Finding Mr Fox: 3. Highway 10

Summary

World Of Secrets: Season 5, Episode 3 - "Finding Mr Fox: Highway 10"

Release Date: November 6, 2024

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Introduction

In "Highway 10," the third episode of Season 5 of BBC's World Of Secrets, journalist Colin Freeman delves deep into the perilous world of international drug trafficking centered around Cape Verde’s strategic maritime route. This episode unravels the gripping tale of Brazilian sailors Daniel and Rodrigo, whose lives were irrevocably changed when they were ensnared in a massive drug trafficking operation. Through intense storytelling and firsthand accounts, the episode paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by individuals caught in the crosshairs of global crime.

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Cape Verde: The Nexus of Drug Trafficking

The episode opens with the serene beauty of Cape Verde, a group of islands that has become a hotspot for drug traffickers due to its proximity to the infamous 10th parallel. This latitude not only marks a critical point for crossing the Atlantic from South America to Africa but also serves as a clandestine waypoint for distributing cocaine en route to Europe.

Colin Freeman describes Cape Verde as:

"It's like Highway 10's answer to a motorway service station."
[04:56]

The region's allure lies in its strategic location, allowing traffickers to rest, repair vessels, and transfer their illicit cargo with relative ease before proceeding to their final destinations.

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The Arrest of Daniel and Rodrigo

In June 2017, Brazilian sailors Daniel and Rodrigo arrived in Cape Verde aboard a sailing vessel, only to be intercepted by vigilant police patrols. The authorities, aware of the increasing drug shipments, meticulously scrutinize incoming boats.

Charlotte Macdonald narrates the tense encounter:

"The fisherman looks surprised, confused."
[03:02]

An immediate discrepancy arises when the official crew list fails to match the actual passengers on board. Although the captain manages to placate the officers initially, suspicions are heightened by the vessel's appearance and the region's notorious activity.

The pivotal moment occurs when the police uncover approximately 200 kilos of cocaine aboard the ship, leading to the arrest of Daniel and Rodrigo, who were unaware of the illicit cargo.

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Life Behind Bars

Following their arrest, Daniel and Rodrigo are thrust into the harsh realities of Cape Verde's prison system. The initial 30 days are spent in solitary confinement, a grueling experience that strips them of any semblance of normalcy.

Rodrigo recounts his ordeal:

"It was terrible. The first 30 days we were in solitary confinement... it was super small, no sunlight."
[08:06]

The conditions are bleak—cramped cells, minimal sunlight, and the psychological strain of isolation weigh heavily on the detainees. As days turn into weeks, the sailors share a cramped cell with limited space, surrounded by the constant presence of guards and the ever-looming threat of violence.

Daniel reflects on his confinement:

"It was like that so he could put me at ease. But I knew he wasn't well. I felt it in him and I felt it in his skin."
[15:51]

Family support becomes a crucial pillar for Daniel, whose mother, Annette, relocates to Cape Verde to provide emotional solace during these trying times.

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The Trial and Verdict

After four months, Rodrigo's temporary freedom is revoked when a judge deems him and his colleague Steve as flight risks. The trial process is shrouded in tension, with courtroom security reminiscent of high-profile criminal cases.

Colin Freeman describes the trial environment:

"It's the kind of treatment you might expect more for terrorists or gang kingpins."
[20:02]

Over four days, the courtroom witnesses testimonies from the sailors, who vehemently assert their innocence and claim ignorance of the drug shipment. Despite their steadfast protests, the judge remains unimpressed by their defense.

Charlotte Macdonald summarizes the outcome:

"The judge finds all of them... guilty of international drug trafficking. He sentences each of them to 10 years in prison."
[24:26]

The verdict devastates Daniel and Rodrigo, stripping them of their freedom and casting doubts on the integrity of the judicial process.

---

Lingering Questions: The Enigma of Mr. Fox

Even as Daniel and Rodrigo grapple with their convictions, unresolved questions about the primary suspect, Mr. Fox, persist. The absence of his prosecution raises alarms and fuels suspicions about the case's legitimacy.

