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Damian Garcia: PHD Drug Smuggler ~ Book 1 ~
~ Opium ~ Hashish ~ Money Laundering ~
By Chris Mosquera Balboa Press
Copyright © 2016 Chris Mosquera
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5043-4804-1
CHAPTER 1
Damian Garcia and the O/H Family
When we first met Damian Garcia, he was a street-wise man from New York City, both in spirit and attitude. Damian wore his hair long with sideburns and a mustache. He always carried a pocket watch like the railroad conductors favored, wore wire-rimmed glasses, and his clothing was mostly jeans or dark pants, a shirt, and a sports coat. His body was built lean and hungry, and he walked briskly like a man on a mission.
Damian's draft number was 69, which meant he was front line Vietnam War fodder. Damian was a peace-loving vegetarian, and dropping napalm bombs on innocent people in a foreign land that just happened to produce the finest marijuana was not on his agenda.
Passport ready, Damian Garcia was ready to move to Vancouver, Canada, for the rest of his life, if the alternative was going to war. Graduate school was the only deferment available, and given the circumstances, it was an excellent career choice.
Damian was a fast learner and survived by instincts. Hard experience taught him to read the streets and be alert for signs of trouble. He could sense by the hairs on the back of his neck if he was being cased for a hit.
Once when Damian was walking home alone in the dark, four punks, two on each side, blocked his path. Damian kept his eyeglass case on a clip on the left side of his belt, partially hidden under his sports coat. As the punks approached, Damian casually reached his right hand across his belt, towards the left side, and put his hand on the eyeglass case.
Damian observed one punk on his right side had a six-inch, double-sided switchblade knife in his right hand. one blade had a serrated edge, and the other blade was sharp as a razor.
The punk on Damian's left side was holding a .38-caliber revolver police special in his left hand, blued in color so it would not reflect light. This was the issued weapon that detectives and patrol officers for the New York City Police Department carried.
Damian thought to himself, Why is this south paw, left-handed punk carrying a NYPD gun? Is he a cop killer?
Damian processed this information in a microsecond, and he acted.
As Damian passed by the four punks, two who were visibly armed, he tipped his hat with his left hand, while resting his right hand across his belt on the left side.
Damian said in a tone of authority, "Good evening, gentlemen."
He borrowed this demeanor from a popular television police show. Obviously, the four punks were not smart enough to separate fact from fiction.
The punks stopped, thought about it for a second or two, and allowed Damian to pass. Damian kept his normal pace and slightly nodded to the four punks. He had a look on his face that said, You do not want to piss me off tonight, punk!
The left-handed dude could have shot Damian in the back as he passed the punks. The right-handed switchblade punk could have stabbed Damian in the chest or back of the neck.
Damian was lucky this time.
The lessons learned were that the outside world sees only what you show them. Damian showed the four punks that he was either a wise guy or an undercover cop, and it was in their best interests to leave him alone.
With training, Damian reasoned, you could become anybody you wish the world to see you as. Your inner soul may stay the same, but you can determine your own external image. Public image can translate to strong passive security, in that who would suspect a graduate student of being an international drug importer and money launderer?
By flying below the radar, one avoids observation.
That was powerful information, and the basis for survival and success, which Damian later incorporated into the business plans and operational procedures for O/H Incorporated. This was required learning for all O/H investor-franchisees and their distributors.
He lived his life in the shadows and always below the radar.
It was safer that way.
George Carlin Dog met Damian Ogden Garcia one cold morning in January 1972, when Damian was on a breakfast mission, and late to class as usual. Damian stopped to watch a very personable and friendly-looking dog, of many uncertain breeds, peeing on the yellow line in the middle of a major New York City street. Taxis and busses were passing by, and this dog was quietly doing his thing, oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the world whizzing around him.
They made eye contact. The dog slowly strolled over to Damian with his tail wagging and a happy smile on his face. Damian and Mr. Dog sat on the front steps of the apartment building he was sharing with other graduate students. Damian started petting and talking to Mr. Dog, and he responded with licks and a happy tail. They spent the next hour communicating on the steps as the human race went by.
Damian looked at the railroad conductor pocket watch he always had with him, and realized he missed that class.
Life does have its priorities, and meeting a new canine friend took precedence over a boring lecture. I will get the notes from some chick in class anyway, Damian reasoned in his head.
Damian brought Mr. Dog upstairs, gave him a warm, sudsy shampoo bath, and dried him off with a bath towel.
Damian exclaimed, "Mr. Dog, you look so much cleaner and you smell better too. Let me give you a good brushing, my canine friend."
Mr. Dog enjoyed the affection and attention as much as Damian was enjoying his new friend. That was the start of a beautiful relationship. They became inseparable soul mates.
