As much research as I have done on human trafficking, including organ harvesting, I have not been able to zero in on one particular group or gang that practices total organ harvesting. While I know that it does happen, because it almost happened to one of my family members living in the Philippines, and it involved a group or gang, I am not privy to the name of this gang, nor is my relative by marriage likely to share that information, if he even has that information. Because I don’t have the finances or the resources to visit the Philippines to do a thorough investigation, I will, for the purpose of my book, create a fictional gang that specializes in this practice. The name of my group will be “Los Santanas” or “The Devils.” I want to stipulate that the gang does exist in Los Angeles; it doesn’t have a branch in the Philippines. I do not want there to be any confusion on the matter. My fictitious gang is unrelated to the gang that goes by the same name in the US. While I could have avoided the confusion by choosing another name, it was just too good a name to pass up.
The team spent the next several weeks tracking down leads. They talked to various people of interest, including family members of several missing persons, Delfina Calazan Y Dejos, Gomer Ramos y Mariano, Arlie S. Gonzales, Rebeca Epaton, John Kyle Pantonial Delos Reyes, Felicisimo Basalan y Tagam, Angeline Estella Y Camer, Charles Dean Sotto, and Jonas Paolo S. Calleja. To expedite the process, Andres and Thomas divided the interviews of the missing family members. Even though talking to these family members was a long shot, even the most irrelevant and insignificant clue could lead to something. The hardest person to talk to was Sitti Chiesa, as the wounds were so fresh. Unfortunately, she had nothing further to add to what she had already told the police. Devon felt bad about reopening these wounds, but it had to be done. He was as gentle as possible in the questioning, and after the interview was over, she said that she understood the need for it and that she wished him the best of luck.
For concerns of safety, when ex-gang members were interviewed, two members of the team interviewed them. Members from the following gangs were questioned: Temple Street Gang, Bahala Na Gang, True Brown Style Gang, Budol-Budol Gang, Dugo-Dugo Gang, Kuratong Baleleng Gang, Martilyo Gang, Salisi Gang, Zesto Gang, Satanas Gang, Sigue Sigue Sputnik Gang, and Waray-Waray Gang. Of all the gang members they talked to, the gang that stood out the most was the Santanas Gang. The ex-members they spoke to were all in some form of witness protection or had changed their names, making it difficult to find them. The only way that they even found these ex-gang members was through the police department. They had their names on file. It took a whole lot of convincing and a little palm greasing, if you know what I mean, to get the information. While the ex Santana gang members were less than forthright, they all eventually admitted to being involved in some form of organ harvesting. However, none of them would admit outright to being responsible for the deaths of the donors. For all their dissembling, a few of them did admit to coercing the donors into giving up one of their kidneys. Andres and Thomas being seasoned veterans at these types of interviews were able to read between the lines.
Now that they had narrowed their search to the Santanas Gang, the real work began. Unfortunately, this gang was well organized and had cells located on several of the more populated islands. Thanks to information provided by the ex-members of the gang, they knew not only which islands they were based on but also the precise locations of their cells.
Coincidentally enough, the five largest cells of the Santanas Gang were also located in the five largest cities in the island chain: Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Davao, and Cebu. There were also three smaller cells located at the following cities: Puerto Princesa City, Kalibo City, and Laoag City. The cells that were based in the cities with international airports concentrated their operations in close proximity to them. These airports offered a diverse population of prospective donors. Because many of the airport’s clients are strangers to the area, they are more vulnerable and thus easier marks or targets.
Aerial view of Puerto Princesa City
Aerial view of Kalibo City
Busy street in Laoag City
Since the Santanas Gang is not concerned with the survivability of their non-volunteer organ “donors,” they can concentrate on cleaner and more well-to-do individuals. Therefore, their organs are typically healthier and more viable. Many of the other gangs court the poorer population, who are desperate and are thus willing to sell one of their kidneys for a mere pittance. Unfortunately, many of these individuals and their organs are unhealthy. Since these donors are volunteer-based, they are limited to just kidneys and small portions of their livers. The Santanas Gang’s model, while more merciless and cold-blooded, is much more profitable. Because they are not limited to volunteer donors, they can provide a much more extensive menu of options, a veritable smorgasbord, as it were. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operates on the same model, but instead of kidnapping unwilling individuals, they just harvest their large population of political prisoners.
Since their mission was to not only take out the individuals directly responsible for the death of the Pope’s nephew, Marco, but also the whole operation, they had a herculean task ahead of them. The main problem was that as soon as one cell was taken out, the news would quickly spread and the cells would all go to ground or, at the very least, increase their security. Because they were limited to a small team of trusted individuals, they could not attack all eight cells simultaneously. Even if they divided and conquered, they still needed to make three separate and hazardous strikes. In each instance, it would be one against many dangerous criminals, with no hope of any backup. The prospect of a favorable outcome loomed very dimly on the horizon.
The only way to do it would be to take out the smaller groups first, the most important one being the cell in Puerto Princesa City. Since these cells were smaller, hopefully, they would not be missed as quickly. One thing was for certain. The strikes would have to be quick and surgical. After studying the carefully, they decided that if they stood a chance of achieving success they would have to take out the cells in this order.
- Puerto Princessa City
- Kalibo
- Laog
- Davao City
- Manila *
- Quezon City *
- Taguig City *
- Caloocan *
The first four cells would be their practice runs where they perfected their technique, because the last four cells would have to be taken out in one single night. They were just two close together to spread them out. Besides, the police would go crazy with the body count.
Because of their weapons and gear, flying by a private charter to the island of Palawan was their only option. They would have to pay dearly for a no-see and do-not-ask flight there and back. But this is where Andres’ value comes in handy. He had the contacts to pull this off. There was a small airpark named Woodland Airpark that fit the bill. It would serve for the trip to Puerto Princesa City and to Kalibo. It just so happened that Andres had a friend, Waldron Bernales, who was a pilot. Of course, he did—money well spent.
Despite all the planning that went into choosing the appropriate gear for every contingency, something always crops up. While Devon had experience with crossbows, he never thought they would be required in the Philippines. The house in Davao City had a perfect perch for a sentinel; wouldn’t you know it, cell members were utilizing it. So now they had to run around and find a crossbow at the last moment. Of course, it would have been nice to have the one he used in Europe. But sometimes you have to make do with what you have. So he was able to find a sporting goods store that had a serviceable crossbow. The Snake Eye Tactical Handheld Hunting Crossbow. It had an 80lb draw weight, so it should be powerful enough to take out a man, provided he was hit in a vital spot.
One final bit of business they had to take care of was the use of call signs. Since they were going to be interacting with many different people they barely knew, Devon and the other two men agreed that they should get used to using call signs when they were on their assignments. After some moments of jocularity, the three finally came up with three call signs. Devon would use “Hitman,” Thomas would be known as “Jazz,” and Andres would be called “Ashtray.” I am sure that you can figure out why they chose these names. If not, it is in the front of the book where I list all the characters.