ninety days and the traveler possessed a return ticket. Though Miguel had no intention of using his return portion and later would destroy it, its cost was trifling compared with the risk of another sally through bureaucracy. As to the ninety-day rule, it made no difference to him either way. While he did not expect to stay that long in the U.S. , when he left it would be either secretly or with another identity, the Dudley Martin passport having been discarded America's rule change about visas had delighted Miguel. Once more those convenient open systems were being helpful to his kind! The next morning he flew to New York and, at John F Kennedy Airport, was admitted without hindrance.
After reaching New York, Miguel went immediately to where a sizable Colombian community lived in the borough of Queens and where a safe house had been arranged by a Medellin cartel agent.
"Little Colombia ” in Jackson Heights extended from Sixtyninth to Eighty-ninth streets. A thriving narcotics center, it was one of New York's most dangerous high-crime areas where violence was a hiccup and murder commonplace. Uniformed police officers seldom ventured there alone, and even in pairs did not move around on foot at night . The district's reputation did not bother Miguel at all; in fact, he thought of it as protection while he began his planning, drew on money made secretly available, and assembled the small force he would lead . That force's seven members, including Miguel, had been selected in BogotA . Julio, at this moment on surveillance duty, and Socorro, the only woman in the group, were Colombians who had been 4.sleeping agents ” of Medellin. Several years ago both were sent to the United States , ostensibly as immigrants, their only instructions to establish themselves and wait until such time as their services were needed for drug-related activity or some other criminal purpose. That time had now arrived . Julio was a communications specialist. Socorro, during her waiting period, had trained and qualified as a nursing aide . Socorro had an additional affiliation. Through friends in Peru she had become a sympathizer and part-time U.S. agent for the revolutionary Sendero Luminoso. Among Latin Americans such crossovers between politically motivated and profitmotivated crime were common and now , because of her dual connection, Socorro held a watching role also on Sendero's behalf . Of the remaining four, three others were Colombians, who had been assigned the code names Rafael, Luis and Carlos. Rafael was a mechanic and general handyman. Luis had been chosen for his driving skills; he was expert at eluding pursuit, especially from crime scenes. Carlos was young, quick-witted and had organized the surveillance of the past four weeks. All three spoke English fluently and had been in the U.S. several times before. On this occasion they had come in unknown to each other and using forged passports with false names. Their instructions were to make themselves known to the same Medellin agent who arranged Miguel's safe house, after which they received orders directly from Miguel . The final member of the group was an American, his name for this operation, Baudelio. Miguel mistrusted Baudelio totally, yet this man's knowledge and skills were essential to the mission's chances of success.
Now, in Hackensack at the Colombian group's temporary operating center , thinking about the renegade American, Baudelio, Miguel felt a surge of frustration. It compounded his anger with Julio for the careless lapse into plain language during the telephoned report from outside the Sloane house in Larchmont. Still holding the telephone, disciplining himself to subdue personal feelings, Miguel considered his reply . The surveillance report had referred to a man aged about seventy-five , who arrived at the Sloane house a few minutes earlier with a suitcase he had carried inside-in Julio's careless words, "like he plans to stay .”
Before leaving Bogoti, Miguel had
After reaching New York, Miguel went immediately to where a sizable Colombian community lived in the borough of Queens and where a safe house had been arranged by a Medellin cartel agent.
"Little Colombia ” in Jackson Heights extended from Sixtyninth to Eighty-ninth streets. A thriving narcotics center, it was one of New York's most dangerous high-crime areas where violence was a hiccup and murder commonplace. Uniformed police officers seldom ventured there alone, and even in pairs did not move around on foot at night . The district's reputation did not bother Miguel at all; in fact, he thought of it as protection while he began his planning, drew on money made secretly available, and assembled the small force he would lead . That force's seven members, including Miguel, had been selected in BogotA . Julio, at this moment on surveillance duty, and Socorro, the only woman in the group, were Colombians who had been 4.sleeping agents ” of Medellin. Several years ago both were sent to the United States , ostensibly as immigrants, their only instructions to establish themselves and wait until such time as their services were needed for drug-related activity or some other criminal purpose. That time had now arrived . Julio was a communications specialist. Socorro, during her waiting period, had trained and qualified as a nursing aide . Socorro had an additional affiliation. Through friends in Peru she had become a sympathizer and part-time U.S. agent for the revolutionary Sendero Luminoso. Among Latin Americans such crossovers between politically motivated and profitmotivated crime were common and now , because of her dual connection, Socorro held a watching role also on Sendero's behalf . Of the remaining four, three others were Colombians, who had been assigned the code names Rafael, Luis and Carlos. Rafael was a mechanic and general handyman. Luis had been chosen for his driving skills; he was expert at eluding pursuit, especially from crime scenes. Carlos was young, quick-witted and had organized the surveillance of the past four weeks. All three spoke English fluently and had been in the U.S. several times before. On this occasion they had come in unknown to each other and using forged passports with false names. Their instructions were to make themselves known to the same Medellin agent who arranged Miguel's safe house, after which they received orders directly from Miguel . The final member of the group was an American, his name for this operation, Baudelio. Miguel mistrusted Baudelio totally, yet this man's knowledge and skills were essential to the mission's chances of success.
Now, in Hackensack at the Colombian group's temporary operating center , thinking about the renegade American, Baudelio, Miguel felt a surge of frustration. It compounded his anger with Julio for the careless lapse into plain language during the telephoned report from outside the Sloane house in Larchmont. Still holding the telephone, disciplining himself to subdue personal feelings, Miguel considered his reply . The surveillance report had referred to a man aged about seventy-five , who arrived at the Sloane house a few minutes earlier with a suitcase he had carried inside-in Julio's careless words, "like he plans to stay .”
Before leaving Bogoti, Miguel had
Similar Books