Damian made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one for Mr. Dog and one for himself, and placed a bowl of fresh water on the floor. They munched their meals happily, communicating in silence.
Apartment 3A's door opened, and the graduate student housemates walked in. They had been doing laundry and food shopping. In this neighborhood, it was safer to shop as a group than individually. The concept of safety in numbers was well understood in the animal kingdom, and they were living in the human version of the animal kingdom.
When everyone sat down, Damian said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present my new friend and our new housemate, Mr. Dog."
Vash, Roger, Howard, and Marguerite all bent down and took turns introducing themselves.
Marguerite said to Damian, "I like our new housemate. I am a dog woman, and he has a big personality. We could use a dog for security. this is not a safe neighborhood, especially for a woman, you know."
Howard added, "I will second that."
"Likewise," Roger nodded in agreement.
So it was decided that Mr. Dog would be Director of Security and provide escort services whenever someone left the apartment alone.
Mr. Dog bonded with Damian and the housemates, as the group was bonding with each other. The addition of a cool dog for friendship and security was a positive influence.
A few evenings passed and the group was sitting in the living room, smoking hashish, drinking wine, and watching TV. George Carlin, the comedian, was doing his politically incorrect comedy routines.
"That is a perfect name," Damian announced to everyone, exhaling hashish smoke during a commercial. He declared, "Mr. George Carlin Dog will be your name!"
Roger added, "I like that name."
The group agreed.
George responded with a tilt of his head, as if to say, I like that name also. This may turn out to be a nice place to live.
Damian said to George, "Welcome to the family, George Carlin Dog. Your adventures, my friend, have just begun."
As Director of Security, George was in charge of all things human. He proved to be a brilliant studying partner for the small circle of overstressed brains, reminding them when it was time to take a break from studying, and a walk in the park was required.
George would say, Grey matter requires rest to rejuvenate; otherwise it collapses into useless mush. Therefore, humans, I require a long walk in the park. In other words, get off your sorry asses and open the damn door, please and thank you.
The humans obeyed his command, because George knew best.
George had no clue what a leash was. He never wore one, and he never needed one. George responded purely to quiet voice and subtle hand commands. He would wait at intersections, following Damian very closely, hugging one leg, as they crossed the street together.
George would sit quietly in front of a bodega or ethnic grocery store while Damian shopped for groceries. When Damian walked out of the store, George would follow closely. George would agree to casual petting and attention from strangers, but he would not allow anyone to get too close.
George Carlin Dog was as human as a dog could be, and Damian considered the concept of "dog food" disrespectful. When the humans ate, George always enjoyed the human meals. The group was mostly vegetarian, by economics, choice, or culture, and George by default was a veggie. If given the opportunity, he would gladly chew on a steak bone.
Damian Garcia, Lori Wilson, Vash Gupta, Roger Rajiv, Marguerite Nguyen, and Howard Pavel, all between 27 and 30 years old, started as graduate student housemates of Apartment 3A. They were placed together, along with George Carlin Dog, by fate, providence, or pure luck — either bad luck or good luck, depending on your perspective.
Over time, they grew to become a lifelong family and the brain trusts of the international O/H drug trade. The quiet O/H family of highly educated graduate students living in Apartment 3A included diverse, brilliant, analytical, and devious masterminds of the international drug and money-laundering trades. They also believed in the concepts of giving back to the community and helping those in need, and over time, large sums were invested in non-profit humanitarian foundations.
On a blustery Sunday, the group decided they should nestle in for the evening and connect. Schoolwork was up to date, and it was time to relax, bond, and talk. Food was a priority, and the group was very adept at making small quantities of different stuff, merged to become large wonderful meals. A jug of wine was placed on the table to be enjoyed, as was a bong crammed with hashish.
They enjoyed life on a shoestring. The group shared wonderful meals, family, and friendships together, and Vash happily provided the family with excellent opium and hashish for all to enjoy. They were poor, happy, highly educated, and high.
Damian asked Vash, "Vash, my friend, I love the products you always have available. How do you get this stuff? I have been around New York City for a long time, I know people, and I cannot get this stuff."
Vash said, "Funny you should ask, as you Yankees like to say. I will tell you about my family, and then you will understand completely.
"I come from a very large extended family in northern India, where various family members collectively own thousands acres of fertile farmland."
Damian smiled broadly in recognition. "Exactly what are the crops you grow, and how fertile are we talking about?"
Vash smiled shyly. "The land is very fertile, and we grow only high-value crops, using a farming cooperative method, and we share in the success and failures equally. The family farms produce the finest opium, hashish, and marijuana the world has ever known. And that, my housemates and friends, is how we are smoking the finest hashish and opium unavailable anywhere except Apartment 3A."
The group smiled in complete appreciation.
