BY K.K. WONG
THIS book tells the intriguing tale of international surfers who are actually drug lords.
The thing is, this is not fiction.
This is the follow up to author Kathryn Bonella’s Snowing in Bali, which also featured the story of international drug dealers.
In Operation Playboy, she takes a deeper and broader look at this issue, tracing the drug network’s reach across the globe.
It also tells the story from both sides of the law, following the drug careers of several of these surfers turned drug dealers, as well as the efforts of the police hunting them.
The surfers are celebrities in their own right, travelling the globe: surfing in Bali, hooking up with models, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, and partying 24/7.
They have nerves of steel and reckless ambitions, always riding on an adrenalin high.
But to play the game, you also have to be prepared for the consequences – these include prison or even a firing squad. And on their tail is a Brazilian cop who is bent on bringing about their downfall ...
Bonella travelled the world to collect first-person testimony from an international network of ‘horses’ (those who do the dirty work of transporting the drugs from one country to another) and their bosses, as well as the cops who are on a mission to catch them.
The story starts off excitingly enough, but after the glamour wears off, it gets repetitive, with different characters who get lured in by the presumably easy money and the heady lifestyle.
And after all the hard work catching those responsible, it’s not very gratifying to find that corruption in high places means many get a free ride out of jail.
That said, Operation Playboy gives you a reality check on what money can do.
Next time you are on an international flight, check out the handsome chap beside you.
He could be a horse, or even the bigwig himself!
Get another 10% off with this coupon for this book at all BORDERS stores from March 27-April 23, 2019. Not applicable with ongoing promotions. Terms and conditions apply.