Daniel poses a critical inquiry:

"Why didn't they go after Fox? Why wasn't Fox called to testify?"
[27:01]

This oversight suggests a potential miscarriage of justice, hinting at deeper layers of corruption and manipulation within the system. The episode teases the involvement of a Brazilian detective determined to unearth the truth behind Mr. Fox, setting the stage for future revelations.

---

Conclusion

"Highway 10" masterfully intertwines personal narratives with broader geopolitical issues, highlighting the vulnerabilities of individuals caught in global drug networks. Through Daniel and Rodrigo's harrowing experiences, the episode underscores the complexities of international law enforcement and the often overlooked human cost of the war on drugs.

As the episode concludes, listeners are left contemplating the elusive nature of justice and the shadows cast by powerful criminal figures like Mr. Fox. The forthcoming investigations promise to shed more light on these hidden facets, maintaining the series' reputation for insightful and compelling storytelling.

---

Notable Quotes

• Penny (Miranda’s Mother):
  “Nobody joins a cult. You just get sucked in.”
  [00:05]

• Rodrigo:
  “I was stuck in the country, a country I don't know... I didn't know if anyone was from some criminal faction or not.”
  [12:47]

• Daniel:
  “Our lawyers said we have to stay calm. How can I stay calm?”
  [25:05]

• Annette (Rodrigo’s Mother):
  “He was cornered. And then we said to each other, this is a phase and we will get out of this.”
  [15:58]

• Colin Freeman:
  “It's like Highway 10's answer to a motorway service station.”
  [04:56]

---

Production Credits

• Hosts: Colin Freeman and Charlotte Macdonald
• Producer: Charlotte Macdonald
• Executive Producer: Jo Kent
• Additional Production: Iam Leroy, Christine Kiss, Nick Norman Butler, Chiara Francavilla
• Field Producing: Julio Rodriguez
• Series Editor: Matt Willis
• Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
• Sound Design and Mix: Tom Brignall
• Voices: Rodrigo voiced by Edison Okaija, Daniel by Antonio Fernandez, and Annette by Monica Vasconcelos
• Senior Producer: Cat Collins
• Commissioning Editor: John Manell

---

For more gripping investigations, subscribe to World Of Secrets wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Colin Freeman]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

An airliner heads for Alaska with 101 passengers and crew. Then somewhere over the Gulf of Alaska, Flight 293 slams into the icy waters below.

[Annette]

Even if all four engines quit, it.

[Colin Freeman]

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[Yemisi Adegoke]

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[Charlotte Macdonald]

Before we begin, just to remind you, many of the people we've interviewed for this season of World of Secrets speak Portuguese, so their words are spoken by actors and members of our BBC team.

[Colin Freeman]

The islands are absolutely beautiful. This one is just a series of what I think used to be volcanoes sticking out of the ocean, bumping along on the ocean waves. I get to see Cape Verde just as Brazilian sailors Daniel and Rodrigo would have done when they first arrived here seven years ago and of course more or less year round sunshine. Which is fantastic if you're a holiday maker. Perfect for sunbathing or messing around on the beach. But Daniel never got to do that. Yes, it's a tropical paradise, but its location brings problems as well as blessings.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

It's June 2024 and on board a gray military style boat, police patrol the waters just off the coast of Cape Verde as a collection of 10 island. There's a lot of coastline and a lot of water to patrol, and one of the things the police are looking for is drugs.

[Colin Freeman]

Wearing a black helmet and wrap around sunglasses, gun in holster and handcuffs clipped to the back of his shorts, the officer in charge signals for his team to board the fishing boat they've just pulled up alongside.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

The fisherman looks surprised, confused.

[Colin Freeman]

The officer in the wraparound sunglasses takes the boat's captain to the cabin and starts to question him.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

There's a problem. Names on the official crew list don't match with the people on board right now, but eventually the captain Manages to convince the police it's just a simple mistake.

[John Morgan]

Okay.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

The police explain that in peak season, up to 20 sailing boats can arrive here every day. They know that some of them will be carrying drugs.

