Despite reports that international governments are winning the “war on drugs”, the drug traffickers have an instinctive ability to exploit the inadequate security and law enforcement that exist within this region. Case in point: a few hours to the south of Curaçao, Brazil’s vast and largely uncontrolled western Amazon Region provides an ideal environment for drug trafficking aircraft. Clandestine airstrips are typically located in largely inaccessible areas of Brazil, which makes it difficult to fight the problem. In years past, the traffickers developed an “air bridge” by coercing some air-taxi companies and aircraft owners interested in the profits available through drug transportation. However, Brazilian police (DPF) have stepped up efforts against the cocaine transportation infrastructure by implementing a program that tracks aviation fuel sales. If there is an irregularity in the sale of fuel, this will show up under the program and it allows the DPF to search and detain aircraft for “probable cause.” It has been suggested if neighboring countries were to implement similar programs, this would put considerable pressure on traffickers who would have decreasing sources for aviation fuel. Unfortunately, it does not provide the final answer to the problem.

This brings us back to our forward lavatory obstruction. You are probably still wondering how 20 packets of cocaine ended up jammed down the toilet. Well it is simple really, but not something that readily comes to mind. In recent times, drug traffickers have resorted to using people more and more as an alternate means of transporting cocaine. The traffickers pay individuals, or “drug mules”, to transport their product to a particular destination. Immediately prior to their assigned flight, the “mules” swallow cocaine packed in Teflon coated condoms or sausages. The sausages of cocaine are about the size of your index finger. Now think about this carefully. The flight from Curaçao is approximately 9-10 hours from pushback to shutdown. If you include the time the passenger takes to check-in and collect his bags at the other end, then his journey can easily exceed 12 hours. Consequently, at some point during a 9-10 hour flight, nature takes its course and the material has to come out the other end. If they have time, the “mules” wash the contraband and re-swallow it, hoping not to be nabbed by customs at their destination. In the case of our malfunctioning lavatory, one of the “mules” must have lost his nerve or decided he did not have enough time to re-swallow the smuggled goods. Rather than get caught, he flushed the goods down the toilet. One of the Dutch customs officers told me later that each of those sausages of cocaine is worth about €5,000 – 6,000 (euros) or about US$6,000 – 7,000. So doing some quick math, the 20 that were flushed were worth between €100,000 – 120,000 or US$120,000 – 140,000. As a result of this obstruction, the entire forward lavatory and flush mechanism had to be dismantled and replaced at a cost of about US$25,000.
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Unfortunately, we were unable to send our “drug mule” the invoice for the repairs. He got away, but left us to clean up his mess. 

Over the course of this contract, we had a number of cocaine related problems. In one incident, our aircraft maintenance engineers discovered cocaine in the water drain pipes beneath the lavatory sinks. In another, “coke” was discovered in the aircraft ceilings and above the main entrance doors.

In a further episode, Peter, one of our aircraft maintenance engineers had been approached by a local in a crowded Curaçao pub. The local “warned” Peter that “they” had been watching him and that “they” knew the engineers were finding “hidden coke” onboard our aircraft. The local went onto say that the “hidden coke” should be turned over to certain Curaçao customs officials or specific airport authorities. Peter later related the story to us, over numerous beers, and said all he could think about was the movie “Clear and Present Danger”, the drug cartels and the “Hells Angels!” The engineers often told us, that during their daily routine, they would see suspicious activities in remote areas of the airport – money changing hands and individuals coming and going where you would not expect to see them. Although, Peter was never physically threatened with harm, it made us wonder how closely we were being watched. We eventually had a good laugh about this incident and figured we should audition for the next episode of Mission Impossible or write to Tom Clancy and ask him what he would do.

Unfortunately, the authorities are virtually powerless to eliminate this problem. At the most, all they can do is slow it down. Where there is a will there is a way. Drug traffickers have shown considerable skill in adjusting their operations in response to counter drug efforts. The traffickers will change the place of production, transport routes, points of shipment, and markets when eradication or interdiction programs achieve success. And when the airlines are not available, the drug traffickers will find some other means of transportation. 

Although, I did not expect my life as an expat airline pilot to be coloured with this experience, it makes you realize that no matter how isolated you are in this world, the “war on drugs” and the “war on terror” is something that is hard to ignore. At the very least this experience makes for very interesting flying. And that is, yet, another chapter in my continuing adventures with Air Atlanta Icelandic. For a wandering ex-pat pilot like me, it doesn’t get much more exciting than that. 

The following are the previous articles that Steve wrote for the magazine:

• Escape To The End Of The Earth ~ A Canadian In Argentina – Part I
• Postcards From The End Of The Earth ~ A Photographic Journey Through Argentina