Finding Mr Fox: 4. A detective calls

Summary

World of Secrets: Season 5, Episode 4 – "A Detective Calls"

Host: Colin Freeman
Production: Andre Goncalves and Yemisi Adegoke

---

Introduction: The Pursuit of Fox

In Episode 4 of "Finding Mr Fox," part of BBC's "World of Secrets" Season 5, listeners delve deeper into the intricate investigation surrounding the suspicious yacht, Rich Harvest, and its enigmatic owner, George Saul, known as Fox. Local Brazilian police chief Andre Goncalves spearheads the operation to uncover the truth behind the massive drug smuggling ring linked to the yacht.

---

Surveillance Begins: Tracking the Rich Harvest

Andre Goncalves receives a critical tip-off from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) in 03:14, identifying the Rich Harvest and its crew, including Fox, as potential drug traffickers. Tasked with leading the Narcotics Suppression Unit, Andre embarks on a year-long mission to surveil the yacht, which he believes is a central node in an international cocaine smuggling operation.

Andre Goncalves:
"He'll spend almost a year organizing covert surveillance, months more investigating…" 03:43

The initial search focuses on the Bay of Aratu, a sprawling area with numerous hidden anchors, making the yacht's discovery challenging. Persistence pays off when the police finally spot the yacht, aided by its two towering masts, and initiate unmarked boat surveillance.

George Saul (Fox):
"We kept watch all night…"* 05:02

Despite extensive monitoring, the yacht remains stationary, undergoing significant renovations that raise further suspicions.

---

Covert Operations and Rising Suspicion

As the Rich Harvest undergoes clandestine modifications, Andre faces a catch-22: without concrete evidence, he risks alerting the suspects by initiating a search prematurely. To navigate this dilemma, his team employs covert action, blending in as potential buyers to gather intelligence without revealing their true intentions.

George Saul (Fox):
"We call covert action." 06:13

However, the operation takes an unexpected turn when Fox and a colleague abruptly leave Brazil, leaving behind Robert Delbos—another British crew member—to oversee the ongoing renovations. Andre's surveillance intensifies, noting Fox's unusual behavior upon his return, which only deepens the mystery.

---

Breakthrough and Fox's Elusiveness

After ten months, a breakthrough occurs when cocaine is seized in Cape Verde from the Rich Harvest, confirming Andre's suspicions of the yacht's illicit activities. This pivotal evidence shifts the investigation from mere suspicion to actionable crime, allowing Andre to formally pursue Fox.

George Saul (Fox):
"When I formalized the investigation, the objective was to attribute responsibility for the drugs." 12:00

Despite securing an arrest warrant, Fox manages to evade capture during his time in Italy, primarily due to bureaucratic delays in the extradition process. This setback leaves Andre frustrated and the case unresolved.

George Saul (Fox):
"Frustrated. I was frustrated because the job of the police is to bring people to face justice." 24:26

---

The Crew's Ordeal: Imprisonment and Appeals

While Fox slips through the cracks, his crew—Rodrigo and Daniel—face severe consequences. Arrested in Cape Verde, they are convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Their journey through the legal system reveals significant flaws, as their initial trial is overturned on technicalities, only to be sent back to the same judge, undermining their hope for justice.

Rodrigo:
"It took us all these months for three judges to say, let's do it again." 27:35

After enduring prolonged incarceration without conviction, both sailors are eventually released due to procedural delays, allowing them to return to Brazil. However, their ordeal leaves lasting emotional scars and a lingering sense of injustice.

Daniel:
"After I came out, I just thought, if the justice system is incapable of dealing with it, then God will." 31:38

---

Ongoing Investigation and Unresolved Questions

Andre Goncalves remains steadfast in his pursuit of Fox, despite the latter's continued evasion. The episode highlights the challenges of international law enforcement collaboration and the limitations faced by police when dealing with high-profile criminals who operate across borders.

Andre Goncalves:
"We have to find Fox and we might have found someone who can help." 33:22

The investigation concludes without Fox's apprehension, leaving both Andre and the affected crew grappling with unfinished business and a pervasive sense of unresolved injustice.

---

Key Takeaways and Reflections

Episode 4 of "Finding Mr Fox" captures the relentless pursuit of justice by Brazilian authorities against a sophisticated drug smuggling operation. It underscores the complexities of international crime, the personal toll on those wrongly implicated, and the persistent frustration when key suspects remain at large.

