This Caribbean island of orange sunsets and orange liqueurs is featured in the PENUMBRA DATABASE spy thriller- Curacao is famous for its beautiful sunsets and an orange-flavored liqueur by the same name. There are many orange-flavored liqueurs out there, but only the ones made in Curacao use the peels of the Laraha orange, which is unique to the island. Yeah, its neighbor island, Aruba, is more touristry and busy, but if you want peace and tranquility, quiet Curacao is for you. Visiting Curacao is like visiting little Amsterdam or some peaceful village in the Netherlands, but much warmer with lots of talcum-powdered, deserted beaches lined with coconut palms.
The entire island is splashed with
dazzling colors, and the reason why started because of headaches! The mansions
and buildings were all splashed in white years ago. But, in 1817, after being
plagued by recurring headaches, which he blamed on the glare of white houses,
Governor-general Albert Kikkert passed a law that all buildings must be
splashed with pastel colors. In the spy novel, a sleeper cell member strolled
through Willemstad, noting the dazzling colors.
Every paradise has its dark side, and the Netflix
show, Narcos, is all about Curacao’s shadowy aspect. In the 5th and
6th episode of Narcos, Curaçao is shown as a money-laundering
smuggler paradise. Not the best first introduction, but oh well! The beaches portrayed
in the series were as blue as the sky and the buildings as colorful as seen.
The US claims money laundering in Curacao
is primarily related to proceeds from illegal narcotics and the DEA says that money
laundering organizations take advantage of the availability of U.S. dollars,
offshore banking and incorporation systems, to launder through real estate
purchases, international tax shelters, wire transfers, and cash transport
on Curacao.
The spy thriller PENUMBRA DATABASE brings
out Curacao’s beauty along with its seedy side. Here’s an account describing
the meeting between a narco-terrorist and his Curacao contact:
He retrieved his suitcase from baggage
claim, went through immigration and hopped into a taxi outside. Khoury told the
driver to give him a half-hour tour of Willemstad then drop him off at the
Lions Dive & Beach Resort which was five miles outside of town.
Upon
arrival at the resort, Khoury looked out at the snorkelers enjoying the reef
life as he strode along the private beach. The National Curacao Underwater Park
lay offshore. He meandered inside a stand of palm trees and enjoyed the shade
while holding his suitcase. Tourists from many nations sunbathed on lounge
chairs, read books and relaxed under beach huts.
He glanced at his watch...2pm. As planned,
he strode to the Hemingway Beach Bar nestled in the private, palm-studded
beach, sat on a barstool and admired the gin-colored waters and fringing reefs
of the underwater park.
A few moments later, a man sat across the
bar from him. He was one of the couriers from the Curacao sleeper cell that
Asif Qadeer Edhi formed years ago.
Here's a video of the Hemingway Beach Bar on Curacao at the Lions Dive & Beach Resort:
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community.
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