cabin-like rooms, each faci...
at an angle. The men working with me on the project appea...
operative word being "appeared").
We started breaking ground for the hotel in Leticia and s...
found the men had poured all of the footings but mistaken...
when I reminded them that I'd wanted the footings to be a...
again, this time with me paying very close attention so t...
I actually ended up building six large apartments on one ...
rows of apartments was a large and lovely swimming pool e...
system. Later on we added six more apartments, three on e...
for the Parador Ticuna. This project was a huge milestone...
On July 4, 1960 we celebrated the grand opening of the Pa...
of Leticia. We sent out 300 invitations and 600 people ca...
hotel to eat, drink and schmooze. The party went on until...
a.m. to deliver a speech I'd crafted. Thinking I was goin...
empty out my pockets. Once I finished my speech, everybod...
in the pool.
About twenty minutes after my speech, the crowd got prett...
was jumping into the pool, clothes and all. Whoever didn'...
we disappeared into one of the apartments. Another "escap...
The last thing I remember was seeing a normally very dign...
a bunch of drunken people lifted him up and heaved him in...
act. Hotel waiters and waitresses, all of the hotel staff...
When the morning sun appeared, it was eerily quiet and pe...
to their homes to sleep off the booze and hard partying f...
with everything you could imagine???rings, combs, glasses...
that party???and Colombians and Brazilians really know ho...
of attraction of Leticia and the surrounding area. Apart ...
Ticuna became known as the only real hotel in Leticia for...
parties and meetings.
The irony of all of this was that I never received one re...
empty promises of funding. I concluded that the board tal...
money, invariably, they would run for the tall grass.
*Chapter 23 [#n198a1cc]
Amidst building up the tourism in Leticia, I also started...
Tarapaca is located nearby. This is about 120 kilometers ...
El Cotuhe empties into the Rio Putumayo, a major tributar...
instructed them on what to clear away. It was important t...
George, could safely land and take off in his plane. Tree...
river's bank. We also cut one thousand five hundred feet ...
and take off. It turned into a beautiful campsite for tou...
wildlife.
George flew to and from the campsite to see how easy or d...
loaded but could only depart with one passenger because t...
something for George to take back to Leticia, I would hav...
empties into the Rio Putumayo. There was plenty of waterw...
I started advertising the camp as a place for tourists an...
three years I operated this camp only five people from It...
ture and I became disheartened.
Later, a woman named Julie Allen Field arrived in Leticia...
in the jungle for tourists to visit and stay. When she he...
enthusiastic. Frustrated with the upkeep, I decided to ha...
Julie tried to operate the camp, keeping a guy on locatio...
When I approached the Colombian Tourist Board for funding...
into a signature Amazon tourist attraction, my requests r...
made turned out to be empty.
*Chapter 24 [#j348e94f]
My next venture was on Monkey Island (Isla de los Micos) ...
the Amazon River. I built an upscale lodge on the island ...
experience the jungle and all of its wildlife. I had hope...
Tourist Board but ended up funding the project myself. Th...
The lodge turned out to be a good investment as we develo...
island. Eventually, a group from the Colombian Tourist Bo...
Parador Ticuna. The board's director said they had money ...
of Victor Zambrano.
I met with Victor and told him everything I wanted which ...
construction of a second story to double the hotel's capa...
renderings, I made the first of several personal trips to...
she drew her red pencil out and the proceeded to mark and...
took notes while she worked. She finished in a matter of ...
much of an explanation. I flew back to Leticia to return ...
gave me a new set of renderings that included all of the ...
having everything approved by the tourist board to move t...
the Hotel Intercontinental in Bogota for the tourist board.
The cocktail party had been lively and everybody thorough...
ing day I went to the tourist board's office in Bogota wh...
architect. Again, she took out her red pencil and quickly...
had not made the changes she had requested. Frankly speak...
young architect. "Have you ever been to Leticia?" I asked...
unfortunately she became defensive and coldly dismissed m...
I showed the marked up drawings again to Victor and he we...
and final visit to the Colombian Tourist Board to seek ap...
board pulled me aside and told me, "Mike doesn't give the...
no money in the budget. All the money for this year has b...
Later, I would receive an occasional call from the touris...
politely told them I was no longer interested in their su...
I met the tourist board's director at a meeting in Cali w...
introduced me to the president as "the man who doesn't ac...
money?" I added. "I understood the board had no money and...
There was one success story in dealing with the Colombian...
who built a swimming pool with his own money. Almost by m...
loan to George, but only after the pool was completed. Wh...
I don't think the Colombian Tourist Board really had a go...
strong tourism in the Amazon region in and around Leticia...
den away in some closet. So, for all intents and purposes...
*Chapter 25 [#i7df19aa]
George was my youngest brother and had been a high school...
already settled in Leticia, I talked him into leaving Flo...
taught for a year and even opened up a small bar as a sid...
business failed; not surprisingly, George's partner disap...
Unfortunately, George had to close the bar. At the end of...
he was left with nothing to do and making plans to return...
I told George to come to Leticia where I could put him to...
our mother was totally against it. George already had abo...
water, Florida. After a few years of being in Leticia, Ge...
good when I came across a Cessna 172 in Bogota. The plane...
pontoons for water takeoffs and landings.
George and I had always talked about how nice it would be...
and make some money in the process. So, I went ahead and ...
got??, Urdaneta and Galvis, paymg part in cash and then f...
of the Colombian air force in Bogota was a good friend an...
plane to Leticia and serve as George's personal flight in...
receiving his officer's pay from the Colombian air force ...
pesos a month. George was tickled pink and I couldn't hav...
as pilot would be a huge benefit to my animal and tourist...
area as a whole.
I told George to talk to Monseior Marceliano E. Canyes as...
churches and schools near the Amazon River, El Cotuhe Riv...
motes locations quickly by air would be a huge burden off...
George and Monseior Canyes agreed on a fifty-fifty partne...
just knowing George would be staying in Leticia, at least...
Lt. Maldonado, unfortunately, did not work out and we had...
himself how to fly the Cessna 172 over the next few month...
of Leticia. Finally the day arrived when George successfu...
I don't know if George ever got an instrument rating to f...
Soon, George formed a new company called Aero Transporte ...
He bought a used Cessna 185 with a 300 horsepower engine ...
As expected, George got very busy flying his planes all o...
a brand new Cessna 185 on floats. The remarkable thing is...
Cessna 185's solo from the US to Leticia, one with floats...
George landed in Leticia.
George opened a nice office in Leticia and soon expanded ...
It had eighteen rooms with double occupancy and included ...
been better for George. I was so happy and proud to see h...
out Monsefior Canyes' shares in the business partnership.
As in life, nothing lasts forever. Soon, we noticed other...
These individuals did not have offcial companies, and, as...
private use. But we soon learned these individuals were p...
churches and government. Clearly, the planes were owned b...
in and around Leticia; they were providing the free fligh...
their drug business.
I saw the writing on the wall and advised George to sell ...
excellent records of his business, he would not have any ...
selling his company. After all, it was his baby. Fortunat...
made a down payment with the remainder to be paid in inst...
following day.
The day is forever etched in memory???September 21, 1981....
mechanic who had overhauled the Cessna 185 told George he...
the government. The plane was docked on the Amazon River ...
mechanic got into the plane to take it up for a test flig...
the accelerator lever and then noticed something wrong as...
at the mechanic to jump for his life while he tried to sl...
river and George was knocked unconscious. A boat was sent...
nor anybody in the boat had a knife???or so it seemed???t...
Tragically, George drowned to death. It turned out the me...
so scared he couldn't think straight. Nobody thought to e...
George's body was kept at the port of Leticia while waiti...
George at the local hospital but to no avail. George's bo...
flight. His heart was left behind and placed in a tomb in...
As I reflect on my youngest brother, it makes me smile to...
except those in the drug business. George steadfastly ref...
opportunities and temptations to do so. He was completely...
His deeds were always aligned with his words. George abho...
nothing good could come of it.
George never married or had his own family. No doubt, bei...
George had no problem attracting many girlfriends in his ...
years. I know he would have been a great husband and fath...
I am forever grateful for the good times George and I sha...
George's estate settled, and there are still a few items ...
cause of who George was and the huge footprint he left be...
*Chapter 26 [#z41d8cc6]
The Colombian government imposed a ban on exporting wildl...
and lifted three times. I had not taken it seriously as t...
seemed.
On the third ban, I continued to buy wildlife, and during...
meet with various congress people about the ban and its i...
resulted in shutting down my export business. Throughout ...
There were about 125 in all working in the animal compoun...