George Saul (Fox):
"18 months of misery." 33:57

The narrative poignantly illustrates the human impact of such crimes, not only on the investigators but also on innocent individuals caught in the crossfire of deceit and corruption.

---

Conclusion: A Case Still Open

As the season progresses, "Finding Mr Fox" leaves listeners anticipating the next developments in this high-stakes investigation. With Fox still at large and the crew's cases hanging by a thread, the quest for truth and accountability continues, promising further revelations and intense storytelling in upcoming episodes.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Penny (Miranda's Mother):
  "Nobody joins a cult. You just get sucked in." 00:05

• George Saul (Fox):
  "Now you want to get mixed up." 21:22

• Daniel:
  "Sorry, but I think it's true. So I don't want to meet him." 32:16

---

Produced by:
Colin Freeman, Andre Goncalves, Yemisi Adegoke
Executive Producer: Joe Kent
Sound Design: Nigel Appleton
Voice Actors: Ben Hur Santos (Andre), Edison Alcaja (Rodrigo), Antonio Fernandez (Daniel)

---

Next Episode:
Stay tuned for the next installment of "Finding Mr Fox," where Andre Goncalves continues his unwavering commitment to bringing the elusive Fox to justice.

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.

[Colin Freeman]

Even if all four engines quit, it 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.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest. Life comes at you fast, which is why it's important to find some time to relax a little. You time Enter Chumba Casino. With no download required, you can jump on anytime, anywhere for the chance to redeem some serious prizes. So treat yourself with Chumba Casino and play over 100 online casino style games, all for free. Go to Chumbacasino.com to collect your free welcome bonus. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW Group Void where prohibited by law 18 terms and conditions apply.

[Andre Goncalves]

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. I'm in Bahia, northeast Brazil, on a boat with someone who's taken a keen interest in Fox. Andre Goncalves is going to show me where he first saw Fox's yacht, the Rich Harvest. But there's a problem. As we approach the spot where it spent the best part of a year, we find another boat anchored offshore. In the fading sunlight, music blaring out. Not great for recording an interview. Despite our frantic hand gestures, the crew seem not to notice us. But Andre says he's got this. After a piercing whistle to get their attention, he turns around so his broad shoulders face the noisy boat. It takes him a second to realize across the back of his beige polo shirt are two words Federal Police. The music stops.

[Colin Freeman]

In 2016, the year before Daniel and Rodrigo first set foot on the Rich Harvest, Andre gets a tip off. He's told that a suspicious yacht is believed to be on its way from Europe to Brazil.

[George Saul (Fox)]

We received information from a British intelligence agency about the crew of this boat. They were suspected of coming here with the objective of loading the boat with drugs, specifically cocaine, and then taking the boat back across Atlantic, probably to Europe.

[Colin Freeman]

The tip off comes from the National Crime Agency, which is a bit like Britain's version of the FBI. Andre says it names the boat the Rich Harvest and three crew members, including a man called George Saul.

[George Saul (Fox)]

George. So who's known as Fox. That's what he calls himself.

[Colin Freeman]

As head of the Narcotics Suppression Unit, Andre's tasked with overseeing Brazil's response to the tip off.

[Andre Goncalves]

He'll spend almost a year organizing covert surveillance, months more investigating, and eventually he'll figure out how he thinks the drugs ended up on the yacht. But first he has to find it. The search focuses on one location, the Bay of Aratu. But it's a vast area peppered with small islands, little inlets. There are lots of discreet places to drop anchorage.

[George Saul (Fox)]

So it's the perfect place, a hidden place, a good place to mount an illicit international drug smuggling operation. Finding the yacht was made more difficult because it didn't have a flag or its boat number or name on it. He'd probably enter Brazil with all these things because they are obligatory, but they must have been taken off.

[Colin Freeman]

It takes time. But after combing the area, police do eventually find the 70 foot long yacht, helped by its two distinctive towering masts. The police use unmarked boats to monitor it from the water, while Andre's agents do the same from the land. They're ready to pounce.

[George Saul (Fox)]

In the first few days, we kept watch all night. The drugs could have been anywhere in the bay. They could have been on a fishing boat, they could have been on land, they could be on one of the boats docked here. So this first few days of surveillance, we had multiple teams taking turns to monitor the crew, take photos to figure it out what was going on. It was really intense.

