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31 March 1998Kidnapped By Colombian Narco-Guerrillas:
A Hostage's Experience, and the Kidnap Industry
I'm a U.S. citizen who was kidnapped by FARC (the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia), held hostage for 11 months, and released after ransom was paid twice--in August 1995. The experience changed my life, and that of my family, profoundly and permanently.
Since then, I've found myself in an exclusive club--one that no one joins voluntarily but once in, you can never leave. Our phone rings far too often, a desperate call from a wife, mother, uncle whose loved one has been kidnapped in Latin America. What do I think the victim is going through? What should the family do? The company?
My wife Susan and I, along with a few other kidnap veterans, serve as a support group for families of kidnapped Americans. We`re also resource persons at seminars on kidnapping for ransom sponsored by security firms and writers of K&R, or kidnap and ransom, insurance policies.
That gives us overall, as well as personal, perspectives on kidnapping for ransom in Latin America. It`s now a booming growth industry, not an isolated crime.
Personal background
I was raised on a West Texas cotton farm. I earned my B.S.--a double degree in agricultural science and journalism--from Texas A&M University, and my M.S. and Ph.D. at Iowa State University.
My profession has been the Green Revolution--the development and spread of new seeds and agricultural technology to increase food production in developing nations.
The Vietnam War catalyzed my career in international agriculture. As a U.S. Army lieutenant on an advisory team deep in the Mekong Delta in 1969-70, my duties included that of agricultural advisor. In the midst of the war, I helped spread seeds of new high-yielding rice varieties, developed at the International Rice Research Institute, or IRRI, in the Philippines.
I joined IRRI as science editor in 1973, and my family and I moved to the Philippines. I later became head of IRRI`s communication program, library, computer services, and visitors` services. For 19 years, my work took me across the rice-growing world.
In 1992, I took a similar position, as head of communications at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, called CIAT, its Spanish acronym. Like IRRI, CIAT is one of a global network of 16 international agricultural research centers. Its research center is near Cali, Colombia.
Kidnapped..and ransomed
In September 1994, I was kidnapped on my way to work when I drove into a roadblock manned by FARC--the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, or the "narco-guerrillas." FARC initially demanded a $6 million ransom, and kept me in isolated camps high in the northern Andes Mountains.
I spent days locked in a dark cell where I could stand, barely, but couldn`t move around. I spent 2.5 months in chains, and endless days, then months, hoarding scraps of food, building campfires to keep warm, and trying to stay sane. I always harbored an empty hope: that another hostage would be brought in, so I`d have a friend (I learned, after my release, that three other hostages were being held in other parts two of the camps).
During 334 days of captivity, I never saw a road, a wheel, a window with glass. I never spoke English, and knew nothing of world events outside the FARC camps.
Some people have romantic images of South American guerrillas as idealistic leftist intellectuals who have left the university to fight for rights of the oppressed. The FARC cadre that held me were illiterate or semiliterate; few had more than second-grade education. A third of the guerrillas--and the cruelest--were female. FARC claims to follow the principles of Che Guevara, but the guerrillas who held me had no idea who Che was, and no political agenda. Some were stoned on bad cocaine much of the time. Two of the camps where I was held were actually laboratories, where FARC was processing cocaine or heroin.
I kept a diary on two children`s notebooks that I was given to write ransom letters, two checkbooks, and whatever scraps of paper I could find. I managed to smuggle the diary out--but only because Juaco, the commander of a lonely mountain camp, went insane and almost executed me after being stoned for 18 hours on a deadly combination of cocaine, brandy, and anguish. He held the muzzle of his Galil assault rifle to the back of my head, then raised it and fired through the roof at the last moment. I didn`t even jump. I was very close to death, and knew it.
Two hours later, Juaco turned the selector switch of the Galil to full automatic, placed the muzzle under his chin, and pushed the trigger with his thumb. A burst of three 7.62 mm rounds tore through his skull The other guerrillas didn`t know about the notebooks, and I eventually got them out.
Meanwhile, our sons Miles and Geddie dropped out of Texas Christian University and Texas A&M University and returned to Colombia to help Susan.
