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SNOWING IN BALI

Putting himself into secret agent mode one day, he was meeting a big Indonesian buyer who wanted 4.5 kilos. Alberto felt comfortable with him because he was rich. If he got a problem, he could buy his way out instead of snitching. It was the little Indonesian players who were dangerous, as he’d find out later. This day, the buyer wanted to meet him on the beach. Alberto didn’t like the idea; hotels were his playground.

I was going to sell 4.5 kilos of coke and he wants to do it on the beach.

I told him, ‘I really don’t want to do it on the beach, the beach is wide

open.’ And he says, ‘Nah, I want to do it on the beach; it’s the best way.

I want to meet you today, I want to show you the spot.’

Alberto drove his hire car to the prearranged meeting spot on the side of a road in Seminyak, spotted the man’s car ahead and phoned, ‘I’m in the car behind you, a blue Daihatsu Feroza.’

‘Okay, follow me.’ Alberto trailed him to the beach area, Canggu, by chance near Rafael’s house. The buyer turned down a narrow lane, stopped the car and phoned. ‘You see this spot right here?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Okay, this is where we are going to do it tomorrow.’

‘Okay, no problem.’

Alberto drove home, parked the car, then walked up to the rental company and hired a second car with tinted windows. He parked it in a random underground supermarket car park. This was a ruse he often used, to lose and confuse police if they were tailing him on the day of the deal. He’d vanish into the car park in one car, switch cars and clothes, then drive out. He’d be long gone as they sat there waiting for him to exit.

At 2 pm the next day, three hours before the appointment,