Part 32 (1/2)

'I believe they're charged in the indictment. There are other arrests. Altogether there were arrests in nine different countries: England, Spain, Philippines, Thailand, Holland, Pakistan, Switzerland, America, and Canada.'

'What exactly has everyone been charged with?'

'No one will tell us at this stage, but I'm pretty sure you have been charged with conspiracy and RICO.'

'What's RICO?'

'I don't know. I'll ask a friend of mine who is a drugs lawyer in Michigan.'

'Where are they holding McCann?'

'James McCann was not arrested, Howard. The Spanish authorities have officially stated that the report of his being arrested in Palma was erroneous. They have also officially stated that the fifteen tons of Lebanese found in a cave on the Costa Brava did not concern you. Have you seen any of the DEA?'

'Yeah, I saw Craig Lovato at the police station. He said he was coming to see me again today. I'm hoping to fix up a deal to voluntarily extradite myself to set Judy free.'

'Well, that's up to you. But I'd advise against it. Was this the same DEA agent who arrested you at your house? Did this DEA agent question you?'

'Yes, a bit. He was the only cop who did.'

'Aha! He's broken American law!' Katz yelled excitedly.

'Which law?' I asked.

'The Mansfield Amendment. It was enacted a few years ago to deter DEA agents from further engagement in torture/interrogation sessions held in Mexico. The DEA had been having a great time down there stubbing cigarettes on American dope dealers' b.a.l.l.s. Accordingly, United States law enforcement agents are no longer allowed to partic.i.p.ate in a foreign arrest or question those arrested in another country. Lovato has goofed badly. You can beat your extradition on this.'

I perked up at this possibility, but Luis Morell looked singularly unimpressed.

'You know Lord Moynihan set you up,' said Katz.

'I know he was trying to. But I never did anything with him and never said anything to him I shouldn't have.'

'Well, he's the star witness against you, but the point is that co-conspirator evidence, especially from an agent provocateur agent provocateur, is not admissible in a Spanish court. Neither are phone taps. In order to extradite you, a prima-facie case, governed by Spanish court rules, has to be established. What can they present? They don't seem to have anything usable. As for Judy, she'll be released almost immediately. She's been charged with conspiracy. There's no offence of conspiracy recognisable in Spanish law. All extradition treaties have a dual-criminality clause. Judy can't be extradited from Spain to America unless what the Americans allege she did is recognisable under Spanish law. For example, if the Saudi Arabians accused me of drinking alcohol while praying in Mecca, no country where alcohol is legal would allow Saudi Arabia to extradite me. Judy's been charged with conspiracy. That doesn't exist in the Napoleonic legal code, which forms the basis of Spanish law. The Spanish have to let her go, or at least give her bail until the court in Madrid denies her extradition. It is my opinion that a similar lack-of-dual-criminality argument might be able to be made in your case, depending on the exact nature of the charges, of course.'

I looked expectantly at Luis Morell.

'Do you agree, Luis?' asked Katz.

'For Judy, yes, maybe. But the Spanish do not want to upset the Americans. It will be hard to stop you from being extradited. I think we should go now. Senor Mejuto, the director, is coming back. We will come to see you again tomorrow.'

They left after thanking Mejuto. With Mejuto was a trusty prisoner, who spoke perfect English and Spanish. Mejuto wanted to ask me some questions. The trusty interpreted.

'The director wants to know if you will now speak to the press.'

'No.'

'The director understands you wish to see your wife.'

'Yes. Can I?'

'The press are friends of the director. The director would like you to see them. Then, afterwards, he will leave you alone with your wife for twenty minutes.'

Clearly, Joaquin Mejuto was getting a backhander from some journalists.

'Okay, I'll see them.'

'The director is going to fetch your wife.'

Completely unescorted, I followed the trusty to a room containing a few chairs, table, and a sofa. I sat down. A few minutes later, Judy came in and sat beside me. She looked awful. She was very upset.

'Howard, what's happening? I'm not talking to the press. Have you seen the garbage they wrote about us in the papers?'

'Judy, this was just a way of seeing you. But people should know what's being done to you. Public sympathy can only help.'

The door burst open, and at least thirty journalists barged in. They jostled each other for the best seats, setting off flashes and placing tape-recorders in strategic positions. They threw us cigarettes and barraged us with questions.