By the end of ten months, I had to reduce my employee cou...
ing financial losses caused by the export ban, I was push...
as many of my men working as possible.
In 1976, my DC-6 airplane crashed in Santa Marta, Colombi...
to Barranquilla. Simon Daza G., who had been working for ...
since 1954, met me at the airport in Barranquilla togethe...
over time (at least I thought at the time he was a good f...
legal problems since the entire crew perished in the cras...
target me for liability and other damages, according to F...
owned in Barranquilla to Simon Daza G. as a protective me...
times in a very big way.
All of the work I'd done to build and operate the Barranq...
drain after I followed Flores' advice and signed over my ...
to return any of it. The families of the perished flight ...
Flores and another attorney in Bogota have been useless i...
three DC-6 engines and countless spare parts to Simon as ...
had promised him. Until the DC-6 crash, I had always had ...
going well, everybody is seen as upstanding, honest and r...
character reveals itself. Clearly the US Consular Service...
otherwise they would have never recommended him to me.
*Chapter 27 [#z2760b7a]
One Friday night around 10:00 p.m. I was walking into the...
Carlos Hinestroza, when we were approached by five agents...
uridad, or DAS, which is similar to the FBI in the US exc...
Carlos and I had been attending a meeting held at the loc...
bia's president discuss tourism.
The agents abruptly grabbed me by the arm and started esc...
staff could only watch with eyes wide open and mouths aga...
the car next to me. The driver and his partner sitting in...
both very nervous and speechless as we had no idea what w...
After several minutes the car pulled in front of a large ...
then led down a long hallway where we were put in very na...
hanging overhead, a metal fold out bed without blanket, t...
cell was a solid concrete wall on three sides including t...
about six by eight inches. The light bulb shined continuo...
night, or to know what time it was. I thought I could sle...
It helped that I had been a regular and well-known guest ...
witnessed the entire scene in the lobby, called my assist...
liver two mattresses, one for Carlos and the other for me.
"What in the hell are we in for?" I asked myself. My mind...
to relax and calm my mind.
Since it was Friday night in Bogota, I figured we would b...
was able to deliver meals the Hotel Dann had prepared for...
the inmates.
"What a goddamn shithole to be in!" I thought to myself. ...
couldn't hear him or anybody all that first night. My ner...
from yelling, cussing and swearing at the top of my lungs.
The guards took my shoe laces, belt and money. Somehow th...
pockets. I decided to play a game to keep from going craz...
coins into the center hole of the toilet paper roll while...
Early Monday morning a guard appeared, unlocked my cell a...
take me back to the Hotel Dann. I hadn't brushed my teeth...
high heaven. All I wanted to do was get cleaned up and pu...
When we arrived at the Hotel Dann, I was escorted to the ...
and sealed with a paper. Somebody unlocked the door and w...
lawyers working for the DAS, a photographer, a judge and ...
snapping pictures of me, the inside of my hotel room and ...
had set up an impromptu kangaroo court in the room, and t...
The judge unceremoniously opened the session with a list ...
??? 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 explai...
stream from Leticia, and only the local Indian tribes and...
did so it was only behind their homes in the jungle. The ...
the monkeys I bought from the Indians and natives helped ...
papaya, bananas and other fruits. So basically I was elim...
local natives. The judge nodded as if to indicate he unde...
and that it wasn't me or my workers who were carelessly k...
I spent several minutes explaining that it did not make s...
rainforest. We did not cut down any trees or foliage. At ...
homestead or establish local colonies. Local Indians and ...
rivers and streams to build their homes and plant bananas...
and bushes. The local Indians and natives had little or n...
As for killing animals for their skins, I explained that ...
search laboratories to develop new drugs that would hopef...
being involved in killing animals only for their skins. T...
Finally, I emphatically stated that in no way was I invol...
Colombia knew it was growing out of control. I noticed se...
checking everything in the room including curtains, the b...
drugs whatsoever.
After about four hours of this, I was taken back to the j...
inmates. I sat there for a long time. Suddenly, some peop...
told him and that I was free to go. When I asked why I ha...
taken to the jail, I had received a phone call from a man...
the man had called me to ask if I would deliver a letter ...
DAS, it turned out, was arresting everybody who had been ...
had arrested and jailed fifteen people over the past seve...
half hours just before hitting the time limit when the US...
an attorney to go with me to the jail to get a letter sta...
said there was no record I had spent any time in jail.
*Chapter 28 [#j283134f]
By the end of 19 79, the world as I knew it was coming to...
animals in 19 75 had taken a serious toll on me financial...
money to keep me and my employees afloat. I closed down t...
went ahead and closed the Tarpon Zoo, sold what she could...
The realization that it was time to move on was painful, ...
in Leticia than any other place in my life, and while the...
sinking in, I knew deep down there weren't many choices a...
Cecilia, my wife of nearly twenty five years, and I decid...
our children and just make occasional trips to Leticia to...
burg in charge of the Parador Ticuna Hotel and the touris...
haunt me. Max agreed to send a monthly check to Florida f...
house in Tarpon Springs. We had a maid who helped care fo...
I worked very hard the next two and half years to stay af...
did what I had to do to take care of my family. My attorn...
not allow me to do so. I was determined to pay off all de...
If you haven't gathered by now, I've been a man of action...
morning and working until late at night, often operating ...
to be in Tarpon Springs and not have something to do that...
ran deeply in my blood???this was who I was and what I di...
loved to do. So I started working on a plan to develop a ...
One day while in Tarpon Springs, I picked up the phone an...
to import and export. INCOMEX is a Colombian government a...
porting. Fabio put me in contact with several people in L...
from me rather than from parties in Panama where there we...
untold thousands of dollars for merchandise in Panama and...
Cardenas, a store owner in Leticia, paid for a shipment o...
twenty-one days before the goods finally arrived. We call...
and the Panamanians could only tell us "tomorrow, tomorro...
even after countless trips to the airport every morning a...
About a week later I got a telegram from Alberto Villarea...
me to send him a quote on several pieces of merchandise. ...
fit inside a DC-6 aircraft. He requested that my quote in...
safely fit inside a DC-6 along with the cost of the fligh...
for the merchandise including the cost to rent a DC-6. I ...
me back accepting the quote and instructed me to meet his...
I headed to Panama to meet Jorge and he paid me on the sp...
to buy everything and organize the flight. Renting the DC...
a couple of days, we took off on the flight route We ende...
gao and rose early the next morning for a 5:00 am departu...
sometime before noon as the flight is roughly five hours....
pear suddenly during the afternoons in Leticia, making la...
Once we landed in Leticia, we off-loaded the cargo at the...
ness in Leticia and later that night I went to visit Albe...
me $ 10, 000 USD for my time and trouble. He also gave me...
peated the same procedure and had another shipment sent t...
I made two more shipments to Alberto. Things were going w...
While all this was going on Tomas Cardenas decided to let...
his own money most of the time and he usually picked out ...
looking for and bought in large quantities. He was a good...
believe I made two shipments for Tomas' store called Prim...
I was renting the same DC-6 at $9,000 US per trip. Normal...
being paid upon my return. I had done this already on sev...
USD to the attorney in charge of the rental DC-6. I was a...
Jackson was the captain of the airplane at the time, and ...
check them out.
Mysteriously, the plane was not there. We looked all over...
should have been at the airport. He told me not to worry ...
sound and look very suspicious to me and John. We left th...
When we returned to the airport the next day, the airplan...
wing was damaged. We could see signs of clay and cactus o...
we asked him if we could help as we needed to the plane o...
had the plane ready and checked out in time for a 1 a.m. ...
ing I should stop renting this plane and look for another...
using the airplane to haul marijuana from Guajira, Colomb...
would be the last time I would rent this DC-6.
John and I spent a lot of time trying to find another DC-...
success. A couple of days later, John received a call fro...
Jose, Costa Rica. As I could overhear the conversation, I...
the guy to allow us to fly our cargo to Leticia on his DC...
leave it there.
The DC-6 was already at a small airport near Miami Intern...
went to see the DC-6. The owners told us the plane hadn't...
would be necessary to get it ready for service. We charge...
etc. It took three days to get the plane ready for take-o...
Rican number on the airplane, which seemed a bit odd at t...
John, his wife (co-pilot) and a flight engineer flew the ...
there after they'd already landed. We did one more check ...
from the front nose wheel. I got my belongings organized ...
DC-6.
We took off from Miami International Airport at 1 :OO a.m...
layover to refuel in Curagao, it was best to touch down t...
and breezes. Otherwise we would have to spend overnight a...
lucky as we arrived early enough to refuel, pay landing f...
good trade wind.