FARC made contact 3 weeks after I was kidnapped, with a ransom demand of $6 million. The family learned a lot, fast, about the Colombian kidnapping business. Including that there`s nothing political about it; it`s strictly about money. And only money buys a victim out.
CIAT's public policy was not to negotiate with terrorists because that might endanger other employees. That was also CIAT's private policy. The Center claimed that high officials in the Colombian Government instructed it not to negotiate, and that my family might be arrested and jailed if it entered negotiations. (At that time, guerrilla groups held at least 11 other hostages from the Cali area alone, including a Canadian and his wife, and a high Colombian political leader. To my knowledge, the government did not instruct their companies or families not to negotiate. What happened to my family made the ordeal even more terrible.)
After CIAT's refusal, FARC gave my family an option: open negotiations for ransom payment, or FARC would kill me.
Back in Texas, my brother Raford Hargrove, my sister Becky McKinney, and my aging father decided "If Tom is dead, he`ll have no use for his eventual inheritance, will he?" My family, with the help of Colombian friends, finally got legal advice from Paix Libre ("Free Country," a foundation established to publicize the plight of, and help, families of hostages in Colombia).
The family went through the Colombian legal system to get authorization to negotiate, broke with CIAT, and used funds, mostly from my father's estate, to hire professional kidnap negotiators. My wife and two sons, along with our next-door neighbors, a German executive, his wife, and their two children, responded to FARC instructions. A Colombian friend who had graduated from high school with my sons became the "voice" in radio negotiations. By then, I had been held about 100 days.
Negotiation is a tricky business. FARC's response to my family's first offer was: "For that amount, we won't even tell you where we leave his cadaver." (I've read that FARC now charges for the return of corpses of hostages who die, or are executed, while in captivity.)
An initial ransom was paid, but FARC didn't release me. Instead, FARC claimed to have used the first ransom money to give me better treatment, and presented fresh demands for "the real ransom" (this is a new trend in Colombian kidnaps; it`s called a doble [double]).
The Colombian Army attacked a FARC camp--which was also a drug processing laboratory--where I was held in July 1995. From then until my release, we were running and hiding from the Army. We wound up hiding in an extinct volcano crater at about 3,000 meters elevation.
Meanwhile, the Hargrove family entered an intensive, second round of negotiations that eventually led to a second ransom. The total ransom paid was a fraction of the original demand but it wasn't lunch money.
On 21 August, six guerrillas and I began a 2-day walk through the Andes. Crossing a free-fire zone, we were almost gunned down by Colombian Army helicopter gunships. Finally, I was given the equivalent of $12, and released to find my way home. My greatest relief, other than in being free and alive, was that I managed to smuggle out my diary.
I walked into the living room of our home in Cali, accompanied by eight Indians who had brought me from the mountains, the night of 23 August 1995. By then, my family had assumed that I was dead.
The ordeal was tougher on Susan, Miles, and Geddie than on me. I'm not just saying that; I mean it. I always knew I was alive. And my only real responsibility was to stay alive. Not always easy, but survival is the most basic of human instincts. I never had to make a decision that, if wrong, would cause anyone but me to die. Susan, my sons, and my brother Raford had to make painful decisions, when mistakes would mean my death.
My family and friends did an incredible job. They wouldn't give up. Without them, I'd be dead.
The kidnapping industry
Kidnapping for ransom is a rare crime in North America and Europe. The highly emotional 1932 kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby changed the U.S. public attitude--and laws--on kidnapping. The consequences are severe; 95% of the kidnappers are apprehended and receive heavy prison sentences.
But kidnapping is a relatively "safe" crime in Latin America, with high payoff and little risk. There, no more than 5% of kidnap cases are resolved, so it`s easy to see why kidnapping is becoming such a growth industry. (Some of the FARC guerrillas who kidnapped me were captured in a drug lab raid, near where I was still held, in July 1995. The FBI helped interrogate the prisoners, who readily gave details of my capture and imprisonment. None were charged with my kidnapping.)
