DAWN ARRIVAL
by Ron Fox
FOREWORD
The business of hauling consumer goods (contraband) into
Mexico with airplanes into grass strips avoiding the
outrageous Mexican import duties has been going on ever since
airplanes were put into commercial service, that is, until
1989 when Mexico repealed most 100% duties on imported goods.
Known as “Contrabandidos”, pilots choosing this form of
employment had to know the limits of their aircraft operating
into extremely marginal landing strips and their own limits,
operating under the most adverse conditions of unknown
weather, overloaded, old unreliable aircraft without the
benefit of navigation aids. Relying on the age-old method of
dead reckoning navigation and pilotage, pilots had to make
their own rules and follow them in order to stay alive.
The eastern coast of Mexico, from the U. S. border to the Bay
of Campeche, is virtually littered with the hulks of wrecked
aircraft which, for one reason or another, didn’t complete
their missions.
It is important to note that, while Mexican law was being
broken in the process of smuggling goods into Mexico, U.S.
law was strickly observed. Pilots flying into Mexico would
first file export declarations and cargo manifests with the
U.S. Customs Service and have their aircraft and cargos
inspected by them, both going out and coming into the United
States. U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations were also observed
as far as filing flight plans with the Federal Flight Service
Stations and observing correct procedures for penetrating the
Air Defense Identification Zones. It was understood on the
border that pilots would risk their lives but not their pilot
certificates.
Corruption in every facet of government in Mexico has long
been endemic to that culture and this was exploited by the
owners of these fly-by-night operations and the receivers of
merchandise in Mexico. State Governors, State Police Chiefs,
Federal Customs Officials, Airport Commandantes and Tower
Operators, local police and politicians and airport workers;
all had their hand out in this lucrative business. For those
operators refusing to pay tribute, the risks were high.
Their pilots would be jumped at strips, shot down by Customs
aircraft or aircraft would be sabotaged by unknown persons.
The official penalty for being caught in this trade in Mexico
was 9 years in a Mexican jail but few, if any of those
caught, would spend more than a few months incarcerated. One
learned from those experienced in this trade to save the
income from first trips in a safe place where a trusted
friend could gain access in order to buy one’s self out of
jail. This could cost between ten and fifty thousand
dollars, depending on where one was caught, who did the
holding and how fast one wanted to get home. Many pilots
were captured and released numerous times.
Up until the collapse of the Mexican economy in 1982, this
was a gentleman’s game. Weapons were rarely carried by
pilots and seldom did capturing authorities use them either.
If pilots gave themselves up without a struggle and behaved
themselves, their treatment was usually quite good. For the
sum of about $200 a month, one could live quite well in
special wings of many prisons with air conditioning, laundry
services, maid service, newspapers and many priviledges.
Local authorities knew a good thing when they saw it.
With the collapse of the Mexican economy in early 1982,
suddenly getting dollars out of Mexico was very difficult.
Receivers usually could only pay for an operator’s services
with pesos and, in the time it would take to get them to the
bank, their value could drop by half. With such a shock to
the industry, operations became drastically reduced. With
fewer trips in a shrinking pie, competition between operators
became nasty. The competition between receivers became cut-
throat and suddenly pilots started carrying guns. These guns
were not just personal protection hand guns, but serious
heavy caliber automatic weapons. Strips became armed
fortresses with receivers willing to kill to protect their
goods. All of a sudden it was no longer a gentleman’s game,
but deadly serious business and many of the old timer’s, such
as those ex-Air America veterans experienced in this type of
flying, got out of it. This left the business to those less
experienced who were willing to take more chances and the
number of strip accidents increased dramatically as did the
number of tragic incidents at the point of capture.
In 1989, the changes to the customs laws virtually eliminated
an aviation industry which had been strong for over half a
century, with consumer goods now being trucked into Mexico.
Now the story can be told without danger to those involved.
It should be understood however, that the best stories
probably died with those who would have told them.
Copyright 1998, BUSHPILOT, all rights reserved.