Vash Gupta was tall, skinny, and very friendly, with a happy smile on his face, a wicked sense of humor, and seriously smart. Vash was studying for his PhD in economics. His expertise was statistical analysis and all things math, which were not Damian's friends.
Vash said to Damian as they shared food and wine, "thanks for the cooperative effort writing the parts of each other's assignments that are our personal weaknesses."
Damian replied, "And likewise, my friend. We complement each other to help each other. That is what friends do to help each other succeed."
The bowl of hashish was lit and passed around the table. George made himself available as each person exhaled into his mouth and nose. George became exceedingly stoned, rolled over on his back, and watched his humans upside down. The group laughed.
Vash said, "You know, I had a choice of places to get my PhD, but I chose Cardiff University because it offered an excellent economics program and because I wanted to live and work in New York."
Marguerite said, "the centers for international business, finance, engineering, and law are in New York and London. That is why I am here also, as I am sure is Roger."
Vash said, "I must admit, back in India and London, I lived in nicer neighborhoods than we live in New York. I feel like we are living in the slums and ghettos."
Damian said sarcastically, "Yes, we are, my friends. Welcome to New York City! As bad as this area is, I grew up in rougher places. From my perspective, Vash, I am moving uptown, and up the social ladder. It is nicer than the neighborhoods I left."
Roger said, "And from our perspectives, we have moved way down the food chain."
Marguerite noted, "This is a drug-infested, crime-infested, dirty and dangerous place to live, especially if you happen to be female."
Damian added, "Life is all about perspectives, and objectives."
Howard said, "It is also about attitudes and philosophies of living. Like Roger," he continued, "I come from a very comfortable and highly educated background. My parents are prominent doctors in India, as are my brothers, sisters, and other family members. The Pavel family is inter-connected with the medical industry in one form or another."
Vash added, "And living in this neighborhood in New York in these turbulent times is a rude awakening. How do you say it? A reality check."
Howard quipped with a big smile, "the reality of life in this city is not exactly what the travel agencies portrayed in those pretty brochures."
Smart and ambitious people adjust quickly, and Howard was both.
Howard Pavel was studying for his PhD in International Finance, and he was not a man to be underestimated. He was more devious than he was brilliant, and he was truly brilliant. Howard would make a huge impact on the financial community and influence future economic events.
Howard's character was more conservative than liberal. He wore his hair closely cropped, favored dry martinis, stirred not shaken. Howard preferred white shirts, dark ties, and dark business suits during the day, and he wore matching pressed pajamas to bed at night. He was fastidious.
Howard would iron and starch his clothing on Sunday evening so his wardrobe would be ready for the week ahead. The man was so punctual you could set your watch to his habits. This was good, because somebody had to keep the unruly housemates in line, and Howard de facto volunteered.
As our resident consultant on international banking and money laundering, Howard understood the finer points of moving mountains of cash worldwide. He provided strategic expertise in business processes, operational procedures, funding mechanisms, money laundering, and credit instruments, including the Swiss banking system; all needed to keep the wheels flowing as the enterprises prospered into the future.
Howard said, "I wrote a paper last week, outlining various business models and operation plans. obviously I changed the names and enterprises, as usual, but I am sure you can put it to good use."
Marguerite said, "of course, it is flawless and on point, because Howard has the innate ability to visualize into the future."
Howard added with a smile, "If I can give you the road map to follow and prosper, then my job will be done, and I will be a happy man. I like to plan and organize and make things happen. That is what I do best. Soon, I will make my mark on the world, creating really big, complicated financial deals."
Without question, Howard Pavel was destined to control the future.
Howard advised, "It is important to anticipate business interruptions, and to build layers of liability insulation to protect the inner organizational core from potential problems. The U.S. dollar is the strongest currency in India and has extraordinary buying power in the black market economies. Buying goods in U.S. dollars yields far better returns than buying the same goods in rupees. The dollar is like gold. It is king."
Howard was also the driving force for better grades. He would tell the group that discipline and concentration were important, saying, "School first, family second, career third, and social life is last."
He would lecture, "through disciplined study habits, you get the best grades. The best grades equal the best jobs, and therefore the best employment opportunities. I am very ambitious. Ultimate success is my ultimate goal. Work harder than everyone else and you will succeed. For me, it is a very simple formula."
Marguerite smiled. "How does one argue with rational logic?"
Vash said, "I am going to add some opium to the hashish, and I would like your feedback on this combination, please." He smiled. "Ladies first. I would like Lori and Marguerite's opinions on the combination. Then we will reload a bowl for the men. George will be our test canine."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Damian Garcia: PHD Drug Smuggler ~ Book 1 ~ by Chris Mosquera. Copyright © 2016 Chris Mosquera. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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