Once a wide eyed young boy enamoured by the unbelievably glamorous and ostentatious lifestyle of the political and economic elite, the unquenching thirst for wealth had disturbed Jaguda’s throat over the years. As a young player, Jaguda quickly found opportunity in the underground goods trading business. There was this hunger for foreign goods in the land where the average citizen had come to develop a ravenous, even shocking appetite for non-local products. Jaguda always found it incredible that even half-baked, substandard commodities, of which there was a surplus, suddenly changed their appearance and magically developed an ostensibly reliable authenticity once a foreign label was attached to it. It was a remarkably easy sell.

The business challenge however, was in moving goods across the border. One had to make friends, enemies and everything in between. More importantly, constant negotiation, re-negotiation and diplomatic rigmarole resulted in several key alliances being built over the years. It was rather like any other business with the exception of the choking suit and tie reeking of piss and sweat. These gentlemen of the underworld could do without such unsanitary inconveniences.

To be continued…