The plane was at capacity as we took off from Curagao bou...
Before taking off we had to fix the front strut by wrappi...
Barring any mishaps or disasters we had enough fuel to fl...
we had ten hours' worth of fuel.
About a half hour out of Curagao, things started to get i...
coming from somewhere. The instrument panel's lights went...
me as if to ask, "VVhat's next boss?" John asked what I t...
return to Curagao?
I asked John, "How dangerous is it to keep going?"
"As long as the engines keep running and the weather rema...
replied.
I told John to maintain the bearing for Leticia and keep ...
checked and repaired before heading off to San Jos?? to d...
seemed like a wild bunch of cowboys flying this DC-6 by t...
Once we were about an hour and a half out of Leticia, dar...
to three we started hitting turbulent air as the plane sh...
The plane's radio was dead and the instrument panel was o...
was starting to sweat bullets. John kept a steady hand on...
We flew out over the Amazon River about thirty minutes to...
the ground indicating we were over Peru. I told John to v...
stream as that was where Leticia was. Soon the Leticia ai...
land, we could see an Avianca aircraft on the runway read...
two turns around Leticia and finally brought the plane in...
instructed Avianca to not take off until we had landed th...
gic collision.
The air traffic control tower people were really upset an...
had happened in flight. But they were pretty ruffled just...
We got the cargo unloaded soon after landing and decided ...
and make any necessary repairs. After going over the plan...
making any repairs. We advised Leticia's air traffic cont...
asked if they could give us a set altitude to get us to S...
youngest son, George, had been in Leticia visiting and th...
had known about the condition of the DC-6 she would not h...
*Chapter 29 [#oed75c85]
The shipping line that regularly passed through Leticia w...
Savannah, GA; Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA; and Houston, T...
through Leticia once every ten to fifteen days.
I contacted NAPSA, and after a few conversations, they as...
studied NAPSA's northbound and southbound routes, Houston...
headed south. It made sense to buy all of my goods in Hou...
would be some of the last to be loaded; it would be easy ...
a company in Houston where I could buy beer, liquor, toba...
The first shipments with NAPSA went quite smoothly and I ...
quickly started happening. The NAPSA ships started arrivi...
They started increasing their prices with little warning....
was due in Houston's port, I started experiencing more sp...
occasion my goods sat in Houston for almost a month befor...
yet another occasion, part of one of my shipments turned ...
During the dry season, NAPSA's ships could not dock at th...
shore during these periods. And if we were too slow, the ...
It was insulting when NAPSA withheld my agent's commissio...
commissions off the books, I was forced to ship some of m...
I was getting fed up with NAPSNs deteriorating performanc...
about getting another ship. My client had a brother-in-la...
downstream in Brazil. The mill was producing enough lumbe...
enough goods in the US to fully load the ship for the ret...
He and his family set up a family-owned company called In...
the capital of Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. The ...
that the nationality of the ship's crew was unrestricted....
in Panama called Hanko Trading Company that provided me w...
operations.
Indaura Ltda lasted about three years, and in that time w...
only one US bound shipment of Spanish cedar wood on consi...
This round trip voyage was doomed from the start because ...
southbound. Also, we had not done a good job finding a su...
very experienced handling rough sawed lumber and didn't k...
ping it. Once the load of wood arrived in the US, we coul...
to gain good traction working with Indaura or Hanko. If I...
business, I would eventually have to buy and operate my o...
with their money for a ship and crew.
*Chapter 30 [#v567e29f]
I bought the Atlantic Sky from The Southern Sky from Leo ...
a tour of the vessel that was rated at one thousand pound...
from the inside. It was huge! My father had had two spong...
they were nothing compared to this gargantuan ship.
The shipped looked to be in fairly good condition. As par...
maritime engineer by the name of Emanuel Tsambarlis to Gr...
informed me he'd found a ship for about $ 150,000 USD, I ...
and possibly buy it. Next, I heard that the New York brok...
and I decided to head to New York to talk to the broker a...
tacted a friend who was a ship captain and asked him to g...
a maritime engineer who knew ships inside and out. After ...
to prepare a detailed report on the Atlantic Sky's condit...
My friend's report concluded that the Atlantic Sky was wo...
broker $ 350,000 and come up to $400,000, but no more tha...
with me to New York to meet the broker, but he had to ret...
ized the key points as these would come in handy when I t...
I was starting to feel a little pressure: would I buy the...
$ 150,000 USD? The Atlantic Sky was in good operating con...
a freezer rated at 300 tons of refrigeration. The Greek s...
and had been sitting unused for over two years. It would ...
Also, I'd have to find a crew and captain. The hidden exp...
ownership.
Armed with good information, I set out to New York City t...
Sky. I felt confident and hopeful. My daughter, Marie, an...
we had a good time. Vasilios Konstantas, my son-in-law, a...
I expected to be at the broker's office for two or three ...
Atlantic Sky. We were ushered into a meeting room with a ...
pleasantries and then started talking about the ship. The...
with my plans for using the ship. The broker nodded his h...
He said he would like to receive $500,000, which he felt ...
flinched and then smiled. Trying not to laugh out loud, I...
my notes and started going through the list of things nee...
ship would need to be taken to dry dock to get checked ou...
The broker looked at me as if I had an air of authority (...
friend's status report.) Next, I counter-offered with $35...
face got a little pale. We spent the next hour or so talk...
from the broker's office were going in and out of the mee...
twelve o'clock noon. The broker suddenly told us he could...
a deep breath and then just sat quietly for a few minutes...
broker was watching me intently. It was like a high stake...
I looked the broker in the eye and told him I would give ...
paused and hesitated. He called in some ofhis other peopl...
and advice. I knew we were close but he needed to stall a...
tience were important in deals of this size. Vasilios and...
By three o'clock that afternoon, I told the broker and hi...
seriously considering for $ 150,000 USD I had a briefcase...
airline ticket so I could depart for Greece the next morn...
broker would fold. He said told me to wait and then he di...
with $ 160,000 due in thirty days and the remaining $ 200...
Atlantic Sky and be responsible for any and all repairs. ...
As Vasilios and I left the broker's office I couldn't hel...
nothing about ships but was still able to get the Atlanti...
friend's good report on the ship's condition because with...
ship.
The year was 1982 and I bought the Atlantic Sky and paid ...
I received from Hanko Trading Company in Panama City, Pan...
pounds of cargo.
*Chapter 31 [#kf19183c]
The Atlantic Sky went to dry dock in Ft. Lauderdale, FL w...
overall sea fitness. The captain I'd hired, Captain Marco...
said yes.
I chose 'Amazon Trader' and let Indaura's attorney in Ft....
to be filed with all of the other paperwork in George Tow...
Captain Marcos to have his crew remove the metal letters ...
Trader.' Everything seemed to be going smoothly and in th...
I was interested in Fillette and Greene Shipping Company ...
the documents related to my shipments. When they asked mo...
I told Fillette and Greene that I'd just recently bought ...
I returned to Tarpon Springs and called Captain Marcos to...
Sky' even though he and his crew had already created the ...
the ship's side. Because Captain Marcos had not yet remov...
leaving intact the letters for SKY and then painting over...
how ultimately the 'Atlantic Sky' became known as the 'So...
haunt me with the authorities in New Orleans and Brazil.
The Southern Sky received a nice face lift and was ready ...
weeks. Once in the water, Captain Marcos navigated Southe...
not have a dock set up there at the time. I solved this p...
in St. Petersburg, FL. We made a deal for the first shipm...
or in cube weight, whichever was highest. I turned over a...
company.
The maiden voyage of Southern Sky to Leticia launched fro...
over in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where cement w...
be fully loaded. When no cement was available in Santo Do...
lombia to pick up a load of cement to take to Leticia.
The route St. Petersburg???Santo Domingo???Leticia was ab...
in Santo Domingo to load cement. Southern Sky would norma...
thing and then another five days in Benjamin Constant, Br...
River, to load Spanish cedar wood lumber, which, for the ...
much about handling lumber and wanted to minimize my fina...
For the first several return voyages back to the US, Sout...
downstream, making a stop in Benjamin Constant or Amatur?...
and then go on to Manaus, Brazil to load her with plywood...
without any further stops in between.
Ships transporting goods upstream or downstream along the...
three Brazilian check points located in Macap?? near the ...
the capital of the state of Amazonas located about one th...
ful Rio Negro empties into the silty and yellow Amazon Ri...
along the river. Hence, each ship would be checked a tota...
voyages traversing the Amazon River across Brazil.
The Brazilian authorities could be strict. One time the S...
