Hash by plane or yacht
I knew Julio F. Schutte and José Luis Marcos a bit better when together we made a trip to Asturias. Julio took part in a Riding Horse Championship in Gijón and we stayed with him till it lasted. Julio was stateless, of Cuban birth and architect. José Luis was born in Ourense like me and was married to Marta Vidalot López-Tapia, who studied in Montreux, Switzerland, I remember, and he didn’t have much time for us and so Julio and I became closer friends on spending more time together. José Luis told me Julio had made money in USA as architect, but a cunning there had made him earn a fortune so that he wouldn’t have to work anymore, and have quite a good apartment, a Porsche, a Range Rover and a BMW, to dedicate to horse riding and to take part at Horse Riding Championships as horse rider, and to have horses (“FruFru” won in Gijón and “Corsario” won in León); well, an idle life.
There was a mutual understanding between Julio F. Schutte and me about clandestine fight. I guess it would be certainly not an unusual fact for many to get to know it was necessary to control enemies' movements, so his way of living high level was necessary. Of course I understood the very instant I knew he was stateless of Cuban origin, I had caught up what as a friend I had to. During our staying in Asturias while the horse riding championship took place José Luis, Julio and I had gone to the area where people meet near to Gijón's beach and looked for a dealer to buy hash from. We asked a gypsy and he told us he had a piece of hash to sell. It wasn't too much, so we said to him to come over to the horse riding championship with a 100 grams piece. We appointed at the row of seats for next day. Next day I was seated at the row of seats with all the army members and their families, José Luis and his wife Marta beside me, and Julio at the stables getting ready to concourse, when the gypsy, whose name was Luis, appeared walking all along the row of seats and I called Luis aloud for him to know where we were. He came up towards us and I stretched his hand. He told me he felt uneasy standing there and I understood him. We went away and in sight of nobody he gave me the 100 grams hash piece. I told him I had to go to the stables to ask Julio for money. We went. Julio was there speaking with a Moroccan horse rider to whom Julio asked for 40.000 pesetas. The Moroccan rider showed very glad at once to be useful and he took out a good amount in notes and gave Julio 40.000 pesetas. Julio put immediately the notes in Luis hands. It was then that the Moroccan wanted to know if it dealt of a hash business. I went with Luis to the parking there and we were talking for a good while. I lost notion of time and was still with Luis in Julio's BMW roofless car when Julio came towards the car and he was disappointed on knowing I hadn't seen him jumping and wining one of the trophies in dispute. After all, I said to console him, I did not waste my time, I have been speaking with Luis about the situation of the world.
One day I took the BMW, which was the car we used to go from Madrid to Asturias, and I drove out all along the motorway from Oviedo to Gijón. In getting to Gijón I had to pull down the car because of a pitiable small van that smelt a lot of vinegar, driven by a man sweating and desperate to gain speed and get to where he was going to as soon as possible, but he had a civil guards car at the front in the left lane at a very slow speed, and worst of all I was behind the vinegar van. First I thought I had to be patient and wait but suddenly I decided to move to the middle lane parallel to the vinegar van and shouted aloud to the vinegar van's driver: Oh, you! You should have to hasten more than anyone! Your car smells so bad of vinegar you are going to infect all the Gijón's population! And with this I moved ahead to be parallel with the civil guards car and to the two civil guards I said: And you? What about you? Doing the contrary to what you are paid for or what? And then I made my claxon sound sonorously while I shouted to the people in other cars: Come on! Get out to one side or another! Way free gijoneses and gijonesas! Come on, you are scared of the civil guard, come on, way free! And I went away forward leaving them behind.
When we were more confident one in another, I asked him how he had done the business. He told me he erected some apartment’s buildings near to Los Angeles Airport, he sold them, and then they were expropriated to be pulling down due to its nearness to the airport. They pulled them down and Julio put a demand. Luckily he even won the trial and they gave him compensation. He erected the apartment’s buildings again and I don’t remember anymore, because not only I, but the judge involved too had probably gone nuts by then. Julio told me smiling with natural intelligence and aplomb he had planned everything. I whistled and then both whistled and we burst out laughing. Cherkaoui’s is little and risky, but I want to know the entire affair by first hand. I made him a gesture of assent and let him go on. I am going to introduce Cherkaoui to a married couple who owns a plane.
The Moroccan horse rider had come from Gijón to spend some days at Julio’s. Cherkaoui had told Julio and me we might earn a lot of money if we invested in Moroccan hashish, that it was very expensive in Spain and very cheap in Morocco. Well, the case was he had offered us 300 hashish kilograms for 1.500.000 pesetas. We would have to count with a plane, which would land and take off at Rabat’s Airport after being loaded with the 300 kilograms down there. He advised us to choose well the place of delivery and gathering, better on clear field in the province of Sevilla.
