Doing business in Colombia. I am going to open it up to questions if anyone has them. If I don't know the answer I will get it for you.

[Don Gringo]

I wish I could say more about things but this is a public forum and I would get in big trouble, maybe even killed if I opened my mouth and started sharing what I know about business in Colombia so I will never do it. I operated businesses in the US and that was never the case. There are Stark contrasts between life here and there. The thing that you learn after a while is that no one is going to tell you about them. You will need to learn yourself. I have always been able to warm up to people pretty good and people trust me. They tell me shit that maybe they wouldn't someone else. That has saved me so many times here. Also learning Spanish has saved me. Shit without that your dead in the water.

I will say this in Colombia the rules are there to hurt the honest guy. He will not be able to compete with the corrupt no matter how hard he tries. Which is why most honest people strive to work for a large company, this is their dream. To be a business man is rarely the dream of anyone because it will corrupt you in one way or another.

Case in point and this is only an example. I want to keep it like that. This is not one of the things I said I would not talk about. I don't import cameras.

If you import wiggets to Colombia. You have a certain kind of wiggetts, oh hell a better example. Lets say you are bringing in cameras. the little cheap ass camera that has no bells and whistles on it maybe you pay 16% in empuestos tax and the cameras will more bells and whistles on it you pay 25% and if it really deacked out you could pay 70%. This is all in the minds of DIAN, really the shithead your dealing with as your cameras come in. OK so with all that ambiguity it is so easy to get screwed.

Your import agent can tell you anything doctor the papers and take a bigger chunk of your ass. He can be in it with that nice agent assesing if your camera is for the wealthy class or the poor class and that is how tax is determined in Colombia btw, that is the bottom line. Yes the estrato system is in play on every level and is a tool of the corrupt. They can all screw you over, play with your profit margin until the cows come home. How do you put a business model together when you have no idea of your costs.

So what have we learned, well we learned that those companies operating ligitamently, your competition are paying a high price for the newest models of whatever, the ones with the most bells and whistles they are paying the most for. So that camera is $300 in the US new and $1200 here. Everyone wonders why?

So then if you are corrupt you have a business here selling cameras, you import the cheap ass cameras the legitament way with all the paperwork to show DIAN when they pass by, they pass by about twice a year btw. It is possible to pay to know when that is btw.... The high end cameras you go a different route of which there are several that I wont get into. One that pays off all the agents (por las brujas) and you can bring in whatever the hell you want and no problem. It is not some secret either, anyone can do it. If you are mafia connected and everyone knows it the thieves don't touch your shit and everything goes smoothly for you. Your profit margin is bigger than anyone else and you win. That is one example of doing business in Colombia. It is not like anywhere else I have been. If your not connected or people don't fear you then they will simply pick you a part on a large shipment, maybe loose a small shipment, etc but actually it is surprisingly dependable.

I have learned so much here and I will pass it on if anyone is interested. I could never do so on a large forum so that is one advantage of having this small forum. The things I have learned that I will post have an edge to them. That is they are not printed up on a pamplet or on a government website. they are vital to know in order to operate here though. Colombia has some of the toughest regulation of businesses in SA. The fines for this or that rule breaking are unreal. So go get all signed up and play by the rules. Your entering a world where you will not leave in one piece. There is a better way. The Colombian way.....

[Don Gringo]

When I think of something else I will write it down. Got work to do for now though. later. If there is a particular business somoene would like to knwo about let me know what it is. If I know about it I will share what I know.

[Don Gringo]

Oh when I get some time maybe I will tell you how easy it is to get another identity in Colombia, passport, Social Security Card, Drivers License, all on official documents. It is as easy as 1 2 3 in Colombia. JAJA Or then again maybe I won't..... jaja

Ok forget the other stuff. You want a drivers license? 50K pesos and you can not tell teh difference by looking. Now if womeone runs it in Colombia well it is shit creek time. But still it works as an ID and no driving school, no 150 to 300K for the thing. Pretty funny how easy this is.