River to check the river's depth using sonar equipment. T...
to impose a fine but eventually relented. I would laugh w...
cause, according to them, Colombia and Peru have equal ri...
thorities, on the other hand, could intervene if you stop...
*Chapter 32 [#jde270bd]
During the Southern Sky's final voyage, it arrived as usu...
min Constant wasn't quite ready to be picked up. I was in...
I didn't mind the ship being kept on hold in Leticia as i...
burg. Soon Southern Sky arrived in Benjamin Constant wher...
Woods, Inc., had bought (I was a 50% partner of this comp...
Once the ship arrived in New Orleans, it was necessary to...
Company about one hundred miles away. Margaret Tsangarino...
traveled from Tarpon Springs to New Orleans to greet the ...
Because of insufficient advance notice, Southern Sky did ...
arrived at the buoy. I had to leave New Orleans and go so...
the lumber shipment and see that it got to the Kiln Dryin...
On the day the Southern Sky arrived, the lumber was loade...
Kiln Dry Company. Along the way, both semi-trailers were ...
the drivers, both of whom were from Tarpon Springs, to go...
drivers reached the special place, Customs agents warned ...
US Customs agents then destroyed all of the lumber on bot...
agents were scouring the Southern Sky in New Orleans wher...
ing lumber.
Captain Marcos was interrogated by US Customs, claiming t...
the name being clearly displayed on both sides of the shi...
realized the agents were confused because they could stil...
over with 'Southern Sky.' After all of the confusion in N...
Petersburg.
After hearing about the shakedown of the Southern Sky in ...
cash deposit before they would receive the ship as insura...
company that had handled ships the previous six years.
Meanwhile, I tried to keep the Southern Sky shipping good...
port. I called West America Shipping Company in Tampa on ...
to Central America and then return with a US-bound shipme...
West America and I talked and made a deal in which I leas...
USD per day for fourteen days. This would give me the cha...
to how they would handle the Southern Sky. They would be ...
and departure fees, loading expenses and a host of others...
deducted from the total expenses column. The difference b...
The plan for this trip was roughly as follows: The Southe...
Mobile, Southern Sky would sail to the port of Houston wh...
loaded. After unloading in Guatemala, Southern Sky would ...
America estimated that after all expenses (including my $...
freight charges, I should net $20,000 USD.
I turned Southern Sky over at the entry point of Tampa Ba...
into port to pick up cargo about which I had not been inf...
bank to cash it. Fortunately, I did not play basketball w...
Sky to buy food and other supplies for the ship. When 6:0...
otherwise he could not depart. So, I had to order about $...
a.m. the following morning.
The ship set sail early the next morning for Mobile and p...
the next three days. When I tried to cash West America's ...
few days later I received a new check and this time it we...
In the meantime, the Southern Sky had encountered delays ...
downtime. The ship did not pick up any lumber that was su...
Exotic Woods, Inc., that wanted lumber from Guatemala and...
time the Southern Sky arrived with the mahogany, Gulf Exo...
burg to store the wood.
*Chapter 33 [#bcbbebfc]
After this upset, the Southern Sky still owned by Indaura...
ship), was auctioned off by the sheriff's office due to a...
International, Inc. of George Town, Grand Cayman Island b...
I talked with Fenton people and suggested becoming their ...
agent. On further discussions, I told Fenton I wanted to ...
myself. They accepted my offer of $400,000 to be paid in ...
However, this agreement would only come into effect if Fe...
Fenton's people told me they already had a buyer for the ...
me to receive the money, deduct expenses, any money owed ...
did not like this. I actually had about six trips guarant...
ship goods. I would have earned $ 150,000 USD per trip, b...
owners arrived in Tarpon Springs with the money.
West America and I talked and made a deal in which I leas...
USD per day for fourteen days. This would give me the cha...
to how they would handle the Southern Sky. They would be ...
and departure fees, loading expenses and a host of others...
deducted from the total expenses column. The difference b...
The plan for this trip was roughly as follows: The Southe...
Mobile, Southern Sky would sail to the port of Houston wh...
loaded. After unloading in Guatemala, Southern Sky would ...
America estimated that after all expenses (including my $...
freight charges, I should net $20,000 USD.
I turned Southern Sky over at the entry point of Tampa Ba...
into port to pick up cargo about which I had not been inf...
ton with the remainder going on to Guatemala. West Americ...
bank to cash it. Fortunately, I did not play basketball w...
Sky to buy food and other supplies for the ship. When 6:0...
otherwise he could not depart. So, I had to order about $...
a.m. the following morning.
The ship set sail early the next morning for Mobile and p...
the next three days. When I tried to cash West America's ...
few days later I received a new check and this time it we...
In the meantime, the Southern Sky had encountered delays ...
downtime. The ship did not pick up any lumber that was su...
Exotic Woods, Inc., that wanted lumber from Guatemala and...
time the Southern Sky arrived with the mahogany, Gulf Exo...
burg to store the wood.
*Chapter 33 [#m159be48]
After this upset, the Southern Sky still owned by Indaura...
ship), was auctioned off by the sheriff's office due to a...
International, Inc. of George Town, Grand Cayman Island b...
I talked with Fenton people and suggested becoming their ...
agent. On further discussions, I told Fenton I wanted to ...
myself. They accepted my offer of $400,000 to be paid in ...
However, this agreement would only come into effect if Fe...
Fenton's people told me they already had a buyer for the ...
me to receive the money, deduct expenses, any money owed ...
did not like this. I actually had about six trips guarant...
ship goods. I would have earned $ 150,000 USD per trip, b...
owners arrived in Tarpon Springs with the money.
Chapter 34
In March, 1988 1 was in Leticia on business and decided t...
days before departing Leticia, I received a call from Srt...
papers El Bogotano and El Espectador. She asked me to bri...
Srta. Maria Eugenia, the daughter of former President Gen...
up with about two hundred hats. I ordered the rest and ha...
would be waiting at El Dorado Airport to greet me.
When I landed at El Dorado Airport, Consuelo was right th...
Friday. As we proceeded through customs, my luggage, stra...
throughout Colombia, and I guess when the customs officia...
check my bags. I gave all the hats I had to Consuelo and ...
Mauricio Castillo, the son of my dear friend Colonel Mari...
his girlfriend. I loaded my bags into Mauricio's car and ...
I had a reservation for that evening. Once we were about ...
pulled in front of us and stopped. Mauricio had to slam o...
car pulled up and then two more cars pulled alongside our...
escape. I also saw a motorcycle pull up with two people o...
Everybody in the four cars jumped out with what looked li...
people were dressed in police uniforms. At the moment I w...
say the same for Mauricio and his girlfriend. I was think...
ings had not been inspected by customs at the airport. If...
lombian DAS.
We had to get out of the car. I handed over my passport t...
the car and spread our legs and frisked us to see if were...
a two inch barrel. I offered them my briefcase and my oth...
with my luggage. This is when I started sensing something...
I hadn't done anything wrong or illegal that I was aware ...
at the airport had not checked my belongings upon arrival...
The people put me into the car that had stopped in front ...
allowed to get back into their car along with two of the ...
Once all of us were in the car I was in (there were two p...
with me), the uniformed policeman said none of this had a...
I laughed somewhat nervously, and said in Spanish, "Hey w...
and read about how kidnappers in Colombia study their tar...
high enough to make kidnapping financially worthwhile.
"You have the wrong guy!" I told them. "All of my bank ac...
can loan me the money and then I would hand it all back t...
to smile and be pleasant all the time I was describing my...
kidnapped or not.
My mind drifted back several years when I told Cecilia th...
few dollars, then just give the kidnappers a few dollars ...
dollars they wanted, then the best thing was to not pay a...
and had had a good and successful life in Colombia. I had...
on borrowed time, having worked many years with venomous ...
anytime had I taken my offthe ball for one second.
Suddenly, the driver told everybody, "Maybe we have the w...
"Go ahead and shoot me! If you need help kidnapping, I ca...
pers. They looked at me quizzically as if they thought I ...
was 0k to shoot me as I had nothing to lose. It was then ...
This bought me some time. I was wondering what the hell w...
thing I heard was that the kidnappers had a helicopter wa...
into a lonely dead end area where the driver got out of t...
Things got very quiet. I figured I'd talked too much and ...
me live. By then, I could identify them all. So, there wa...
where we'd stopped was so far out of the way, it would ha...
*Chapter 35 [#qa486055]
The driver of the car I was in got out and took Mauricio ...
worry. Maybe they would kill Mauricio and then load me up...
hold four people: two gunmen, the pilot and either Mauric...
A police car was approaching and the driver of our car hu...
that we were going next to Mauricio's office in Bogota to...