There are only about 35 cases per year of genuine kidnapping for ransom in the United States (most"kidnaps" reported actually regard child custody). But a hostage in the United States or Europe may be in more danger than a victim in Latin America. The U.S. kidnapper is usually an amateur who has not kidnapped before, and considers the abduction a one-time chance to get rich quickly. Unlike in South America, he can`t take the hostage to safe camps in the mountains or jungle camps where rescue is almost impossible. The U.S. kidnapper is easier to catch--but may have less incentive to care for the hostage, and release him alive.
Accurate statistics on global kidnapping are hard to compile, because kidnapping, ransom payment, and associated industries such as professional negotiators and kidnap and ransom insurance policies, are shrouded in secrecy. Thus, the public knows little about the crime.
But global estimates range from 10,000 to 15,000 kidnaps per year. More than 80% of the world`s kidnaps are in Latin America, where almost all are for ransom.
Colombia is, undisputedly, the world kidnapping capital. According to the Colombian National Police, the number of reported abductions rose more than 13%--to 1,822--in 1997, according to Reuters (8 Jan 98). Thirty-three of the victims were foreigners."Marxist rebels" kidnapped 980 of the victims. Ransom demands totaled $74 million, but according to the National Police"About one-third were snatched for political motives.
"Of the total 1,822 kidnap victims, 239 were rescued by the police, army or elite anti-kidnap GAULA force. About half were freed after ransom payments and at least 138 died in captivity."
The real statistics may be far higher. Most specialists agree that only about half of the kidnaps are reported.
Some Colombians may be kidnapped for political reasons, such as to sabotage elections. But foreigners are abducted strictly for money. FARC released me only because ransom was paid. Otherwise, I`d be dead (but my family would probably never know that for sure).
Few U.S. citizens realize that Mexico became the world`s second most dangerous country for kidnapping when it passed Brazil in 1995. About 1,500 kidnaps are estimated annually. (Brazil and Guatemala rank numbers 3 and 4.)
Kidnapping and drugs go hand-in-hand. FARC is both a terrorist kidnapping group and an active drug trafficker. In fact, Colombian President Ernesto Samper, on Larry King Live on 9 December 1998, said that FARC is difficult to eliminate because it raises"more than 600 million dollars" from narcotics and kidnapping.
In Mexico, both kidnapping and drug trafficking are increasing rapidly. A new, purer heroin is rapidly replacing cocaine as the hard drug of choice in North America and Europe--thanks to cooperation of Colombian drug cartels and guerrillas, and the Mexican underworld. The heroin is grown and processed in Colombia--not the Golden Triangle--and distributed from Mexico. The new narcotic trafficking business has spawned new Mexican drug cartels, similar to those of Colombia.
Many Mexican kidnaps are to gather seed money to enter the lucrative drug trade.
FARC operates an office--legally--in Mexico City, and even maintains a FARC web site from there.
It would be hard to convince me that the FARC/Mexico office isn`t involved in the Colombia-Mexico-worldwide drug traffic.
Secrecy: a double-edged sword
The secrecy that veils the kidnap industry is a double-edged sword. Publicity can make a hostage appear more valuable, so ongoing cases are kept low-profile. Organizations often try to keep even the fact that an employee has been kidnapped out of the press.
My case illustrates why secrecy can be a good policy. CIAT, and the security agency that it hired, violated all"rules" of hostage negotiation and mounted a publicity campaign to convince FARC to release me because CIAT scientists were in Colombia to help the poor. FARC`s reaction in later negotiations was "The amount of publicity that Hargrove`s kidnapping has generated convinced us that we have a mina [gold mine]."
Companies that want to continue business in Colombia often suppress information about ransom payments, because that might tempt other potential kidnappers. They often claim that the kidnappers released the hostage because he was sick, or because no money was available. (I refused to deny that ransom was paid for my release, because I felt it was wrong to perpetuate the dangerous myth that doing good work makes people immune to terrorism.)
But the secrecy and lack of information mask the extent and seriousness of the crime, and give a false sense of security. Travel sites on the internet host lively discussions about whether travel in Colombia is safe. The consensus is that travel is safe--and that those who say otherwise are cowards, fools, or alarmists.