They are thinking of a national ID card in the US? Within a week I could buy one on the street of Colombia and access everything. These people are just LOVING the idea of a national ID for the US. better multiple documents to prove but there is no document that can not be had that I have seen. The passport takes some work and money but you could get papers to work legally in the US for less that $100.

[David Barkley]

I do not see how it is difficult to just bring the Visa denied Colombian Mother and Father by boat , to the US.
Grandmaoter , Mother , etcc Visa denied , just have one of the ds or relatives pay to ship them up by charter boat.
They would not a a valid soc security card, but so what they would not have paid in to get any beenfuts anyway.
Just take a private boat from the coast Cartagena or Barranquilla area, and then when you are off the West or East Coast of Florida, just run them in with a little boat. How many days on a chartered yacht from Colombia to Florida. The 5 miles out run them in on a smaller boat, there are thousands of boats, who would care they go out everyday.
Just pay the charter captain $3000-5000 to run them up.

[Paul]

Damn, and then you are stuck with the in laws.

David Barkley said:

I do not see how it is difficult to just bring the Visa denied Colombian Mother and Father by boat , to the US.
Grandmaoter , Mother , etcc Visa denied , just have one of the ds or relatives pay to ship them up by charter boat.
They would not a a valid soc security card, but so what they would not have paid in to get any beenfuts anyway.
Just take a private boat from the coast Cartagena or Barranquilla area, and then when you are off the West or East Coast of Florida, just run them in with a little boat. How many days on a chartered yacht from Colombia to Florida. The 5 miles out run them in on a smaller boat, there are thousands of boats, who would care they go out everyday.
Just pay the charter captain $3000-5000 to run them up.

[Don Gringo]

That funny because I had so many people bothering me about doing just that. I finally put a price on it. I said I will transport you and two others to the US for 10K US each. That way it makes it worth my while...the little adventure.... But they really want to be legal in the states, but I do have people considering this, beleive it or not. Just not three with the money. Some that want to do it for sure. They ahve relatives in teh states that will put them to work illegal but don't ahve the 10K oh well.....

[Don Gringo]

I think the key words were pay a charter to do it.... JAJA doing it yourself? David is not that stupid. Imagine 3 weeks on a boat (the way I go) with that lot.... OMG!

Paul said:

Damn, and then you are stuck with the in laws.

David Barkley said:

I do not see how it is difficult to just bring the Visa denied Colombian Mother and Father by boat , to the US.
Grandmaoter , Mother , etcc Visa denied , just have one of the ds or relatives pay to ship them up by charter boat.
They would not a a valid soc security card, but so what they would not have paid in to get any beenfuts anyway.
Just take a private boat from the coast Cartagena or Barranquilla area, and then when you are off the West or East Coast of Florida, just run them in with a little boat. How many days on a chartered yacht from Colombia to Florida. The 5 miles out run them in on a smaller boat, there are thousands of boats, who would care they go out everyday.
Just pay the charter captain $3000-5000 to run them up.

[David Barkley]

Yes, I was serious, on how much this really happens. It is not a difficult a sail, up to the West Coast Florida.
You say it takes 3 weeks.

With laptop connection or satellite phone, the relatives could talk each night say hello, on the trip up.
And there is nothing illegal , until you make the connection to the drop off runner boat 5 miles out.
The grandparents are now with the family, everyone is happy.


Could they ever fly back????, if they ever needed to, as they would then show their Colombian passport when they land in Bogota? And what could the authorities do, they would not send them back to the US?

[Don Gringo]

I can not count the number of times I have gone sailing with friends who were actually illegal. If they only brought enough clothes for a day trip and did not pack the thing up the CG would not ask too many questions if you got boarded. Maybe write a ticket, they would have to appear before a judge and give reason for why they are there illegal, voluntary this is.... But they will just ignore this as half the population of Florida is illegal. ;) Just like I say make sure there is not a pile of suitcases laying around. This will get you in BIG trouble senior Cayote... jiji

You would have to come with a US flagged sailboat or whatever. A Colombian flagged boat will get your boarded about every ten minutes all along the way. The way I go is not through the chokepoints. I suppose if all I was carring was a couple "immigrants" if they spoke English this would not be a problem to go however. I prefer to do things semi legal or at lest have the appearance of legality when I do things though.

