Inside The Pirate Business: From Booty To Bonuses

[Jacaylbaro]

Several years ago, Moha visited the neighboring pirate hotbed of Puntland. He says a friend hooked him up with a pirate, who tried to recruit him.

 

"He was a very simple guy, did not have any fancy clothing or anything," Moha recalled of the pirate. "He had an AK-47 machine gun and he had a plastic ... bag and there was some money in it."

 

As an enticement, the pirate asked Moha to count the money. Moha says it took 2 1/2 hours and amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

Knowing Moha speaks fluent English, the man offered him a job translating hostage negotiations. Moha wondered why the pirate couldn't find someone local. He says the pirate told him it was hard to find decent translators in Puntland. They had to bring them from Dubai, which just extended the time it took to get ransom money.

 

 

 

 

READ FULL ARTICLE: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/15/135408659/inside-the-pirate-business-from-booty-to-bonuses