[Colin Freeman]

That's because Cape Verde lies close to what's called the 10th parallel. It's a line of latitude 10 degrees north of the equator, but also marks the shortest way across the Atlantic from South America to Africa. Slap bang in the middle of the sailing route to Europe. Among certain law enforcement agencies, the nickname for this route is Highway 10. If you're a trafficker and you've just shipped your product from Latin America, from Brazil or wherever, this is a spot where you can rest up for a bit. You can get any repairs done to your yacht if you've had any damage during the crossing, and then you can either warehouse your product here and pass it it on to other traffickers, or you can change vessels if you want to throw the authorities off the scent a bit to ferry on towards Europe or wherever. This is like Highway 10's answer to a motorway service station.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

One of the officers describes how not long ago they found about 200 kilos of cocaine on board a sailing boat. It was an old vessel, but freshly painted, which raised their suspicions. And the boats carrying drugs, they always come from Brazil.

[Colin Freeman]

I'm told about a new trend. They're seeing packages of 25 kilos of cocaine washing up on some of Cape Verde's beaches. Maybe some have been thrown overboard after seeing a police boat like this one approach. But Boffin is deliberate. Traffickers study the tides and the currents and strap GPS trackers to the packages of drugs so they can find them later. That approach will at least avoid your crew being arrested, unlike those on the Rich Harvest. You were on the boat. Wow. Turns out one of the officers I'm with was actually part of the search team on the Rich Harvest. It was a massive task, he says. With international cooperation. He says it was the biggest haul of drugs he's ever seen in his life.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

So this is what Daniel and Rodrigo stumbled into. Arriving with a record haul of drugs in a country battling against the tide of cocaine coming its way. How on earth are they going to get out of here? This is World of Secrets Season 5, finding Mr. Fox, a BBC World Service investigation. With me, Yemi, Seattle K, and me, Colin Fujin. Episode 3 Highway 10.

[Colin Freeman]

Spending time with the police in Cape Verde, it becomes clear they're at the forefront of a global battle against the traffickers. In the main port, I see the remains of some of the Boats they've impounded, which, like the rich harvest, were loaded full of drugs and on their way to Europe.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which has a base on the islands, at least 50 tons of cocaine cross West Africa every year, with most arriving via Highway 10. And about a third of that is sold in transit.

[Colin Freeman]

So it's not just drugs passing through that's a problem for the people of Cape Verde, the bigger issue is the drugs that stay here. The island's prisons are packed these days with people convicted of cocaine related offenses, whether it's smuggling it, dealing it or using it.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

It's August 2017 and Daniel and the French captain are being held in one of Cape Verde's biggest prisons. It's here they'll have to wait for their day in court.

[Rodrigo]

It was terrible. The first 30 days we were in solitary confinement. They put me in a cell here, the captain in another one close to me. I couldn't see him, but we could talk. And I remember I calculated the size of my cell. I could put my back against one wall and my legs against the other and I could use my feet to climb up. It was super small, no sunlight. And that was it. At 6am they opened up the bathroom for us to take a shower and used to stare at us. We were just wearing swimming trunks. We do our business, take a shower, and in 15, 20 minutes it's back to your cell. It's like that for 30 days to calm you down, to get used to the prison. And that's how it goes.

[Colin Freeman]

I find it hard to imagine what it would have been like to be plucked from sailing a yacht across the open ocean and dropped into a concrete box like this prison. So I visit the chair for myself outside a big steel gate on a big 20 foot high wall with rolls of barbed wire on the top. I think it would be nice to go in there. I can put my outstretched palms out and I can comfortably touch the walls with either hand. So that's no more than about maybe 3 or 4ft wide. I think it was long enough to lie down on, but not much more. So probably no more than about 6ft long or something like that. God, be pretty tough not having a clue what was about to happen to him. Probably thinking that I could be in here for the rest of my life, having days before being in the open ocean, doing a job that he liked because he liked open spaces and the freedom to roam the world. And now he's stuck in this cell where his entire life begins and ends in a square of 6ft or so, not much bigger than a couple of coffins, really. It's been pretty grim.