Julio and I were going along Paseo de la Castellana in his roofless BMW. He wanted to help the couple, whose belongings were not much but the plane and a big apartment, and they needed money. He thought his duty was to be sure they would be successful, because they knew already about the Moroccan’s proposal and although the business was risky, it would mean quite a good margin. Julio phoned up his friends while driving the BMW, what must have been a notable deed for many who saw him, because only walkie-talkies were known at that time. The plane friends were at home and we were very near. We went to their home. It was about to take a decisive step to get underway. Cherkaoui had given us a bit of hashish to taste it and Julio was taking a piece for them to taste the quality.
The truth is it may happen and it happened, I tasted it and fell in the absorption and didn’t get to know almost anything, only that they spoke some details I knew already, and that the plane’s guy played on me sympathetic jest and that I laughed much before falling into the drunkenness which asks you to sleep.
Well, the case is Julio and José Luis knew some neighbours in the area were Julio lived and there was an elegant-like bar where they used to meet. A Swiss woman and her son fifteen years old focused much of the attention which was destined at this place. The boy was but an adult at his age, for he used to speak about businessmen affairs with fluency, even with authority, yes indeed. What a type he was. He wore very expensive clothes and very expensive shoes and his sunglasses gave him a sport-like air; well, the sunglasses he bought them himself that same day with his own money, for he have done a good little business and had money yet. He talked to Julio, José Luis and me comradely and his mother let him counsel her.
One day I went to Julio’s not phoning before, to see if he was home and if he was not to go to the elegant bar, I finally met up with the boy’s mother, who was walking her little dog. She spoke German, English, French, Italian and a Castilian perfect for some moments, although she tripped on gross mistakes very common among foreigners. She asked me to accompany her to her place. I went up to her flat and after opening up the door she asked me to come in. I told her I could not, that I had to go, and she told me José Luis did come in. I went away apologizing and I suddenly saw José Luis coming out from the supermarket where Julio and his friends could take what they wanted to. He said to me that the woman had cheated me, that he did not remember having entered her home. We laughed. He told me Julio wasn’t home and had charged him to do some shopping in the supermarket and to leave everything at his apartment and he after had to leave at once. I told him I was going to the elegant bar, and asked him to tell Julio if he saw him where I was going to be.
I knew some of the people who used to go to the elegant bar and in coming in I greeted two waiters and a client and I sat at a table. Suddenly the boy appeared. I invited him to sit down with me and he said with pleasure, he would even pay for drinks. He sat down beside me and I told him I had accompanied his mother. He winked an eye at me and said he wouldn’t ask me if his ladyship had invited me to come in. We laughed. When I made intention of paying to the waiter as he was served he asked me to let him pay for drinks. I didn’t insist, so sure I saw him. We exchanged some polite talk and then both confessed ourselves in need to do something important, he a good strike, a big one, so as to live like Julio.
It may be possible I felt obliged to him unconsciously and spoke to him about the hashish business, since he assured to me from behind his sunglasses he disposed of money to invest in something with much benefit. I even told him Cherkaoui was spending some days at Julio’s. He showed very interested. He doubted not more than three seconds. He said that money there was enough and that he didn’t count on planes, that he’d do it by yacht.
I was looking at him and saw him wearing very expensive clothes and very expensive sunglasses and listened to his totally natural talk, always smiling and doing like a perfect man of much world, and he made laugh so much it happened to me to say to him: Sure you will succeed! You are so handsome! I said after. He laughed with me and suddenly Julio appeared. At once, although I could not contend my laughter and little Luigi could not either, the first idea that crossed my mind was that Julio had heard me and that the conversation between the three would include these exact words: You have to introduce Cherkaoui to me, Julio. I’m interested in the hash business.
Julio’s reaction, well, I didn’t know what it would be and for this I restrained my laughter. Julio sat down and stretched hands with both. He then asked as he was looking at both what it would become a success to Luigi. I had to explain to him what we all did already know, the plan.
You have to introduce Cherkaoui to me, Julio. I’m interested in the hash business, we heard. Julio had listened to me while I was talking the plan openly and it didn’t seem bad to him treating it of Luigi, that was what he said, but when he heard the Moroccan’s name, he asked me: Didn’t you give many details? No, I didn’t. True I didn’t, I said.
I don’t want to make use of planes in the business, Luigi said. He, I said to Julio, wants to do it by yacht. By all means, Julio said, I almost expected it. He saw how Luigi and I were laughing and he felt contagious. Things are not like this, but if not, how should they be? Julio said as if to him. After all, I’m not to be blamed either, he said later the same way. I don’t need planes, said Luigi.