[Andre Goncalves]

But Andre and his team quickly discover that the boat isn't going anywhere. Instead, the Rich Harvest starts to undergo a series of complex renovations.

[Colin Freeman]

Police resources are becoming strained, and at this point, there's no evidence that any crime has been committed. They only have the tip off from the NCA in Britain.

[Andre Goncalves]

It's a catch 22. They're unlikely to uncover a crime without a search or a formal investigation. But a search at the wrong time risks revealing the boat is under surveillance. Andre's team decides to get creative, what.

[George Saul (Fox)]

We call covert action.

[Andre Goncalves]

Covert action.

[George Saul (Fox)]

Police went to the marina without identifying themselves several times. And they started talking to people, including the mechanic, to find out if the boat was staying or leaving.

[Colin Freeman]

The undercover agents even pretend to be interested in buying the Rich Harvest, all the while gathering intelligence on the state of the renovations. They want to know when it will be ready to leave. They're also gathering intel on its crew and on its British owner, Fox.

[Andre Goncalves]

But shortly after the Rich Harvest arrives in Brazil, Fox and a colleague fly out of the Country. They leave behind their third crewmate to oversee the renovations.

[Colin Freeman]

He's another Brit called Robert Delbos.

[George Saul (Fox)]

He was hierarchically subordinate to Fox. Fox called the shots. He was in charge. Everything revolved around him.

[Colin Freeman]

For months, police watch as work continues on the boat.

[Andre Goncalves]

Then, all of a sudden, Fox is back. Joined by a couple of new crewmates. He and the Rich Harvest are on the move.

[George Saul (Fox)]

We had a situation where the boat left, and instead of going north, he went south. If you have drugs on board, you wouldn't go south, you'd go north. Either you stop at another Brazilian port or you sail straight into the Atlantic and leave. But he went south, and it didn't make sense. What he's going to do in the south, we don't know.

[Andre Goncalves]

Andre needs to figure out what Fox is up to, but his jurisdiction is limited to his own state, Bahia. So as the Rich Harvest sails down the coast, he and his team have to sit and wait.

[Colin Freeman]

When Fox does reappear around a month later, Andre senses that something's different.

[George Saul (Fox)]

He personally came back to supervise. In fact, he did some of the renovation himself. It started to set off alarm bells, but it wasn't a formal investigation, so we didn't have wiretaps, we didn't have anything like that. So the question remained, what now? Are the drugs on the boat or not? We didn't see the guy putting the drugs on the boat.

[Colin Freeman]

Andre has his suspicions, but it's not enough to act.

[Andre Goncalves]

Then, eventually, after around 10 months of surveillance, two new sailors arrive. It's Rodrigo and Daniel, ready to set sail.

[Colin Freeman]

The Rich Harvests transatlantic crossing will begin. From a city a few days sail up the coast in Natal, Brazil's most northeasterly point, we were like, should we.

[George Saul (Fox)]

Board the boat or not?

[Colin Freeman]

Not yet certain that the drugs are on board, police decide it's still too soon to raid the yacht.

[George Saul (Fox)]

Until the very last minute, we had this dilemma. Go, don't go.

[Andre Goncalves]

The only way to improve the odds of finding any drugs, wait until the very last moment, right before the boat leaves Brazil. So Andre and his team walk one last time as the Rich Harvest sails away, this time heading north.

[George Saul (Fox)]

We crossed our fingers and said, let's wait and see what happens.

[Colin Freeman]

As we heard at the very beginning of this podcast, the boat is eventually raided in Natal by armed police and their sniffer dog. That was when Daniel was watching and Rodrigo was standing by and filming. But they didn't find any drugs.

[Andre Goncalves]

With no other option, the Rich Harvest is cleared to cross the Atlantic.

[George Saul (Fox)]

Then when I received the news that the drugs have been seized in Cape Verde. That shook me and left me confused. And then I really started trying to feed the pieces together. I said, how am I going to hold Fox to account?

[Andre Goncalves]

This is World of Secrets Season 5, Finding Mr. Fox. A BBC World Service investigation. With me, Yemisi Aregoke and me, Colin Freeman.

[Colin Freeman]

Episode 4 A Detective Calls.

[Andre Goncalves]

When police in Cape Verde find more than a ton of cocaine on board the rich harvest in August 2017, it's headline news. One of the island's biggest ever drug busts.

[Colin Freeman]

And when that news filters back to Brazil, it's clear everything has changed for Andre. No longer is he stuck in a catch 22. He now has his evidence that the crime has been committed.