[Rodrigo]

After those 30 days. They put you in a bigger cell with about 10, 15 people. And then I started hanging around a little with people I didn't know. And at first they said they would kill us. And at the beginning, you don't know who they are. And it may be that these people may have been involved with a gang, but it was all just jail talk.

[Colin Freeman]

You can see into the. The corridors, and it's like the big classic holding pens that you see in the movies, iron bars. You've got guards patrolling up and down the corridors and then kind of full of guys standing around, quite a lot of noise. This is, I guess, where the sailors spent first few days here after isolation, I guess, where they would have just been chucked in and said, like, right, you've got to make friends with all these guys in here. That would be pretty scary, I think. Yeah.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Meanwhile, as Daniel and the French captain are being held behind bars, their crewmates, Rodrigo and Steve, who weren't on the boat when it was raided, are allowed to go back to. To their lodgings. This does not go down well with Daniel.

[Rodrigo]

I was a little upset with them, in fact, because I went to prison without any money, without anything, and they didn't. They didn't even send me a liter of water, clothes, anything.

[Daniel]

I had no way of talking to him. At no point did I feel like going to prison. I didn't even want to go near that place, neither to visit nor to be arrested. So I didn't want to be seen there. Like, why are you going to visit him?

[Charlotte Macdonald]

But it isn't just that Rodrigo doesn't like the idea of prison. His bail terms forbid any contact with Daniel or the captain, and he isn't exactly free. He has to report to the police once a week and is forbidden from leaving Cape Verde.

[Daniel]

I was stuck in the country, a country I don't know, with people I don't know. I was afraid. I was scared that someone would do something to me. I didn't know if anyone was from some criminal faction or not. I didn't know what was happening. But for them, it must have been much worse because they were the ones in prison, you know, they went to solitary confinement without seeing sunlight all day. Without a doubt, they suffered much more than us. Steve and I stayed in a hotel for a few days, then we rented a house. A few days later, my mother came to visit me. We lived together during that time.

[Colin Freeman]

Rodrigo Even manages to get a job working in the marina, unpaid, something to keep him busy. But this is a big case for Cape Verde, widely covered by local media, and it seems not everyone is happy about him living so freely. After about four months, a judge decides he and Steve are a flight risk. One day, when Rodrigo turns up for work, police are waiting and he too is taken to jail.

[Daniel]

I'd lost my freedom. The conditions were terrible. The food was not good and there wasn't much of it. There were lots of cockroaches in the cells. One night I woke up with one walking across my face.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Unlike Daniel, Rodrigo is spared solitary confinement. He says it's nearly Christmas and so the prison governor lets him move to the maximum security sector, where he can spend time with the rest of the crew. But it isn't all plain sailing. He has to spend Christmas Day cleaning the communal toilets.

[Colin Freeman]

At least he has his mum, Annette, close by, though she's moved to Cape Verde to support him and is able to visit him in jail.

[Daniel]

It was the best moment of my days, when I could be with her and hug her. And she brought news of what was happening outside because it was the only way to know what was going on.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Do you remember the first time your mom visited you in prison?

[Daniel]

I remember that my only concern was, was not to show any weakness. She was suffering a lot. The only thing I wanted to show her was that despite everything, I was fine. I wanted to show her that I was okay, so that she would be okay. We hugged, we cried, we are together, we are alive, we are here. So it was a very comforting dream to be with her.

[Annette]

I think that as a mother, it was a moment when I had to be very strong. Very strong. You enter the jail, hug your son, and he's in an area for dangerous prisoners and people who have committed heinous crimes. And your son is there in the same place as them, sleeping alongside them. And that's where I found Rodrigo. His head shaved.

[Daniel]

During the entire one and a half hours of the visit, we didn't let go of each other. We spent the entire time hugging each other.

[Annette]

Was he strong? He appeared so. But he was like that so he could put me at ease. But I knew he wasn't well. I felt it in him and I felt it in his skin, the beating of his heart. He was cornered. And then we said to each other, this is a phase and we will get out of this. But it's hard. You're angry, you feel injustice in your veins. It's just that you have to Live with it. You want to get out of there together.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Eventually, the three Brazilians end up in the same small cell. Two concrete beds with mattresses on top, one mattress on the floor. They rotate between them as days become weeks and weeks become months. They exercise, they read, they meditate, and they wait for their day in court.