I trotted out the same statements that I'd given the Old Bailey and the Inland Revenue. I said that I had not been involved with marijuana smuggling since 1973. Sure, I maintained friends.h.i.+ps with people in the marijuana business and strongly campaigned for its legalisation, but my money, what little there was, was straight. It came from my travel business, my various trading companies, and other financial projects that I'd partic.i.p.ated in throughout the world. I accurately described the details of my arrest and strongly proclaimed Judy's innocence, publicly pleading with the Spanish authorities to let her go.

The incessantly repet.i.tious questions wore us down. Judy was on the point of collapse, far too weak to hold back her tears. The journalists left. Judy and I were alone for twenty minutes. We were both far too exhausted and shattered to do anything other than look into each other's eyes and hold hands.

'Get me out of this mess, Howard,' she said as the funcionarios funcionarios came to take us away. 'For G.o.d's sake get me back to the children.' came to take us away. 'For G.o.d's sake get me back to the children.'

One of the journalists had kindly commented that I stank of stale sweat. This must have got around. The funcionarios funcionarios took me straight to the showers. I was certainly very grimy. There was no soap, but the shower felt good. Dodging the spray, I smoked one of the three joints Roger had given me. I thought of Bangkok ma.s.sage parlours and Taiwanese bathhouses. Things change. took me straight to the showers. I was certainly very grimy. There was no soap, but the shower felt good. Dodging the spray, I smoked one of the three joints Roger had given me. I thought of Bangkok ma.s.sage parlours and Taiwanese bathhouses. Things change.

The next morning, after another politely served and first-cla.s.s breakfast, I was taken to Mejuto's office. The same interpreter was there.

'The director wants to know if you are prepared to be interviewed by some television companies. They are his friends. You will be able to see your wife again. The director will take you there now.'

Judy looked worse than ever as the TV-AM crew entered the room. The interview was a re-run of yesterday's press conference. We both made impa.s.sioned pleas for Judy's release, emphasising her complete innocence and the totally unnecessary suffering she and our children were undergoing. We did the same for Spanish TV immediately afterwards. And then the same for another crowd of journalists. We were shown the day's newspapers. Some accounts were stupidly sensational; others were very sympathetic. Bob Edwardes, good friend that he was, had given a long interview to the Daily Mirror Daily Mirror in which he described me as being a quiet and devoted family man with a modest lifestyle. Some accounts were really bizarre. A couple of the tabloids reported Geoffrey Kenion as having hosted Prince Charles and Princess Diana to a slap-up dinner at Wellies. in which he described me as being a quiet and devoted family man with a modest lifestyle. Some accounts were really bizarre. A couple of the tabloids reported Geoffrey Kenion as having hosted Prince Charles and Princess Diana to a slap-up dinner at Wellies. The Times The Times carried a report of how the DEA had failed in an attempt to kidnap me from the Philippines and take me to America without going through extradition formalities. I wondered how they'd managed to fail. The British authorities, apparently, had refused to condone the kidnap on foreign soil of a British subject. carried a report of how the DEA had failed in an attempt to kidnap me from the Philippines and take me to America without going through extradition formalities. I wondered how they'd managed to fail. The British authorities, apparently, had refused to condone the kidnap on foreign soil of a British subject.

Judy and I again had twenty minutes to ourselves, but we were still too numb and stultified to have any sort of rational communication. I had never seen anyone more overcome by misery. We were escorted back to our separate quarters.

In the early evening, my lawyers came to visit me. Katz was able to give more names of those arrested. They were Patty Hayes (Ernie's girl-friend), Wyvonna Meyer (Gerry's wife), Ronnie Robb, and Philip Sparrowhawk. Katz was also able to give names of others the DEA were trying to arrest: Jim Hobbs, George Lane, Salim Malik, Bradley Alexander (whom I'd never met or heard of), Gerry Wills, and Rick Brown. He was making a personal appeal to a.s.sistant US Attorney O'Neill to allow Judy bail. Four days was long enough to be locked up without knowing what the charge was. He was going to insist on getting a copy of the indictment. Katz's drug-lawyer friend in Michigan was going to get hold of a RICO expert, but Katz still didn't know what RICO was. Both Katz and Morell would be back again to see me tomorrow. They were going to see Judy right away.

That night, back in the cage, I managed to get a good few hours' proper sleep. I woke up refreshed. It was Friday, July 29th. I was hungry. I waited for the sound of the breakfast trolley. Instead, the cell and cage were opened by a very senior prison official, who spoke reasonable English.

'Howard, please get your things. You are leaving.'

'Where am I going?' I asked.

'We are not allowed to say.'

'Can I see my wife?'

'No. This is not allowed.'

'Can I phone my children?'