On my leg if your boarded you can say your going to I go East and then outside the islands north. A better trip in my opinion although your fighting the wind for the first leg. But then you got the golf stream for the mayor part of it. But then I go to NC. It is a prettier route and if boarded in teh first leg you say you are going to San Vicente, Colombians don't need a visa for that. Then after that you say your heading to the Dominican likewise don't need a visa. then you are in open water East of Florida and not much chance of being boarded. If they suspect you they can put you on a hot sheet in open water and every Coast Guard station will get it and board you on site. So best to avoid them competely as well as the other Islands and nations you could pass and they are illegal. It may not go over so well. But you can say your taking them to Cuba and that is the other route if you want but on the other side of cuba you might have trouble sticking with that story and all the narcos take this route so it is more heavily covered by CG. I have had some experiences off the coast of Cuba with Cuban gunboats, it is to be avoided by me...forever.... But to each is own. Anyway in a sailboat the time is at the mercy of the wind, direction and speed. But it can be done 3 weeks no problem if you make them your crew. It kinda sounds like fun to me! However teh window is closing on when I would make this trip. By mid July I stay out of the Caribean, but that is just me. It iopens back up for me in December... hurricanes...I have been through 2 of them in my life at sea and well that is enough. (Gloria and Diana) when I was young dumb and full of cum.... jaja

One thing about the Coast Guard and this is they are not stupid. They will mark your course and speed on radar and then plot your position and your last port of call and when you would have been there at current speed and course. If you say something different than this place or close to it...."Captain prepare to be boarded" Dn't tell anyone this.... jiji This is how they nab a lot of cowboy narcos on the high seas. Know who to board and who not to. the large busts are usually set up by someone in the intelligence business.

[Don Gringo]

I guess you could even bareboat out of St Vincent or somewhere and come to Colombia. As long as it is not a Colombian flagged vessel. But the bareboat fees would eat into your profit.

Arent we naughty for discussing such things??? Maybe a new theme for the site should be Colombian underworld. Beleive me I could fill up the pages. I heard of a hotel here that caters to dope heads from around the world. I know where to score all the dope they could snort, overcharge the crap out of them for everything, slip them some scopolamina the second day, stick them in a closet and after a week tell them what a good time they had and hand them a big fat bill! JAJA

[David Barkley]

It seems like getting though the Yucatan channel maybe rough waters, then your are in the Gulf after that.
You are implying the East side is better?

You are implying the Coast Guard can board you in international waters? I think 9 miles out is international ???
Anyway the boat is clean, just people on a trip, so what could they do?

I would think only the runner boat , bringing them in from 9 miles out, would be subject to prosecution?

[Don Gringo]

it is the three mile limit you have to worry about. Arrest you for that? you bet if they can prove you are transporting illegals,Cayote like. They can arrest you anywhere as long as you are aboard that US flagged vessel. Proving it now that is the problem. This is why I would be careful about htem bringing a lot of personal effects. If they are heading for the US and there is no where else to land you could be in trouble but no one cares really. If it another nation they simply radio the embassy of that nation and get permission. It is not hard. At the very minimum they can put your boat on the hot sheet list and you will be boarded because of it many times. It is a real pain to be on that list. The three passages up into the golf is where the Coast guard spends a lot of time. Not because it is dangerous seas or anything. That last stretch where you can really claim no other port of call but the US if they want to be a problem they could be for you if you had a bunch of illegals aboard. Ass long as you can claim another port of call then cool. But really it is ot a problem for a few people.

It is fun to plan and to dream but not sure I would do it.... jaja

[Don Gringo]

but then again for 30K US and the fun to go with it? I probably would ;)