[Colin Freeman]

Daniel and Rodrigo are certain as soon as anyone looks at the evidence, it'll all be sorted out. They'd never even heard of the rich harvest until they answered that job advert. They'd had nothing to do with the renovations to the yacht, where they assumed the secret compartments had been fitted and they'd only joined the boat just before it set sail.

[Daniel]

As we say in Brazil, justice takes time, but it never fails. It may take a while, but we'll get there. I always believed that at some point news would come that we were going to get out of there. So my head just kept thinking about it the whole time.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

But that news never comes. And then finally, about six months after the arrests, they're put on trial. But will justice and Cape Verde match up to Rodrigo's expectations?

[Yemisi Adegoke]

An airliner heads for Alaska with 101 passengers and crew. Then, somewhere over the Gulf of Alaska, Flight 293 slams into the icy waters below.

[Annette]

Even if all four engines quick, it.

[Colin Freeman]

Just doesn't fall out of the sky.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

No bodies were recovered. Loved ones had no closure and were left to wonder what happened to Flight 293? Unsolved Histories what Happened to Flight 293 is available now. Wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Colin Freeman]

When the trial starts, the sailors are handcuffed and led out the prison, flanked by armed police wearing bulletproof vests and helmets. Then through streets that have been closed to other traffic, they're driven in a police convoy to the courthouse. It's the kind of treatment you might expect more for terrorists or gang kingpins.

[Daniel]

Rodrigo's bemused, and we go up the stairs to the courtroom. Policemen at every entrance. And I'm thinking, what do they think could happen? That someone will burst in and rescue us. It was like they believed that we were one of the biggest, most wanted in the world. Then we arrived in the courtroom. It was full of people. Many law students, many journalists. Our family, our friends who traveled from Brazil.

[Colin Freeman]

The court sits for four days, the handcuffed sailors being shuttled back and forth from the prison each day. There's no jury. A judge will decide their fate.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

He hears about the police raid the hall of Drugs, about Daniel and Rodrigo and the two other crew members who sailed the boat to Cape Verde. One by one, the sailors take the stand and testify in person.

[Colin Freeman]

According to Rodrigo, there are a lot of questions. Why accept a job delivering a boat when you'd only be paid expenses? And what's all this talk about running up nautical miles? Is that some kind of drug trafficking slang?

[Charlotte Macdonald]

But the sailors insist it's all just a misunderstanding. We're innocent. Then, at the end of four gruelling.

[Daniel]

Days, the judge said there were two versions of this story, two very strong accounts.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

The judge needs more time to consider the evidence. He announces that they will reconvene for the verdict in a fortnight or so.

[Daniel]

The longest 15 days of my life. I wrote the numbers on the wall next to my bed, in my cell. Every day I'd wake up and I'd cross off one of the numbers. One more day gone. One day closer to the verdict. My expectation was on that day, I'd be leaving prison, going home.

[Rodrigo]

When we woke that day, the other crew members packed their bags. I was the only one who didn't I said, don't fool yourself. Look at what they did in court. Four days of blaming us, right? I didn't have any hope. That morning we put our best clothes on the handcuffed us. As I walked out of the prison towards the vehicle that would take us to court, I noticed there were more police cars than usual. But we had a very good ride from the prison to the court. We were singing all the way. We were singing the Bob Marley song. Freedom.

[Colin Freeman]

It's time for their verdict. The courtroom's even busier than before, but it soon falls silent.

[Daniel]

The judge asks us to stand and he starts reading these 110 pages of the verdict.

[Colin Freeman]

The hearing wasn't recorded, but we've seen the judgment.

[Daniel]

I couldn't understand it. Lots of legal terms.

[Rodrigo]

It could be said that the defendants.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Intended to obtain a large compensation with the transportation of the cocaine seized.

