“Hi Mom, do you want help with that?” Edwardo asked.
“No, that’s fine Edwardo, just do the dishes. There are more in the sink, there are a few pots in there as well,” Anna replied.
Anna rarely allowed anyone to help her with the cooking, believing she was the only one who could perfectly execute her collection of recipes. Edwardo walked over to the giant double sink, perfect for washing in one side and rinsing in the other. Anna didn’t like dishwashers. As far as she was concerned, they didn’t do the job well enough. All the dishes were washed and rinsed in hot water, so Edwardo had to wear a pair of thick rubber gloves to complete the task.
“How was your day, son?” Anna asked.
“I was just saying to Pops, I got an A on my algebra test,” Edwardo replied.
“Well done, son, I am so proud of you. You know that, right?” said Anna.
“I know Mom, but Pops gives me such a hard time about everything,” replied Edwardo.
“Come on, everything?” Anna said.
“Okay, maybe not everything …” said Edwardo.
“Listen son, your father, he wants what’s best for you. That is why he brought us to this country, and that is why we work so hard, so that you and Isabel can have a very good life,” Anna said.
“I know Mom, Pops is great. I wouldn’t change him for the world,” Edwardo replied.
“Well, I’m glad that you feel that way. The reason he gives you a hard time about those boys is because their parents aren’t as strict as we are. Kids need guidance and discipline, otherwise they just end up getting into trouble. Your father doesn’t think that the boys’ parents are giving them enough discipline,” said Anna.
“I understand, Mom. I only hang out with them in school, and sometimes outside the restaurant. You can see us out there. You can see that we don’t do anything that would get us in trouble,” Edwardo said.
“I hear you boy, just be careful with them. When you’re done with the dishes, go see if we have any customers and if your dad needs help with anything else,” said Anna.
“Okay, Mom,” replied Edwardo.
The restaurant wasn’t doing too bad, however, running a restaurant in that part of Miami wasn’t an easy feat. The Cuban Cartel Sin Nombre had a stake in all the local businesses in North Walnut Grove. Every business that didn’t lend its services to the cartel had to pay protection fees—it was as simple as that. If you failed to offer your services or didn’t pay the protection fees, bad things generally happened. Your business would be vandalized, and the vandalism often extended to your home. Sometimes physical assaults were carried out, not just to the business owners—their families were also in danger of being hurt.
As a business owner, you either laundered drug money or provided a storehouse for the drugs in your place of business. Protection fees were an extortionate thirty percent of your earnings. By the time a business had paid its bills, fees, and taxes, there would be no profit. A business would be in danger of folding, which meant the owners would eventually accept cartel involvement to stay afloat. The alternative was to find another way to generate undocumented earnings through the business and try hiding it from the Cartel.
One of the benefits of working for the cartel was the two thousand dollars they paid the business owners for storing the drugs. They got that amount for every drop-off, and this was happening at least once a month. It was a win-win.
The authorities and rival cartels didn’t know where the drugs were kept, and the business owners had extra money for themselves. Guillermo’s business could not afford the protection fees, so he had to operate as a storehouse. He kept a low profile though—no fancy house, cars, clothes, or jewellery. He reinvested most of the earnings from the cartel into his business. This meant he could operate the restaurant efficiently and at a decent standard of quality. Anna chose not to ask questions about that side of the business—she didn’t want to know the details. Guillermo felt this was probably best in case things went wrong and law enforcement got involved. She would have plausible deniability.
The drop-off for the drugs often took place after business hours. The cartel switched their drug courier and delivery time regularly. Upon delivery, the courier would go over the inventory of cocaine and heroin with Guillermo. Each package was labelled uniquely, allowing Guillermo to identify which drugs belonged to whom. Once the delivery had been made, the dealers within the restaurant’s district would turn up at their assigned times to collect their share of the drugs. There was no exchange of money, because the dealers worked directly for the cartel and received a certain amount for the drugs they sold. There was no wholesale, which allowed the cartel to maximize profits. This was how they could afford to pay businesses to store and distribute the drugs. This system worked to perfection.
The restaurant closed at nine o’clock from Sunday to Thursday and eleven o’clock on Fridays and Saturdays. Anna and Isabel had already gone home for the day. Guillermo was expecting a delivery for ten o’clock that night, an hour after closing time. Edwardo had stayed