Well, I said then, do not insist about planes, everybody would have the same idea and the Strait of Gibraltar would be plenty of yachts. I have studied it already, said Luigi. I know how to carry out the plan, he said after on seeing us amazed by the quick he thought and the resolute he was. I’m sure you will succeed! I said newly. Yes, you are very handsome, Luigi, Julio said laughing cheerfully and the three of us laughed cheerfully. I have to go now, said Julio while looking at his watch. In fact, I must be hurrying. I said that I would like to comment something with Julio. You can come with me, Julio said rapidly after. We shall meet up here tomorrow if you want, and we shall speak, he said to Luigi while standing up. He stretched hands with Luigi and I did the same. Julio tried to pay for drinks, but Luigi said he would not allow us to do it, that he invited, and the waiter made a sign which meant he understood how it was, and that it was all right. We went away.
How was it occurred to you to tell Luigi everything? Don’t you see he is fifteen? He said as we walked. I didn’t speak about your friends of the plane, I reasoned to get along and win the apartment’s keys to go next day with Maravillas, my girlfriend. He said he had to go home, that what he wanted was not giving Luigi more opportunities to speak about the business. Well, I said after a while, everybody knows and it is official that the king of Morocco himself and his governments control the hashish traffic. Cherkaoui told us his father is close friend to Hassan II, in the Army, that Rabat’s Airport is at his disposal and that he has people to bring the hashish to the planes. We were silent for a while. When we reached the roundabout near to his place I asked him for the keys to go with Maravillas, to whom he already knew.
Next day I took my girlfriend to the apartment to time Julio had told me there wouldn’t be anybody. We were alone just one minute, because the door was opened and Cherkaoui appeared, on his riding-habit and boots and his curly black hair; in the end, he appeared, very nervous besides. It was a surprise to her, for I had convinced her assuring to her there wouldn’t be anybody. Cherkaoui said he had had an accident. He had crashed Julio’s Porsche against a brunette mature woman’s big volume and this brunette mature woman didn’t stop to insult him and even tried to scratch his face. He had been waiting for a crane for an hour. He couldn’t have gone to meet up Julio where they had appointed. That he was going to take a stroll to pull himself together. He went away. She seemed scared and wanted to leave the apartment at once, in spite of my supplications; that I loved her much and felt like hugging her and make love to her.
How unlucky! I was thinking while coming back together to our quarter in a taxi. This Cherkaoui, I said to her, in Gijón was out from the competition at once; well, was last, and Julio told me he rides very badly… I interrupted myself by letting a strenuous laughter escape, and said: He crashed Julio’s car against a brunette’s mature woman’s big volume and she insulted him and even tried to scratch his face… You will see when Julio knows… The three of us laughed heartily.
Already in Usera I told her all I knew, gave her details even, less the names of the couple of the plane, who made me feel besides accomplice because he had been very sympathetic with me. When I was telling her about Luigi’s yacht Maravillas told me I saw too many films, that if Luigi was fifteen only, although he wears very expensive clothes and very expensive sunglasses and has a style of a personality with much world, he saw for sure too many films too and a little bit crazy he must be if he thinks the business would be an easy job.
Since the beginning of our friendship I had suspected Julio was in fact (perfectly clear) a Russian Secret Service agent, of whom everybody knew what he had done and where, millionaire and communist agent, that is why I had good times with him. Moreover, I knew everything that happened while we were together, happened so that I should write about it. Conversations about the situation in Spain and in the world and the newspaper’s news did a lot for our mutual communion. I have said already he was stateless from Cuban origin; between his friends was Fulgencio Batista, son of the Cuban dictator of the same name. I don’t remember how Julio did to have me seated at the same table that the Batista; I remember that day Julio didn’t take a car, that during diner in the restaurant the Batista had been waiting for a friend with whom he had a liaison; that this friend appeared finally and went away in a few moments; that they spoke much about the apartment at Avenue Foch in Paris, and that I saw myself going in Fulgencio Batista Son’s Rolls Royce and crossing some Madrid’s areas. By the way, two boys from a motorcycle offered hashish to us with a gesture, and I told the Batista not to stop, that he had a boyfriend already. His family had lived at Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid in Franco’s time, after fleeing from Cuba with the victory of Revolution. Well, the case was we came across another Rolls Royce, in which there was a couple in the middle-ages, and we made the same journey for a good while, and the Deputies Congress traffic lights obliged us to stop, it wasn’t by chance. And if I remember some more advantage in the stories I went through with Julio, I will bring to knowledge to whom be reading me.
About Cherkaoui I didn’t invent anything, only that to some other places I went with the tale of the 300 kilos. More yet, being difficult to count with a plane, I even suggested a yacht. Who commanded me to get involved in the affair but the possibility of an adventure, with money included, the temerity of breaking the law and even live it close to people risking and winning although there is not reward? How soon they get interested in some ambiances and certain people. Get on with it, thus suddenly, investing 1.500.000 pesetas; clear it is, it seemed a big business. I, of course, got interested when Cherkaoui made us the proposition, and if I had besides to write about it…