[Daniel]

I don't know what to say, but I remember when the judge was coming to an end and I looked at the lawyers faces. They already had their heads down, putting their heads in their hands. Little by little, it started to become clear.

[Rodrigo]

Their conduct reflects a lack of value in relation to the legal order.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

In short, the protection of public health.

[Rodrigo]

And the values of living in solidarity in the community.

[Daniel]

And then, at the end, he found us guilty. And I understood everything.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

The judge finds all of them, Daniel, Rodrigo and the two other sailors, guilty of international drug trafficking. He sentences each of them to 10 years in prison.

[Rodrigo]

I couldn't cry. I couldn't. I laugh when I'm nervous. I cursed myself and I laughed.

[Daniel]

Our lawyers said we have to stay calm. How can I stay calm? I was already in prison for months and now I have to stay for months more before going to appeal this.

[Rodrigo]

As they were putting the handcuffs back on, my mother came as close as possible and said, this isn't going to stay like this. We are going to appeal. This isn't going to end like this.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Daniel is at his lowest, stuck on an island thousands of miles from home and facing a long stretch in prison. He wells up while talking to us. Reliving this moment is clearly taking its toll. We suggest it's time to take a break.

[Colin Freeman]

It's a devastating blow to the four men. They've been kept sane by the hope that this would soon all be over.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

But as they stand in the dock, convicted men with their families in tears in the public gallery, it's suddenly all too real. There might be an appeal or new evidence could come to light. But it's a distant dream. Right now they're facing a decade behind bars for a crime they say they didn't commit.

[Colin Freeman]

Back at the prison, the sailors are moved into the area. For convicted criminals means more time out of their cells, but that's little comfort. They launch an appeal. But even Rodrigo, who's normally the optimist, no longer bothers with a calendar on his wall to count down the days. There seems no end in sight.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

And there's something else, something eating away at them. It's what one of the defense lawyers describes as a ghost hanging over the case.

[Daniel]

Why didn't they go after Fox? Why wasn't Fox called to testify? He's the main suspect in this whole story. At no time did the Cape Verde justice system go after him.

[Colin Freeman]

But far away across the ocean, there is someone else who's taking an interest in the case.

[Rodrigo]

It didn't make sense for the boat to come to Brazil for renovation work.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

His focus is not on the sailors. It's on the British man who owns the yacht, paid for its renovation, employed Daniel and Rodrigo, the man who came to their rescue when the engine failed. The man who then appears to him to have vanished.

[Rodrigo]

What's he coming here for?

[Colin Freeman]

This Brazilian detective is determined to find out more about Mr. Fox. We had to arrest him and bring him to answering court.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

That's next time on World of Secrets.

[Colin Freeman]

This has been episode three of six of Finding Mr. Fox, season five of World of Secrets from the BBC World Service.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

If you're enjoying our investigation, then please post about it on social media. We would love others to find out about our journalism.

[Colin Freeman]

I'm Colin Freeman.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

And I'm Yemisi Adegoke. The producer is Charlotte Macdonald. The executive producer is Jo Kent. Additional production is by Iam Leroy, Christine Kiss, Nick, Norman Butler and Chiara Francavilla.

[Colin Freeman]

And field producing by Julio Rodriguez. In Cape Verde, the series editor is Matt Willis. Production coordinator Gemma Ashman and the sound, design and mix are by Tom Brignall.

[Charlotte Macdonald]

Rodrigo is voiced by Edison Okaija, Daniel.

[Colin Freeman]

By Antonio Fernandez and Annette voiced by Monica Vasconcelos. At the World Service, Cat Collins is the senior producer and John Manell the commissioning editor.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

An airliner heads for Alaska with 101 passengers and crew. Then somewhere over the Gulf of Alaska, Flight 293 slams into the icy waters below.

[Annette]

Even if all four engines quit, it.

[Colin Freeman]

Just doesn't fall out of the sky.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

No bodies were recovered. Loved ones had no closure and were left to wonder. What happened to Flight 293? Unsolved history stories what happened to Flight 293 is available now. Wherever you get your podcasts.