I asked myself. I was feeling a little relieved that we w...
police car notices something suspicious looking about our...
We sped away, the driver glancing through the rearview mi...
pursue us. Within a few minutes we were in the parking lo...
Tourism offlce was. Somehow the kidnappers didn't know th...
out of control. We went to Mauricio's office where he off...
accepted a beer while I enjoyed a Coke. I figured by then...
be next to impossible for the kidnappers to get their car...
guard would not let any car leave without an approval fro...
security was very tight, which is one reason Mauricio cho...
When we were all in Mauricio's office, the driver of the ...
name of Negro Angulo. The phone was picked up by a person...
Listening as carefully as I could to some of the conversa...
of the kidnappers to speak with the guy who'd put out the...
the kidnappers told the driver that the contract guy was ...
let me go to Hotel Cosmos 100. I could not leave???perhap...
on the ground floor with a gun waiting for me to appear. ...
Angulo would see me later in the afternoon to talk things...
upstairs to keep an eye on me and Mauricio left. I left w...
100.
While talking to the hotel's receptionist, I asked if a s...
company later. She did and I took it. The bellhop led us ...
the phone and called his father, Colonel Mario Castillo R...
son not to worry and that he (Mario) would send a policem...
and I picked up. It was Negro Angulo and he warned me not...
morning to meet at 8: 30 a.m.
After a half hour passed, a lieutenant in Bogota's police...
that Negro would be at the hotel the next morning, the li...
team to intercept and take down the kidnappers.
The lieutenant, Mauricio and I discussed a plan on what w...
Later, I spoke with some good friends to let them know wh...
Negro and try to find out what the problem was and why I ...
to help resolve whatever the problem was without anybody,...
My friend who knew Negro told me he (Negro) handled contr...
called Negro and learned that nothing would happen to me....
Michael.
At 7:00 a.m. sharp the next morning two lieutenants from ...
armed and ready, showed up at the Hotel Cosmos 100. It wa...
everybody knew what he was supposed to do as things start...
Two goons showed up at the hotel at 8:30 a.m. Fifteen min...
a.m. two more people showed up at the suite. I recognized...
Leticia.
The moment Leo saw me he immediately started yelling and ...
the back of my neck, stood up and got right in Leo's face...
gun he was carrying as I was confident nothing bad was go...
protection downstairs courtesy of the Bogota police depar...
Leo and I continued to glare at each other across the room.
For the next two and a half hours, Negro, Leo and Maurici...
By this time, I noticed the time was 11:30 a.m. Negro and...
and I remained in the suite. Leo said he would get back w...
month or so.
Ten or so minutes later the lieutenant in charge of prote...
was a change of plans: the police were going to take out ...
the day before that the police would not start shooting u...
hostage on the way out of the hotel. The lieutenant expla...
the kidnappers. I pleaded with the lieutenant to not go t...
and left. I told Mauricio that killing Negro and his goon...
hotel to stop the shootout. Mario said he would send some...
Another lieutenant came to our room about fifteen minutes...
him. We tried to resist by telling the lieutenant we were...
didn't show. Mauricio and I grabbed something to eat and ...
We left Mauricio's girlfriend in the room to let the guy ...
the local police station close to the hotel. When we got ...
yet had been filed against either Mauricio or me, and I s...
killing Negro and his goons. Had Negro and his goons been...
hotel after they'd left our suite.
A major in the police department next drove me and Mauric...
were allowed to make a few phone calls to let people know...
General in charge of the F-2 police. Both Mario and the G...
soon be released and free to go. Neither of us was allowe...
We were escorted to the outer office of the major where t...
our statements of everything that had happened. Later we ...
near Hotel Cosmos and place in the jail's ground floor ce...
until the investigation was finished. It was already Satu...
By 8:00 p.m. we were able to sneak out and make a brief c...
and blankets. Mauricio slept in a large chair while I sle...
At 2:00 a.m. Sunday, my brother-in-law showed up at the j...
and several soft drinks. When we feasted our eyes on the ...
My brother-in-law offered to bring more food later in the...
We spent the rest of Sunday holed up in the major's offic...
had been in a police uniform armed with an Uzi machine gu...
was there in the station with a woman that Mauricio did n...
maJor.
By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I told Mauricio...
it didn't look like we were going to be released. For sur...
Mario's and the General's assurances we'd be released had...
asleep though I tossed and turned a lot throughout the ni...
On Monday morning we were taken to another office in the ...
take down our statements. Mauricio nudged me to let me kn...
with the fake cop who'd participated in our kidnapping. C...
The major had organized a lineup for that afternoon. When...
another office where there was yet another attorney who a...
the five goons killed?" he asked us. Both Mauricio and I ...
Negro and his goons because they'd left the hotel and wer...
who shot Negro and his five goons was in the lineup and w...
response, sent us back to the major's office to wait.
Much to my horror, the fake lieutenant who'd participated...
Mauricio and I had been waiting. He looked at me and snar...
killed!" Mauricio saw and heard all ofthis while his face...
major's office. We were both scared shitless! I told Maur...
The lineup started. Eight police lieutenants, including t...
single file on a small stage while Mauricio and I stood b...
examiner. The examiner asked if I could positively identi...
five goons, I said no because my right eye had been in ba...
After a couple of minutes, we went back to the major's of...
major entered and asked what was going on and I told him ...
to get me released. The major said I didn't need these la...
Monday night and both Mauricio and I were free to go.
We went down to the first floor to exit the station. On t...
could check us out. Strangely, neither of our names was o...
and left without ever having stepped foot in the station....
Two plainclothes men escorted Mauricio and I to a waiting...
vehicle while they sat in front. They drove into a garage...
the Hotel Tequendama in central Bogota. Somebody had made...
and me.
We checked in and went to our room that had two beds. One...
I learned later that Negro and his five goons had been re...
Early next morning we departed Bogota for Cali where I ha...
This entire episode could have been easily avoided if my ...
Instead of buying a new Jeep and Honda motorcycles, Micha...
*Chapter 36 [#refe95ce]
The last time Southern Sky was in port at Cartagena, I go...
I talked to the ship's captain and he told me that if he ...
The ship experienced engine failure four times during thi...
Once the ship reached Macapa, the captain, who was fed up...
When the Southern Sky was fully loaded, the captain calle...
Upon arriving in Honduras, the ship dropped its anchor. W...
I called the ship's captain and told him to wait and get ...
was then the captain told me he didn't have proper papers...
The next thing I did was call the Macap?? sawmill to get ...
be found there. After several phone calls I found Walsh i...
what had happened with the paperwork. Walsh called back t...
that it would be shipped to him in Miami via DHL courier ...
When the documents arrived in Miami, Walsh called to let ...
once he got to Sarasota, FL. We eventually met in St. Pet...
invoices as he didn't have time to make the invoices out ...
export papers out under my name. Walsh was aware I was no...
invoices out directly to the buyer, or Gulf Exotic Woods,...
I got all of the documents in order and sent a man named ...
By the time Kent arrived, I learned the ship had been emb...
time Elias was the ship's agent. The account was in arrea...
agreed to pay the remainder in two separate payments.
Southern Sky was released to return to St. Petersburg wit...
the ship had arrived and they offloaded their wood and to...
A few days later, a man named Pedro Narvaez called to tel...
lease him five thousand square feet at my warehouse in Ta...
him know Pedro needed some storage space. Jonas and I tou...
lumber so it would fit in the required space. I signed th...
my warehouse.
*Chapter 37 [#bf5f8627]
One of my employees came up to me to tell me he'd seen so...
I told him not to worry as we hadn't done anything wrong....
people in the hotel across the street watching the place....
dow looking our way.
I asked my son Michael if he knew of any problems going o...
Maybe some people were smoking or selling pot at night. M...
He would keep an eye out for this kind of activity. So I ...
other problems at the time around the Tarpon Financial Ce...
Meanwhile, I closed a deal with a guy in Washington, D.C....
Little did I know at the moment that the world as I knew ...
*Chapter 38 [#k9146946]
The next day, a day before my departure for my business t...
I told Crawford that I didn't know anything about any coc...
warehouse of Gulf Exotic or in my rented warehouse of Gul...
there was someone investigating around the complex, but I...
They took all the files and were to separate them and ret...
They thought they had inside information on cocaine etc. ...
and magazines write-ups that I have collected over the la...
have been written up good and bad in newspapers. When the...
what they have written up on me is a lie, how about the r...
From my home we went back to the omce at the complex. The...
while they were asking me lots of questions. Then, at abo...
rights. I protested for all the good it did. My arrest wa...
reports stated that between just over 4,000 and more than...
planks on the ship with the lumber for Gulf Exotic Woods....
