13231: Durban on Mamo Racine's Embargo-busting Profiteers (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>


In her recent Corbett offering Kathy Grey observes:

   The reactionary upper class don't (sic) care about
   "stability", they make more money in contraband gas
   during embargos than they make in legitmate business
   during times of peace and relative normalcy.

There certainly WERE people making money on contraband gas
during the embargo, but probably not many members of the
"reactionary upper class".

One group that did quite well thank you were peasant families
living all along the border area.  One of our 'contacts' in
Anse-a-Pitre, a little guy for sure, made a small fortune
collecting gallons and pails of diesel fuel from a number of
families on that 20 mile stretch of border north of this
southern seaport.  Haitian families were sending their kids
across the border to fill up the odd jerry can at a Dominican
gas station.  Our friend collected fuel much like U.S. dairies
used to collect milk from rural American farms... house by
house!  Then he dragged his 10+ drums of diesel in a disguised
"fishing boat" from Anse-a-Pitre to Jacmel... watching out for
those super-fast U.S. Coast Guard boats (which, he said, never
suspected a thing).  Naturally, he was always prepared to
release the line on the 10 drums of diesel dragging along just
under the surface behind his slow-moving craft if ever stopped.
Then came the expensive part of his trip... getting through
numerous military checkpoints between the port of Jacmel and
Port-au-Prince.  No, I never accompanied this Haitian
entrepreneur on this harrowing trip, but his brother-in-law
still works for our company in Haiti, and I am 100% certain of
the story's authenticity.  Little wonder that the retail price
for diesel fuel in Port-au-Prince was pretty high during the
embargo.  The wonder was that it was ALWAYS available.

Regards,
Lance Durban





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