Soft Secrets
underworld
23
The Traffickers Part 16 By Charlie Stone
Conrad and Maurits (not their actual names) are involved in the organisation of large-scale international hash transport. For a number of years now the two of them have been collaborating intensively with Zulu, a somewhat older and very well respected businessman. Right from the start it’s been a booming business and presently the threesome are responsible for moving many tons of hash with ease. The chance of being blocked is pretty much null. How it all happens, they explained at length in an exclusive interview with Soft Secrets. By Soft Secrets’ special reporter Charlie Stone SSUK: Guys, how did you manage to make an entry into this world of big time drugs smuggling? Conrad: “Approximately twenty years ago I used to spend a lot of time meddling with cars. Someone approached me with a request to open up a car that was stuffed with hash. I took the job with pleasure and as a consequence I was approached with the same request a number of times thereafter. Already at the first time the guy asked me how I would prefer payment, in cash or in a number of grams? I chose then for the money, and got a bit, but a friend of mine, who had helped me, knew to choose for the hash. Next time I also requested payment in product as with my friend’s contacts we could sell it on and divide the profit. He knew the ropes better than I did and very soon we were moving forty and fifty kilos at a time. I kept that up for a year before I decided that I could just as well ride to Morocco and fetch a load myself.”
Denmark and Germany. Eventually the business expanded so much that the clothing business just became a cover. The demand had jumped from a couple of pounds to tens and then hundreds of kilos. Supplying such a market is an irresistible challenge. As the business grew, we began to take over more of the links in the chain. Soon we had the transportation under our control too. In a very short time we had built up a substantial fleet of vans and busses. We also preferred to use foreigners whom we could trust as our drivers.” And just how exactly did you smuggle stuff? Conrad: ”The product would be stashed inside fake floors, petrol tanks, anywhere that there is a bit of space, really. That was one of the easier things to achieve. I could also send an unprepared vehicle to Morocco, where some of the locals would then convert it for transportation purposes. There was usually only one contact person between the drivers and
The demand jumped from a couple of pounds to tens and then hundreds of kilos. Supplying such a market is an irresistible challenge. How did you come into contact with people in Morocco? Conrad: “Via the same contacts that had asked me to open up their car. They even had a stockpile waiting to be fetched in Morocco. All I had to do was pick it up. That first time I moved forty kilos. However I did manage to get gripped by the long arm of the law in France and got seven years. After five long years I got a weekend leave and so I just fled. It does mean that I am officially a wanted person in France, but I do not think that I am on a list at Interpol or suchlike. It is a bit of a hassle as it means I can’t go through France anymore.” Wasn’t that enough to put you off further adventures? Conrad: ”My wife’s clothing business was flourishing by the time I got back. Besides that, whilst serving time I had made some valuable contacts – people of many different nationalities, all of whom were inside for smuggling hash. I learned a lot by talking with them. It was like being at a school for traffickers. Later when they had also got out, many of them became good clients and contacts. In this way I managed to establish contacts in countries like Sweden,
us. The vehicle would be registered to the driver, who would apparently be on holiday. With a couple of sleeping bags in the back, they could pass for ordinary travellers. It only went wrong twice in all the years that we carried out this procedure. That’s not bad, considering the odds!” So what is the situation like presently, compared to ten years ago? Conrad: ”Everything has gone rapidly upscale. Now we have freight trucks, container loads, ships even. In order to organise that kind of logistic, we took on a very astute businessman known as Zulu.” Zulu, can you please explain your specific role? Zulu: ”I can establish companies on foreign shores. For many years now, I have been dealing in the import/export business and have built up know-how from all over the world. I have a great deal of experience in establishing and managing companies and businesses abroad. That includes being aware of all the necessary documentation and licences to trade etc. A mutual friend introduced me to Conrad and Maurits a
number of years ago. It did not take us long to agree that in such a venture, if everything visible is kept above board and strictly legal, what goes on behind closed doors is less suspect.” So how does one go about establishing such businesses? Zulu: ”There are different frameworks, it depends largely on the country you are dealing with. Most countries require the involvement of a local citizen. So as a foreigner you need to establish a partnership with a citizen of the required country. This citizen provides the decor as it were.” Does the business have to be an import/export trader? Zulu: ”That is often the most suitable option. We require a legitimate and completely ordinary company that operates within the law and maintains procedure and administration. A trading agent usually connects the importer with the exporter who would normally have no further contact with each other. If you choose to set up an export company in one country, it makes sense to set up an import company in the receiving country.” And then comes the point whereby the illegal goods slip into the line of the normal trade? Zulu: ”At this point you would have
established two levels of trade, one completely legal cover and the other, sub terrain activity. The regular above board business functions normally from 9 – 5 so that the other part of the business must function after the doors close, often with completely different workers. We have had companies operating in this way in which the people who worked during the day had no idea of the after hours activities of their true employers!” But what about the local partners? Do they usually know about the illegal activities of their company? Zulu: That depends. If he has been taken into the partnership solely for the purpose of the paper work, then you can reach an agreement whereby for a fee he remains a silent partner as it were. You can also choose to make that person into a shareholder whereby he gets involved and profits directly.” But isn’t that a greater risk for you? Zulu: “It all depends on the skills and integrity of the local concerned. We make sure we only work with people who have no criminal record and a good reputation.” So do you personally keep direct control over all the illegal activities? Zulu: “Theoretically, everything would seem to be in place, but in practice, things always work out differently.