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 w...
were put on me from the time they arrested me.
Agent Crawford and Powers begged for me to help them. The...
to do with the cocaine, but they have me in a position th...
they would take me back home and the next day I could go ...
When I asked them what kind of help they were talking, th...
wanted the names of all the persons in the drug business ...
they would not confiscate anything from me. I told them I...
would be put in a Federal Security System. Then I told th...
would give my name and address to the mafia in Columbia a...
Protection. Because of the fear for my family, admitting ...
because I would be safer in prison.
So, that's just what they did. They took me to the omce o...
to the County Jail about 1 a.m. on May 4th of 1988 , in T...
*Chapter 39 [#l2f0244b]
I stayed in the offlce of the D.E.A. to be processed unti...
holding cell 7. The inmates all there were nice and there...
I slept on the floor that night and the next morning I me...
lerns to me. They all knew who I was, after so much publi...
the inmates gave me his bed. That was much better than sl...
chance to write my book and it would occupy me so I can k...
roam the Amazon jungle, now I am in a cage, like an anima...
by taking it easy I will be Okay until I finish the book ...
I'd like to tell you that after my arrest and a couple of...
released. Alas, that is not how stories like mine go. Unf...
two decades of my life caged like the animals I used to t...
*Chapter 40 [#wabd3b85]
The conditions in Cell 2N7 are bad. I'm in a county jail ...
beds dilled and there are usually six to eight additional...
cold. I keep getting sick from being so cold and medicati...
tell the guards you are not feeling well.
Once the medicine for colds is approved, you get it for s...
medicine is stopped. You can get a relapse which I did an...
resumed with the cold medicine and that's only because my...
medicine cart comes, many times they don't even have Tyle...
orders from the doctor. They just don't give a dam. I've ...
only one shower and one toilet for all of us in the cell....
and dinner is at 4:30 p.m.
As I said I am being held without a bond. I am legally in...
have to prove myself innocent. The Government, Customs, D...
lie it's considered perjury.
For sixty-one years I have been 100% pro- U.S, law abidin...
What jury is going to sit and listen well to the testimon...
called the largest cocaine bust in Florida history the pa...
anyone be unbiased in this trial?
*Chapter 41 [#q9e0c708]
While continuing to await a trial date I was moved from t...
Thursday, June 23, 1988. The food in Sarasota is okay- de...
a cup of orange juice, half a pint of milk, one cup of co...
problem.
The cell here is much larger, about three times larger an...
three times a day. When filling a request to see the doct...
is fast. In the canteen they don't have a limit to what p...
Hillsborough County Jail canteen. Three times a week we h...
I have been able to get longer or extensions to my visiti...
bad thing about Sarasota is they wouldn't let my ten year...
inmate.
The nurses are very nice, but I'm not allowed to receive ...
*Chapter 42 [#a7e1e790]
I've been moved again from Sarasota to the Kissimmee, Ela...
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we get to go out for o...
enough guards to watch us. During recreation time we play...
court. Tuesdays and Thursdays after lockdown and headcoun...
cigarettes, shampoos, soaps, tooth paste, assortment of T...
Visitation is Sunday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 ...
come to see you through a 30" X 30" glass pane and talk o...
up a list of persons that you want the front office give ...
change once a month.
There is a telephone in the cell. This gets turned on abo...
inmate is transferred from the cell at any time the telep...
doesn't call to someone and try an interception of a Van ...
When one is called to leave, they don't give you much cha...
you to get you stuff together and get out. One had to tur...
have to ship everything in cartons provided by the Marsha...
you would normally give everything to other inmates left ...
district then you can take everything with you. They chai...
chains to your legs during transfer. If another person is...
Doctors, nurses, and medication: One can request to see t...
is an emergency you can be taken to the local hospital. W...
nurse on duty. She will not give out anything not prescri...
Down time is spent reading, writing, playing cards, playi...
be kept very clean and we are given schedules for the dat...
I am in a cell with a Haitian man and when it's our time ...
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 ...
didn't know. I imagined that I was going to Kissimmee. Th...
it is a much better then Hillsborough County Jail and Sar...
have to spend a little time in the Hillsborough County Ja...
NO one has been taken directly from Sarasota County Jail ...
and out I came from cell 3-D Sarasota County Jail. I was ...
Tampa was first because in the Van there was a fellow tha...
March, and three others that were going to court in Tampa...
Marshalls officer that brought us, told me that everythin...
flying and the only thing that could be taken was my dent...
As soon as we arrived at the Court House holding cell, I ...
called my attorney Frank Winkles. He wasn't there but the...
about 9: 15 a.m. and as he would come in she will notify ...
House so if he would arrive in his office by 9:30 a.m. he...
Winkles came in minutes after my call. He said that he ju...
transit to other destinations that would be traveling by ...
On this trip there was the 52-year-old man stricken by ca...
Sarasota, FL. The trip was about one hour and forty five ...
cut up into pieces with fried rice, desert, salad and a l...
two months. I ate everything and drank the root beer comp...
Just before lunch several more men were brought in and se...
they took us chained again for the van. From the Marshall...
plane. There were omcers holding shotguns all over that p...
From the airport four of us were brought to the Osceola C...
assigned to the cell. They actually make you take a showe...
The fellow that was assigned with in the cell me claims h...
people get accused of racketeering. All you have to do is...
is considered racketeering.
At the Osceola County Jail they feed you pretty good. Eve...
got oatmeal, bananas, two pieces of toast, jelly, and sug...
gaining the weight back in here. The canteen doesn't have...
the Sarasota County Jail has the best variety.
I can't see why they can't be uniform in the merchandise ...
so good. We get dinner about 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. and we get...
cards, checkers, or Monopoly, or write letters and eat fr...
thing and no one on the outside to help out or give them ...
the canteen and let anyone that would like take from my c...
One inmate here in Osceola had been is jail for six month...
heard from her or how his children are doing. Another fel...
to give him anything. Before I came I understood that a f...
for these inmates that didn't have anything.
*Chapter 43 [#nbbc8c09]
On a Friday in July of 19881 was waiting to hear from Mr....
motions that I have seen in Sarasota. Frank claimed that ...
I was waiting for the answer on these motions. I called F...
at the Court House. I prayed everything would turn out al...
5:00 p.m. the guard called me over the loud speaker that ...
being used and immediately I proceeded to make my call. F...
planned and that the court date will have to be delayed u...
First we were set for August, which was bad enough, I was...
in August. I figured the Judge had all the paperwork that...
in court, where my attorney pleaded Not Guilty and the Ju...
came by Hillsborough County Jail to tell me how important...
have to get an investigator to help him, I didn't like it...
out of Hillsborough. The attorney needed me for my case c...
mostly because of Goldie, my sister raising hell with the...
me. From Hillsborough to Sarasota was much better.
In Sarasota I called Winkles telling him that I wanted to...
that had been in all four jails of this area that the bes...
Friday one can get meals brought in from a near by restau...
moved right away but the Marshall said that the best plac...
lying somewhere. The Colombian that told me this might ha...
The next day I was on my way to Osceola County Jail in Ki...
have to wait until Jan 1989. I told him that was bull shi...
that he knew of an innocent man that was in jail for four...
jail for four years waiting trial and I am not going to w...
to tell me that I will have to wait until June or July fo...
plain everything.
I hung up and went to pieces. I couldn't believe it. I ca...
I told her I didn't need calming down, I needed action. T...
whatever. Mr. Winkles might want a Plea Bargain for me to...
told Goldie, I would rather die then to spend my last yea...
incident a not go through this jail and drag my family th...
of days all is finished. Our justice stinks. Why did I co...
After those two calls I said I wouldn't call anymore and ...
Jury returns a Not Guilty verdict, good and if not, I wan...
a soon as possible. It's not worth living; I broke down a...
talk with me, but I didn't want any talking. Saturday mor...
to talk. He was very helpful explaining our system and ex...
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...
whatever lies are necessary to mess you up. Ones attorney...
story 9,292.8 lbs, only three jailed and one released as ...
two is nothing. Tom said that I need an attorney like his...
down to the line. You can't wait long he says. The longer...
on you.
Tom talked and talked to me, he found out from the others...
didn't want to talk to anyone. He said that's wrong. Why ...
attorney is doing. I should call them right up and talk t...
was coming over with Goldie my sister and we can look int...
and my wife was out grocery shopping so I only talked wit...
Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and Goldie was there they were gettin...
He said everything is not lost but you need to see what y...
think before you do something and try and work things out...
pieces. Tom had the medicine. He talked with me and calme...
man was terrific. Stop and Think. On Sunday morning he ca...