[Andre Goncalves]

No more covert photos, no more endless surveillance. He can finally act.

[George Saul (Fox)]

When I formalized the investigation, the objective was to attribute responsibility for the drugs. It was time for me to put my hand in the fire.

[Andre Goncalves]

Andre tells me his starting point is that everyone is a suspect, including Rodrigo and Daniel.

[George Saul (Fox)]

From our surveillance, the sailors, they just appeared out of nowhere. We had no idea who they were, so we were left with a question mark, right, did they bring the drugs? Are they part of the group that supplied the drugs? Are they drug mules? This idea that they had nothing to do with it, it didn't really occur to us. On other occasions, when we arrested people on sailing boats, the entire crew was compromised. So at that moment, I thought, right, I'm going to have to find out who these guys are.

[Colin Freeman]

We've seen Brazilian police files made during the investigation, and they're full of information about Rodrigo and Daniel. Copies of their ID cards, pictures of them with Fox.

[Andre Goncalves]

There's Rodrigo's cv, his professional references, his yachting qualifications. I can even see the messages that Rodrigo exchanged with the company that first advertised a chance to work for Fox.

[George Saul (Fox)]

During the investigation, I got to know Dan really well. I had to go digging through all the cruise lines through. Through the information systems. I went over them with, like a fine tooth comb.

[Colin Freeman]

Andre is searching for some previous connection to Fox, anything that ties them directly to the drugs.

[George Saul (Fox)]

It became clear that they were hired at the last moment. The deeper I went, I still couldn't find a connection. But at the same time, it strengthened the evidence we had against Fox. Fox.

[Colin Freeman]

The police files make for interesting reading about Fox. They reveal he paid the equivalent of about $130,000 for the rich harvest in 2015.

[Andre Goncalves]

Copies of his passport show that he was born in Norwich, a city in the east of England. There are also receipts which show he was wiring money From Norwich to Brazil to pay for the yacht renovations.

[Colin Freeman]

But that was all long before Daniel and Rodrigo even arrived on the scene. Next on Andre's list of possible suspects, he sends his agents to question staff at the marina who worked on the rich harvest as it underwent months of renovations.

[George Saul (Fox)]

But we ruled them out, just like we ruled out the crew.

[Andre Goncalves]

The police obtain contracts which reveal the scale of the work. Fixing leaks on deck, Installing solar panels, and updating the interior.

[Colin Freeman]

Nothing unusual here, But Andre is most interested in the tanks. Staff at the marina were asked to fit removable water tanks under two of the yacht's beds on opposite sides of the boat. They would be installed above old fuel tanks, which also needed to be cleaned and repaired.

[Andre Goncalves]

Again, this isn't unusual. Boats that might be in the middle of the ocean for weeks on end need plenty of fuel and fresh water. It's only what happens next that makes the work seem suspicious, because it's inside.

[Colin Freeman]

These fuel tanks that the drugs would later be found In Cape Verde.

[Andre Goncalves]

Andre feels certain that the drugs must have been loaded onto the rich harvest when it had sailed south to a city further down the Brazilian coast, the point at which Andre and his team couldn't follow. But as we've heard, when Fox returned from his trip down south, Andre says he'd noticed a change in Fox's behavior.

[Colin Freeman]

It was enough to sound an alarm in his head, but since the whole operation was covert, he had no way of finding out what was really going on.

[George Saul (Fox)]

When we actually interviewed employees at the marina, it became crystal clear he really had changed completely. Fox practically never left the boat again after he took the reins. He restricted access to the boat. He started doing the work himself, Making several changes, Mainly to the inside of the vessel. There are a lot of details in the statements given by the marina employees.

[Andre Goncalves]

We've not spoken to the employees ourselves or to the mechanic who worked on the rich harvest, but we've seen copies of their police statements. Two of them tell police that when they'd arrive at work in the morning, they'd see tools and pieces of plywood left out, Suggesting someone had been working on the boat at night.

[Colin Freeman]

One of them adds that before Fox left for his trip south, he'd ordered up materials that could be used for further renovations of the boat and then ordered more when he got back.

[Andre Goncalves]

And another staff member says Fox put up tarpaulin and started to work on the inside of the boat himself, including the tanks under the floor. He says Fox told him he'd use them for storage rather than fuel.

[Colin Freeman]

Remember, these were the tanks where police and Cape Verde found the hidden drugs.

