📸

wife’s homeland. In Bali, it was now a game of stealthy tactics. He was surviving on his instincts, moving carefully, freezing when it felt too hot, waiting, then starting again when the coast was clear, but always discreetly. Sometimes he’d spot shadowy tails behind his bike, or undercover cops lurking outside his house, and would go to ground.

I go quiet, I don’t go out; wake up at 6 am, surf, go home, eat, surf again, sleep early, wake up early, for a couple of months.

– Rafael

Around the time of Marco’s arrest, Rafael had seen more of his friends also busted in Bali. One guy, Ruggiero, a Brazilian surfer, was selling for him and Andre, when Rafael got an urgent call from Chino, ‘Tell your friend Rock he’s going to get busted.’

‘What? Why?’

‘Just tell him – fast.’

Nicknamed Rock ’n’ Roll, Ruggiero was selling small packets of coke, retailing Rafael’s wholesale stuff at top prices to rich expats and keeping a boutique stash in a cheap hotel room. He was small-time, a middleman, but his drug sales subsidised his endless surfing and playboy lifestyle. With few people now risking selling small stuff, the dark-haired fast-talking Latino had picked up the ball. He had many customers, including some of Alberto’s, and was busy selling, surfing, snorting, as well as trying to get into a legitimate business of renting and selling luxury villas.

It was a well known fact these guys were falling like dominoes, so when the other guy [Alberto] got busted, that’s when Ruggiero picked up the ball. There is only one fool at the time brave enough to do this,

📸