Shownotes Transcript
In the middle of the ocean, two young Brazilian sailors are on the voyage of a lifetime. For me, it was all new. I was really excited. They've been hired to help deliver a newly renovated yacht to its British owner, thousands of miles away in Europe. For me, it was going to be a great adventure and an opportunity to gain a lot of experience. It was my dream, not only to be the captain of my own boat, but of my own life.
But the crossing is far from straightforward. When we left, there was this wonderful feeling. But it was only the beginning of a nightmare. Land finally appears on the horizon. But soon after arriving, the boat is swarming with police. They said they had a warrant to search the boat. Obviously, it's no joke. Half a tonne of cocaine being found under your bed.
The police find more cocaine stashed elsewhere, more than 1.1 tons in total, worth about $100 million if it had reached its final destination. I felt betrayed. I felt cheated, like I'd been fooled by someone. I was stuck in a country I don't know, people I don't know. I was afraid. I was scared that someone would do something to me.
And the yacht's British owner is nowhere to be seen. Fox called the shots. He was in charge. Everything revolved around him. Brazilian police believe he's the mastermind of this whole operation. Only they don't know where he is. Since Fox has not yet been found, he has not been tried. But if one day he's found, he can still be held accountable.
Can you explain why more than a tonne of cocaine was found on board it back in 2017? Go away. No? Seriously. But we have found him. Brazilian police say that you are an international drug trafficker. Well, I'm not, so... And that you masterminded this operation to put a tonne of cocaine on the Rich Harvest boat. He claims we've got the wrong end of the stick. You've probably got your own version of events here.
If you want to give us your side of the story, you're welcome to, yeah. From the BBC World Service. This is World of Secrets. Finding Mr Fox. It was like the floor fell away from beneath me. I was in shock, lost for words. And I started to ask, how are we going to unravel this all? World of Secrets. Finding Mr Fox. Starting Wednesday, October 30th.
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