Written by Turn of the Tide is everywhere. The new Portuguese Netflix show, which is beating national records, proclaimed its spot in the world’s top ten non-English shows of Netflix the previous week. The series created by Augusto Fraga follows the life of Eduardo (José Condessa) and his friends: Sílvia (Helena Caldeira), Carlinhos (André Leitão) and Rafael (Rodrigo Tomás), whose lives transform with the arrival of a ton of cocaine to their quiet village, Rabo de Peixe.
The launch of the seven episodes has brought back discussion about the events that inspired the TV series, unveiling forgotten journalistic work that aimed to demystify and portray the case and its repercussions.
Rabo de Peixe is situated on the north coast of the island of São Miguel, in Azores, and more specifically, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. In 2001, the village’s main activity was fishing, and nowadays, it continues to be a prominent source of economic activity.
2001 was also the year in which a Sun Kiss 47 yacht that was carrying on board more than 500 kg of 80% pure cocaine appeared on the scene of the peaceful village. Antonio Quinci, an Italian drug dealer, was transporting its cargo from Venezuela to Spain and, on its way, was forced to make an unprogrammed stop in the island of São Miguel because of damages on the rudder. Aware of the fact that it would be impossible to go directly into the harbor due to the content in its possession, Antonio decides to hide the contraband in a cave in Pilar da Bretanha and pick it up later.
The police investigation stated that the bales of cocaine were bound by an anchor beneath the water and tied by fishing nets and chains, but as the waves started to pound the inlets, the netting securing the bales unraveled. Suddenly, dozens of packages were spreading throughout 70 kilometers of coast, having many people reporting it back to the authorities, and some not.
Initially a fisherman discovers the hiding place for some of the drugs and alerts the authorities, which eventually leads to many more substantial information from the citizens. In the end of the operation the authorities reported a total amount of marginally less than 500 kg of cocaine, the value that stayed on the official record. However, many believe that number to be inaccurate and that due to the complexion of the boat, it should be way larger.
All of a sudden, statements about the uses of the cocaine that wasn´t apprehended were circulating all over the island. Nowadays, many of the stories that reach us are more of combination of fact and fiction. Small drug dealers multiplied, and the drug became more accessible: From small beer glasses filled with the drug and selling packets of cigarettes full of cocaine (500 escudos) to stupider claims, such as frying meat with the powder instead of flour.
That spike on the offer of drugs augmented the number of overdoses for a while, taking the hospitals into a state of alarm. There were claims that almost every day someone would enter the hospital in a delusional state, mostly because of a mixture of cocaine with opposite effect drugs, as heroine or tranquilizers.
Still working on finding the cocaine that remained on the island, the police came across a package hidden under a fake hall on a yacht, which lead them to Antonio Quinci. Two weeks after his arrest, Antonio climbed the prison wall into freedom, and jumped into a waiting scooter. The guards didn´t end the rescue because they were afraid of accidently shooting the citizens passing by. But can one really escape from an island? Fifteen days after, with the hope of catching him becoming fairly low, the fugitive was found: Two cops went to a house where there was suspicion of a man being in possession of cocaine, and while inspecting the hen house, they found Antonio. The convicted went back to jail, where he would end up serving a sentence of ten years in Coimbra.
The effects that the case had on the island cannot be measured. Some lived it through stories and through friends, having no direct impact on their lives. However, the events have certainly introduced an addiction that, otherwise, wouldn’t find a way of prospering on that island in Azores.
Webgrafia:
Matthew Bremner, Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life of an island, The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/10/blow-up-how-half-a-tonne-of-cocaine-transformed-the-life-of-an-island
Macarena Lozano, Rebeca Queimaliños, translated by Heather Galloway, Snow blind: how half a ton of cocaine destroyed a tiny Portuguese island, El País https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/08/inenglish/1512720697_264543.html
Luís Ribeiro, Quando a coca deu à costa, Visão https://visao.pt/atualidade/sociedade/2023-05-26-uma-equipa-de-reporteres-da-visao-estava-em-rabo-de-peixe-quando-a-coca-deu-a-costa-e-fez-a-reportagem/
Carolina Amado, Rabo de Peixe lembra cicatrizes, mas “nunca a comunidade se sentiu tão abraçada”, Público Rabo de Peixe lembra cicatrizes, mas “nunca a comunidade se sentiu tão abraçada” | São Miguel | PÚBLICO (publico.pt)
Francisca Pereira
theawarenessnews.com 