[Andre Goncalves]

And they were really well hidden. Sealed inside fuel tanks, beneath false floors, under tanks filled with water and covered by beds in two of the cabins. Andre thinks it's understandable that his colleagues in Natal failed to find the drugs.

[George Saul (Fox)]

So you need to understand the limitations that a police officer has when he's conducting a search. I wasn't there. I'm just speaking from my own experience, right, Because I have done searches several times where there were drugs. But we didn't have the sufficient degree of certainty to mess with the structure, to break the car, to destroy it, to find something that you not sure that is there. So that's how it is. Who will be held responsible for that?

[Andre Goncalves]

Do you know where the drugs on the Rich Harvest came from?

[George Saul (Fox)]

No. But in Brazil today, international drug trafficking is dominated by one cartel, one criminal organization, which is the PCC. We can say that more than 90% of drug exports in Brazil are linked to this group.

[Colin Freeman]

As Andre acknowledges, there are some gaps in the police's understanding of how they think it all worked. But there's only one person who they saw present at key moments in the Rich Harvest story.

[Andre Goncalves]

Fox.

[Colin Freeman]

Andre sums up their case.

[George Saul (Fox)]

All right, look. We had this tip off that made him a suspect. He came to Brazil with the boat. He paid for the renovation. He went to the south, then he isolated himself on the boat. He modified the internal structures of the boat and restricted access. He went into the hold and made changes right in the place where the cocaine was found. Then he took the boat to its last point in Brazil, but did not embark on the Atlantic crossing himself.

[Colin Freeman]

No one saw Fox with any drugs. But the police have enough to convince a judge in Brazil to issue an arrest warrant.

[Andre Goncalves]

The only problem, Fox isn't in Brazil.

[Colin Freeman]

So they secure the help of Interpol, the international policing body. They can send an official request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and apprehend anyone of interest.

[Andre Goncalves]

Try to cross an international border, and if the system works, you'll be arrested.

[Colin Freeman]

The trap is set. All Andre has to do is wait for Fox to walk into it.

[George Saul (Fox)]

When Fox was rested, that was a moment of pure joy.

[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.

[Colin Freeman]

Even if all four engines quit, it 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, step into the world of power, loyalty and luck.

[Andre Goncalves]

I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

With family, cannolis and spins mean everything.

[George Saul (Fox)]

Now you want to get mixed up.

[Andre Goncalves]

In the family business.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

Introducing the [e-mail] test your luck in the shadowy world of the Godfather slots.

[Andre Goncalves]

Someday I will call upon you to.

[George Saul (Fox)]

Do a service for me.

[Yemisi Adegoke]

Plead the Godfather [e-mail] Welcome to the family.

[Andre Goncalves]

No purchase necessary. VGW Group Void where prohibited by law 18/ terms and conditions apply.

[John Morgan]

Recently a new client called me and started by saying, Mr. Morgan, I really need your help, but I'm just a nobody. Those words stunned me, and I immediately called him back. And we're now helping him and his family after a terrible accident. I'm John Morgan of Morgan and Morgan. Everybody who comes to our firm at their time of need is a somebody. I grew up poor, but my grandmother was like a queen to us. At Morgan and Morgan, our goal is to level the playing field for you and your family at your time of need. The insurance company has unlimited money and resources. You need a firm who can fight them toe to toe for right. At 30 years, we have fought them in courtrooms throughout America. Our results speak for themselves. And always remember this, everybody is a somebody, and nobody is a nobody. Visit forthepeople.com to learn about our firm, Morgan and Morgan. For the people injured, visit forthepeople.com for an office near you.

[Colin Freeman]

In August 2018, about a year after the drugs were found on his yacht, Fox is apprehended in Italy and taken to jail.

[George Saul (Fox)]

I remember he was during the World cup, and I think I was watching a game when I received the news. There was the moment when I was really satisfied. A feeling of duty accomplished.

[Andre Goncalves]

Inspector Andre Goncalves has got what he wants. Fox is about to be returned to Brazil to be questioned.

[George Saul (Fox)]

I even thought about going to Italy to take his statement there myself. But for various bureaucratic reasons, it didn't work out.

[Colin Freeman]

Andre is putting it politely. Brazil files a request to have Fox.

[Andre Goncalves]

Extradited, but there's a problem. Apparently the paperwork arrives too late. Authorities in Italy have to let him go.