He said, "How are you feeling?" I said, 'Okay". He said, ...
meet your wife", I said, "sure". Tom gave me a razor and ...
good shave for the first time in over nine weeks and with...
jail. I haven't asked him. There are so many lies; I stop...
*Chapter 44 [#k03e1d4b]
TRIAL DATE: After a lot of back and forth Mr. Winkles tol...
Now, right now this is set for all three of the defendant...
Freddy Perez), Winkles is still tying to get me on a sepa...
ing. This means the T.V. and newspapers will not be able ...
attorneys, witnesses and I. Mr. Winkles claims that this ...
have the other two on trial before me. I am hoping that I...
much better installation and food is much better. Plus vi...
I was transferred from Oseola County Jail of Kissimmee, F...
1988. Two Marshalls picked me up in Oseola about 12:30 p....
about 3:00 p.m. I was processed and put in a holding cell...
seats. The holding cells have two feet by eight feet all ...
nesday when a Sergeant came and got four of us and took u...
about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday before I was put in 2N7 cell, t...
of 1988. When I got in the cell I tried to place my mattr...
last time I was in 2N7. I woke him up and said good morni...
to talk him out of it but he insisted on sleeping on the ...
men holding cell had twenty-three people in it.
Slightly over crowded, there were bodies everywhere. What...
small area. Our human rights the U.S. has been preaching ...
The U.S. is so worried and emotionally upset of condition...
nose. Our own system is screwed up.
When I first came in the jail, while getting processed I ...
and I had welts on my legs and I also had a couple papers...
The nurse said to wait and show the doctor, that for sure...
That was Wednesday, but on Thursday I was called to the c...
cell of the clinic and when they asked me to go in. No do...
The same forms I filled in when I first came to jail on M...
cough medicine and some salve for my welts. This was a di...
The doctor must have seen my papers and was afraid that I...
As of the following Monday, I do not have the welts or it...
prescribed by Dr. Jairo Pinzon my physician. Dr. Pinzon d...
problems with my liver. Anyhow, neither itching nor welts...
times a day, just like Oseola County Jail, hard to believ...
Chapter 45
October 4, 1988. My first day in court, I got up at 5:00 ...
and was ready to go by 6:30 a.m. I was picked up just abo...
changed into my street clothes, which my wife had sent th...
for the time being until 8:30 a.m. Pedro Narvaez and Fred...
around my waist and both hands handcuffed to the chain, t...
were escorted to the Federal Courtroom building. On the g...
a nicer installation than the one I was taken on previous...
holding pen with me, it was Everret Jones, a notorious ba...
and his Jury was in recess for the verdict of armed bank ...
Court was to start at 9:30 a.m. and just about that time ...
We were let out of the holding pen, chained are hands fro...
last exit door still at the steps we were freed from the ...
and Robert Dweyer. As I walked in I saw my wife Cecilia a...
of the courtroom.
I was accompanied by my attorney Frank Winkles, by Cathy ...
my investigator. pedro Narvaez had his attorney Mr. Willi...
man. The government had one of the Asst. D.A. by the name...
Crawford of the D.E.A. and Mr. Taman of Customs.
Mr. Frank Winkles also had one man in the back to use for...
didn't leave the courtroom. My daughter Krisula and daugh...
friends were also at the trial. I was cold in the courtro...
from freezing. There were sixty people's men and women, y...
for the Jury and four alternates. The rest which is two m...
asked for twenty people so we could pick out two alternat...
under these conditions. The picking went all morning and ...
would call the attorneys and the Government people next t...
the case.
At 12 noon we were escorted out of the courtroom after ev...
floor where the holding pen was. This time we were cuffed...
steak sandwiches with cokes, which we had previously orde...
in charge of all on the first floor. I think his name was...
cedure at 1 p.m. to the courtroom.
All afternoon was used to pick the Jury and by 5:00 p.m. ...
When the Jury left, the Judge and the attorneys started t...
to the judge previously. Most of the business was left fo...
had. About 5:30 p.m. we were returned to holding pens at ...
ure as before. I was kind of tired, but it was very inter...
I got in my cell 2N7 and it wasn't long after that they b...
went, so for the next two hours I explained things to the...
next morning for court. According to Judge Carr, court wa...
*Chapter 46 [#y58935ea]
October 5, 1988. I got up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for cou...
very late. I barely made it to court. I would have imagin...
posed to pick out two more alternates. I actually arrive ...
and ordered the court in session. Judge Carr had some mot...
they Judge started the business of the day.
Judge Carr accepted to try pedro Narvaez and Freddy Perez...
and the Judge. Judge Carr also said that as we were to be...
nine jurors. so, Frank Winkles and I decided we would sta...
was settled, the other co-defenders and their attorneys w...
The Jury was asked to enter. The Judge explained what his...
they could expect for time last of the trial as up to wha...
by letting the D.A. have two hours for the opening sessio...
mastermind of the importation of the cocaine and that the...
the D.A., my attorney Mr. Frank Winkles was allowed two h...
After the attorneys, the Judge asked the D.A. to put thei...
the Southern Sky, upon arrival in St. Petersburg--Bayboro...
mination of the court day for today.
At noon I was taken down to the holding pens of the Marsh...
were three people that I met in 2N7 the first time of bei...
mee and Everret Jones the bank robber who was waiting for...
and the session got started again. At about 5:30 p.m. was...
where my temporary home was. Change street clothes for ja...
what was said in court, the D.A. talking without knowing ...
operations of the ships at the St. Petersburg--Bayboro Ha...
knows? Nor does he know Customs procedures. For the last ...
culture Dept. and the ship cleared by Customs, Agricultur...
sired. Customs normally is there at the ship controlling ...
My attorney Frank Winkles is forgetting what I have been ...
this and I will see what happens tomorrow.
*Chapter 47 [#r8d2d23c]
My court case started Oct. 4, 1988 and lasted until Oct. ...
November at 9:30 a.m.
I accepted the Oct. 29 and 30 to get on the stand and try...
D.A. Mr. Furr. This was the first time I had ever gone to...
what I hearing. I figured that the D.A. and D.E.A. wouldn...
though it is a part of the government, that ones proves h...
they could lie, the more data they can suppress from the ...
doesn't make a difference if you are innocent or how they...
I was told that everything that is in the discovery is wh...
one picture of Tabatinga, Brazil showing about four to fi...
believe that it took over thirty pieces of two by fours b...
eight inches wide by twelve feet long boards to build eac...
ials. Another picture showed another shack with writing o...
These are pictures to show that what I said about Tabatin...
of the D.E.A., it clearly shows they are lying, and the D...
During the weekend I got a hold of my brother in law in L...
Brazil. Ken Nesbitt met the Avianca flight in Miami and r...
flew the film to the St. Petersburg/ Clearwater airport w...
photo shop opened on a Sunday night so she could get thre...
for court but because everything was closed on the 30th t...
still the D.A. gets mad about anyone saying that the D.E....
the D.A. to set the record straight.
On the 31st of October, the closing statements got starte...
It's hard for me to believe what is going on. I can't rea...
I called my wife after retiring into my cell to talk to h...
*Chapter 48 [#je69a378]
On Tuesday November 1 , 1988 , I got up early as normal a...
Paul was dressed out and ready to go before the Judge. He...
Wednesday November 2, 1988. I got up at 4:00 a.m. and got...
This morning Frank Winkles my attorney came by and we tal...
About 10:00 a.m. I was called upstairs. Man, I thought ma...
At 3:30 p.m. I was called back to the courtroom. The Jury...
*Chapter 48 [#j0456b33]
On Friday November 4, 1988, I was moved to the Hernando C...
On November 5 , 1988, Breakfast was given to us at 6:30 a...
Lunch was served about 12:30 p.m. We had a large portion ...
We got two home made biscuits and a cup of chocolate ice ...
and he gave me his chocolate ice cream. All this was too ...
the telephone also receives calls. So for the first time ...
at 11:30 p.m... So Friday night, through Saturday night u...
the telephone. During the week there is a lock down at 11...
On Monday the 7th of November 1988 we went out for recrea...
On the 9th of November 1988 1 decided to call Jack Greenb...
believed me and he was in the courtroom three days during...
behalf. Jack said he will get in touch with his people an...
10th of November telling me that he talked to his people ...
Tampa. Mike Powers would tell me what they need. I called...
for whom is calling. This I did. I got through to Mike Po...
the trial and one time after the trial, but Winkles didn'...
Mike Powers said that I can talk direct with them or have...