27 March 1998. As I finalize this statement, news from Associated Press reaches me that FARC kidnapped four U.S. citizens and an Italian, along with about 25 Colombians, on 26 March. The Americans drove into a FARC roadblock--just as I did-- while on a bird-watching expedition on a highway 35 miles south of Bogota. The local FARC leader,"Commander Romana," confirms that FARC is holding the hostages, according to the AP story.
Denial of ransom payment gives credibility to claims that terrorists and drug traffickers are fighting for the rights of the oppressed. Also, scientists and academics often consider kidnapping a threat only to wealthy business executives, and think (like I once thought) that moderately paid professionals who do commendable work would never be targets.
Kidnap industries: security companies and insurance
The parallel industries that the kidnap epidemic has spawned, such as security and crisis management firms that specialize in kidnapping, also maintain a low profile. Kidnap prevention is their preferred strategy, but hostage negotiation is also big business. Most professional kidnap negotiators have served in the FBI, CIA, SAS, Special Forces. Professionals who worked on my case were former Scotland Yard and British Military Intelligence. Susan and our sons became friends with several other kidnap negotiators who visited them in Cali when they learned of the family's plight.
Kidnap and ransom (K&R) insurance--perhaps the world`s most rapidly growing, yet least known, type of policy--is becoming essential for agencies that do business in Latin America. Sales are rising 15-20% per year (New York Times, 21 Aug 97). New companies are rushing into the flourishing business.
K&R policies cover not only ransom payments, but also associated expenses such as the hiring of professional kidnap negotiators, which can run $15,000 per week. The policies also pay the victim's salary, plus the hiring of a replacement while he or she is held, interpreters, travel expenses, and followup psychiatric treatment for victims and their families.
K&R policies are kept secret, because knowledge of a policy`s existence may make the holder a target. But the industry has grown too large to remain the"insurance nobody talks about." (The K&R insurance feature in the 21 August 1997 edition of the New York Times was the most comprehensive treatment of the industry that I've seen in the media.)
Press reports, and foreigners kidnapped
The press reports almost nothing--because it receives almost no information--about U.S. citizens or other foreigners who are kidnapped and held for ransom. Some recent cases involving U.S. citizens follow.
- First, the four U.S. citizens that FARC kidnapped on 26 March 1998. Radio reports have identified them as Peter Shen, Todd Richardson, Lois Agustino, and Thomas Fiore. Shen is from New York City. The ages and hometowns of the others are not yet known.
- Frank Pescatori, from New Jersey, was kidnapped in Colombia in late 1996. I told Pescatori's wife, by phone, that Frank would probably come out alive, if the case were handled right, in February 1997. Frank's body was found the next day. He had been shot.
- FARC released Frank Skee, a geologist from Philadelphia, on 15 November 1997, after 8 months captivity. A "relatively small" ransom was paid, according to "anonymous sources." I was in frequent contact with Skee`s wife during the ordeal.
- Jerel Shaffer, a petroleum engineer from Houston, was released on 23 November 1997, after 9 months as a hostage. His company "declined to say if the kidnappers were rebels or whether a ransom was paid," according to Associated Press.
- Another kidnapped American is still held hostage in Colombia--so I won't comment about his or her situation. I believe at least one other American is also held, but I know nothing about that case.
My first month in the Valley of the Shadow
[Note: The next section is a description of my actual kidnapping, and my first month of captivity. Parts of it are already covered in the previous material in the G21: Valley of Death. Also, parts of this text are also found in my book Long March To Freedom: Tom Hargrove`s Own Story of His Kidnapping By Colombian Narco-guerrillas. Random House/Ballantine. 1995.]
Epilogue, March, 1998
"You don't know how many prayers were said for you, Tom," I've heard, again and again, since returning to the United States.
"I believe you, and I'm grateful," I respond. "It worked. But I must always remember that a lot of those prayers were said in Spanish. And in Tagalog, and Hindi and Kiswahli and Vietnamese and French and Korean."
Later, I was glad I'd left the money belt empty. I couldn't have used the cash--but I'd eventually walk from the mountains with a money belt stuffed with diary pages.
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