[Colin Freeman]

Despite all of Andre's hard work, his months of COVID surveillance, his painstaking investigation.

[Andre Goncalves]

Just like that, Fox is released.

[George Saul (Fox)]

I knew it before it happened. The people at Interpol told me he was going to be set free. I said, what do you mean? Is there nothing we can do? No, he's going to be released today. And there was nothing we could do.

[Andre Goncalves]

How did it feel to get so close and then he was freed without having to respond to anything?

[George Saul (Fox)]

Frustrated. I was frustrated because the job of the police is to bring people to face justice. So we are left with that feeling that that was it, it was unfinished. I kept thinking about that and no, but it was very, very frustrating. He was no longer in my hands.

[Andre Goncalves]

At this point. Did you think of the crew who were imprisoned in Cape Verde?

[George Saul (Fox)]

I thought a lot about their situation. Not necessarily because they were Brazilian. Because our job isn't simply to arrest people. It's to bring the truth to light. And if the truth absolves someone, how are you going to deal with the fact that the person is in jail? Not just in jail, but already sentenced to 10 years.

[Andre Goncalves]

Brazilian authorities have had better luck with Robert Delbos, Fox's British crewmate, who sailed into Brazil on the Rich Harvest and oversaw the first stage of its renovations.

[Colin Freeman]

He's arrested in Spain, brought to Brazil and put in jail.

[George Saul (Fox)]

He said he didn't know about the drugs and he only found out about them later. His testimony was really interesting. It clarified a lot of things for us, corroborated several lines that we've been investigating. That Fox really was the one who was the center of the whole thing. That the crew, they know about the existence of the drugs.

[Andre Goncalves]

For Andre, it's the final piece of the puzzle. At least in terms of Daniel and Rodrigo.

[Colin Freeman]

He's left in no doubt they are innocent.

[Andre Goncalves]

But nearly 2,000 miles away in Cape Verde, that seismic shock doesn't even register.

[Colin Freeman]

The crew of the Rich Harvest are still sitting in their prison cells, their 10 year sentences stretching out before them.

[Andre Goncalves]

But there's been a development here too. Their case has been reviewed. Three appeal court judges have analyzed the original ruling and decided that the first trial did not give the sailors the right to present a full and proper defense.

[Colin Freeman]

More than that, they say the original judge failed to call the sailors witnesses.

[Andre Goncalves]

In short, it was not a fair trial.

[Colin Freeman]

The sailors dare to dream. Is this it? Will we be set free?

[Andre Goncalves]

For the imprisoned men, it's a fleeting moment of immense hope. But it would be painfully short lived.

[Colin Freeman]

After their sentences are overturned, the sailor's case is sent back to be reconsidered.

[Andre Goncalves]

But if they'd hoped for a different outcome, things aren't looking good.

[Rodrigo]

It took us all these months for three judges to say, let's do it again. Return to the same judge who sentenced us to 10 years. Get that same Judge to redo the trial.

[Colin Freeman]

It's a crushing blow.

[Andre Goncalves]

The previous guilty verdict had only been overturned on a technicality.

[Colin Freeman]

Now their case is being sent back to the very same judge who sentenced them in the first place.

[Rodrigo]

I didn't have any hope that this judge would change his opinion because our witnesses already submitted statements. Hearing the witnesses wasn't going to make any difference to the story. But, okay, let's go back to court.

[Andre Goncalves]

But there is a silver lining. As Rodrigo waits to have his second trial, he reaches the maximum length of time someone can be held on remand in Cape Verde. Basically, now that his first sentence has been overturned, he spent too long behind bars without being convicted of a crime.

[Colin Freeman]

So he should be released.

[Rodrigo]

The good news about all this is that we knew that they were going to let us out of prison to wait for a retrial.

[Colin Freeman]

It's the same story for Daniel. He's been locked up for even longer.

[Andre Goncalves]

In the 18 or so months he's been on the islands, Daniel has never slept anywhere other than in a cell.

[Daniel]

I remember just waiting, counting the days. Then one afternoon after lunch, they came and opened the cell door and said, go take a shower. The judge wants to see you. I already knew what was going to happen. I took my bucket, went to the bathroom. Rodrigue was on the other side taking a shower, and we celebrated. Then we went to see the judge. I exchanged a few words with him and agreed with what he said. I had a lot to say, but I kept it to myself. I signed what I had to sign and then left.