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the next day and tell him which way I ...
and explained what happened the last two days with the ph...
to come here at Hernando County C.C.A. Jail in Brooksvill...
Tuesday that he would call Mike Powers and put it off unt...
On the 1 lth day of Nov. about 8:00 a.m. Jack Greenburg c...
my attorney for a few days. Jack said that I should be ve...
I knew very well. That if I helped them that they would s...
with Jack. He finally said that everything could have bee...
Ides it wasn't that the D.A. could have fixed the Jury so...
Richard Crawford. Jack said, that's normal, he said you c...
They have to lie if they don't have you dead to rights an...
back to you, saying you got 100 years, now if you tell us...
we want so and so. It should be noted that when I was tal...
told me that if I didn't want to do this time I should co...
Greenburg said to me was; listen to what Mike Powers has ...
What a mess. What do they want? Do I have to lie to them ...
beyond a doubt, no problem. What if I don't know, would t...
have to think on what I really know to be a fact not hear...
care if they destroy one man and his family. After all th...
against drugs and now I am convicted on a drug charge tha...
*Chapter 50 [#yabd5995]
On November 22nd, 1988 the head of the D.E.A. in this are...
Ides and Mr. Tom Fotopoulos came to talk to me. I had cal...
and what he could do. Mr. Greenburg called Mr. Mike Power...
On the 15th of December we were advised from a Mr. Brown ...
21 st of December. This was part of being here in the Her...
we were also given $2.00 against ordering something from ...
Army gave us a coffee cup and one pair of white socks. We...
the 22nd, 23rd, and the 24th. This would be terrific. Fro...
Yesterday December 20, 1988, my wife Cecilia had papers f...
has to be in Tampa for the Grand Jury session at 9:00 a.m...
and put 1988 instead of 1989. What now? The Government do...
prints, pictures and a hand writing analysis. After recei...
resent Cecilia, and would check and see what it was all a...
On the 22nd, Thursday my wife Cecilia, son Dimitrios, son...
Coriaty came to see me. The get together was in the court...
full of visitors. After the visit we were given a good sh...
take anything back to our cells that we shouldn't have.
On the 23rd, my mother Maria, sister Goldie, wife Cecilia...
grandson Michael Coriaty, a friend Joe Bobo, another frie...
visit me. It was terrific that they would let all these p...
of the personnel of the Hernando County C .C.A. Jail and ...
each. I know that Goldie had to talk like hell to get the...
placed at the exit of the jail for the children to get a ...
Today the 24th of December. I had my wife Cecilia, my dau...
Magola, a friend George Roberts, a friend David Hilton wi...
was great. I just hope they will keep it up. This was a c...
It was nice to see that I had more persons visiting me th...
rest of the afternoon reading and after supper looking at...
after midnight to call home.
A PRISONER'S CHRISTMAS: Taw's the night before Christmas...
*Chapter 51 [#a00aabf5]
I called at 12:30 a.m. on the 25th of December. Everyone ...
Here in Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, all will be the same...
Today, 27th of December, Tuesday, I sent the attorney Fra...
The following are a list of motions that my attorney Fran...
-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 Magist...
Motion to dismiss
-7/26/88
Motion to dismiss Indictment Or, in the Alternative, Segr...
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 s...
come to the Hernando County C.C.A. Jail, and wants Mr. Fr...
on T.V. something that will hurt me on my appeal. I have ...
Frank Winkles wanted me to get some character reference l...
said that he would only use five to six letters. I have t...
Judge Carr, if he reads them all okay, if not I will use ...
Friday, Dec. 30, 1988, I decided to do two things one is ...
your lack of support on my case, you preferred to accept ...
so, and fifteen years of knowing me and how I work and th...
me to help in the Peruvian covert operation, that now I a...
friends in Washington. I thought you were a fighter of th...
Thanks again and good bye.
In the cell next door holds state inmates. About two week...
two black inmates where placed in a separate holding cell...
appointed as a trustee. This is hard to believe.
I am in cell E which is very disorganized in compared to ...
back to the offices, especially to the women officers; th...
of hell calling one another names from one room to the ot...
Paul and I tried four different times to get transferred ...
resulted to transfers to cell D In occasions just request...
D cell. Paul and I just wanted to get transferred, Paul b...
as he has become a good friend. I do not have anything to...
transfer to cell D What a mess. The only way is to fight ...
Today, December 31, 1988 last day of 1988, I am sitting h...
future holds for me in 1989.
1988, I began the year with difficulties in making paymen...
Center of $3 dollars. The reason for the difficulty was l...
and also for a loan from a foreign bank that didn't mater...
Damn good, more mouth than accomplishments.
Arrest on May 3rd and in jail May 4th on cocaine charges....
good enough story against me. Jury finds me guilty and he...
U.S. Government covert operations with me exposed by my a...
Government has taken everything from me, Tarpon Financial...
trucks belonging to me, wife, children and the business, ...
money. The Government has not done this to others arreste...
is harsher. The Government wants you family on the street...
more of a burden to the tax payers, instead of being out ...
I stayed up to midnight on the 31 st of Dec. 1988 in orde...
to get out of jail by a presidential pardon, or by the ap...
court overthrowing the Jury verdict and new guidelines fo...
guidelines on sentencing are unconstitutional and should ...
in 1989 and working before the end of the year 1989.
I started the new year of Jan 1, 1989 by getting up for b...
On January 3rd. 1989 at about 6:00 p.m. an officer came b...
Paul on the 4th of January 1989 was given three years. Pa...
Goldie, my sister went to Tampa yesterday on the fourth t...
volume. Something is wrong. Over a month ago they had eig...
week before Christmas. Now it's still the same eight volu...
happening. Goldie wanted to take my transcript to an atto...
take my appeals case.
On the 5th of January 19891 received my P.S.I., pre sente...
days before sentencing which is the 17th and I have ten d...
for a thirty day delay on my sentencing. This was also re...
wants for has charged me with a level 42 , and category 1...
a 43 level giving me life sentencing. I have sat down eve...
report on my P.S.I. and as I see it, it is super rough. I...
was told that I better hire a private P.S.I. man to make ...
to see what he can do. By dropping to a 36 level would on...
One ofmy last statements that I have is after hearing tal...
have had time in jail before. It's our government's fault...
inmate has served his time and is released? You are not a...
by the time one is released most of their wives or love o...
it to do now? Have you ever stopped to think what you wou...
I personally have had a good sex life and lived for my se...
I have never drunk. I live and don't believe in smoking, ...
done drugs. But I do believe in sex. Something that God g...
And I've raised and love my family. I live for my family....
that I worked for is for my wife and children and also if...
The Government of the United States by an Act of Congress...
My family and my friends keep telling me, don't worry, be...
life by being brought up in a strict Greek Orthodox home ...
on 113 Hope Street. My mother takes care of St. Michael S...
C. Carr, Mr. Walter Furr, Mr. Richard Crawford and Mr. Ta...
that my incarceration, the destruction of my family will ...
TRIAL PEDRO NARVAEZ AND FREDDY PEREZ: pedro and Freddy ar...
they are in the same case with you. The case was tried by...
was the Judge. Judge Carr was also on my case. Pedro and ...
for fifty-five minutes and came back with a guilty verdic...
for them was set by Judge Carr for February 15, 1989.
According to other inmates that were in the same cell in ...
cell several times by the D.E.A. and the D.A. to talk. A ...
drastic reduction of his sentencing. The attorney of Pedr...
courtroom during and especially December 1, 1988 that Ped...
told a person the day before he went to trial on Pedro's ...
he screwed up, now it's his chance to get his client off....
struck with the D.E.A. and the D.A. in the Sarasota Count...
As far as Freddy was concerned, I understood that he also...
and the D.A. for a deal. But Freddy told them that I did ...
about the shipment. While Freddy was going to court these...
what he knew about the case and accused me and instead of...
would talk to the Judge to get him off in five years. He ...
D.A. didn't accept the testimony of Freddy. The D.A. said...
plea bargain of five years. Freddy returned to cell in Hi...
wrist to commit suicide. I understand Pedro found him in ...
downstairs and worked on. I also understand that for the ...
strapped to a bed, except for eating and bathing.
*Epilogue [#tcb6255e]
As I said in the first chapter of this book I was arreste...
My name and reputation are still smeared online. In fact,...
These days I still feel like I am in prison. I may be fre...
So many years ago all I wanted was to build up a town tha...
Want to learn more about Jungle Mike BEFORE the convictio...
[1] See "Milk Fever" in htW;,' /en.wikipediaMVwiki/Milk f...
[2] Antioch College approached me in 1968 to form a co-op...
The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia becomes involved after...
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