Adventures in the Ransom Trade
11th March 2013
The huge number of multinational businessmen being abducted abroad (hundreds a year at ransoms reaching $30 million) has made organized kidnapping a big business. It has also spawned a counter industry — getting them back — and a secret drama involving former spies and revolutionaries. AK-47’s and armored cars, helicopter drops and hideaways in the Andes.
March 11th, 2013 at 10:45
Back in the ’80’s I worked for an energy company that did some business in Columbia. They sent a guy (low-level in the company) down there for some period and he decided to take his family with him. The bad guys figured that only an exec could afford to bring his family, so they kidnapped him. The family had no money and the company wasn’t willing to spend much on a peon, so he was held for about a year before a deal was reached.
During a discussion with one of the managers (who was trying to recruit me to do some work there), we talked a bit about security. He had 2 guys assigned as body guards. One day when they were out in the back area of the country, a military convoy drove past. Both of the guards turned pale. When asked, they pointed out to the company guy that the “rebels” could be bribed, but the government troops might shoot you just to sight in their rifles. Needless to say, I wasn’t convinced to take the assignment.