[Colin Freeman]

Back at the prison, the sailors collect their belongings, handing most of them out to other inmates.

[Andre Goncalves]

Then they walk out of the gates.

[Rodrigo]

How am I going to explain this? It was the day we'd all been waiting for. I felt like I was being born again because I left there a completely different person from when I arrived. I remember my father standing at the prison gate, holding his cell phone with a video call to my mother, because my mother wanted to see this moment, but she was in Brazil. And then I finally got to hug my father outside. We were always hugging each other during visits, but the hug on the way out was very.

[Colin Freeman]

After a year and a half in prison, Daniel is finally free. He makes a video call to his parents back home in Brazil, then goes to the apartment they've organized for him, where he waits for the next court date.

[Daniel]

Then I think it was two or three days later. We were told, you can come and get your passports. I'm a surfer. I wanted to catch some waves. I Wanted my board back.

[Andre Goncalves]

Rodrigo can't wait to leave.

[Rodrigo]

We bought the first flights we could.

[Colin Freeman]

Out of there, though they aren't sure why. The sailors are told that they're allowed to leave the country and wait for the new trial date back home with their families.

[Rodrigo]

A few days later, the public Prosecutor's office tried to appeal, asking for us to be arrested again. But it was too late. We were already in Brazil.

[Andre Goncalves]

There they have to report to their local police stations.

[Rodrigo]

Even though we were free and could return to Brazil, which was great, I still had that feeling that nothing was over yet and that the process is still ongoing.

[Colin Freeman]

Meanwhile, Fox is still free, and although.

[Andre Goncalves]

The authorities don't know where he is, he casts a long shadow over the sailors.

[Daniel]

When I was in prison, I thought it should be him in this place and not me. After I came out, I just thought, if the justice system is incapable of dealing with it, then God will. I can't do anything but trust God.

[Andre Goncalves]

If you had the chance, what would you say to Fox?

[Daniel]

My hand will do the talking.

[Andre Goncalves]

Daniel is so affable. He can't help but smile after saying it. But you can see how deeply he feels the betrayal. He lifts his fist in the air but lets it fall.

[Daniel]

Sorry, but I think it's true. So I don't want to meet him. I don't want to, because if I meet him, it won't be me who's going to talk. It will be another Daniel. All the bad feelings I had in jail will come up and I won't be able to be a civilized person. So I don't even want to talk to him.

[Colin Freeman]

Do you know where Fox is?

[Daniel]

No, I have no idea. But I would really like to see some justice done.

[Andre Goncalves]

It's a question we also ask his fellow sailor. Rodrigo.

[Rodrigo]

No, I have no idea.

[Colin Freeman]

And Andre, the counter narcotics police chief?

[George Saul (Fox)]

I have no idea. The investigation is now closed. 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. So if he's ever located, he still needs to answer to Brazilian justice.

[Andre Goncalves]

We have to find Fox and we might have found someone who can help.

[Colin Freeman]

Hello? Can you hear us? Say yes if you can hear us.

[George Saul (Fox)]

I can hear you very well indeed.

[Andre Goncalves]

Colin Robert Delbos, the British man who oversaw some of the boat's renovations in Brazil.

[Colin Freeman]

And what are you going to say to him when you find him, or if you find him? That he owes me a bit of money. How much does he owe you?

[George Saul (Fox)]

18 months of misery.

[Colin Freeman]

That's next time on World of Secrets. This has been episode four of six of Finding Mr. Fox, season five of World of Secrets from the BBC World Service.

[Andre Goncalves]

We'd love our investigation to reach as many of you as possible. So please leave a rating and a review and do tell others about World of Secrets. It really helps.

[Colin Freeman]

I'm Colin Freeman.

[Andre Goncalves]

And I'm Yemisi Adegoke. The producer is Charlotte Macdonald, the executive producer is Joe Kent, the series editor.

[Colin Freeman]

Is Matt Willis, the production coordinator is Gemma Ashman and the sound design and mix are by Nigel Appleton.

[Andre Goncalves]

Additional production is by Iam Leroy, Christine Kist, Nick Norman Butler and Kiara Francavilla. Andre, voiced by Ben Hur Santos Rodrigo.

[Colin Freeman]

By Edison Alcaja, Daniel by Antonio Fernandez. At the World Service, Cat Collins is the senior producer and John Manel 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.

[Colin Freeman]

Even if all four engines quit, it 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.