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Chasing Black Gold: The Incredible True Story of a Fuel Smuggler in Africa
In 1970, runaway 15-year-old Robert Stone showed up in the Bahamas. Turning diver and pot-smuggler in a Miami Vice world, he made a million before he was 18, then went legit as a pioneer saturation diver in the North Sea. At 30, after seeing friends die and surviving several close calls, he went to work for himself, mostly on the wrong side of the in the Niger Delta, where he conducted midnight oil deals with armed bandits; in the South China Seas, where he bribed the Vietnamese Navy and slipped away with $100 million worth of prime marijuana; and in the Arctic, where he unloaded the illicit cargo under the nose of the U.S. Vice President. When his closest friend turned government informant, Stone was thrown into a Nigerian jail. Stone bribed his way to freedom, and became the quarry in an international manhunt led by a U.S.. Organized Crime task force. After a couple of years on the run, he was arrested and jailed in Switzerland and sent to a Federal Penitentiary following extradition. This is a story about the power of money to draw a man into ever-bolder adventures, to bribe his way to the very top of business and government, and, ultimately, to buy his freedom.
- GenresBiographyTrue CrimeCrime
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2015
9 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 1, 2018
Wow..what a life to live...so many ups and downs and still kicking.I loved it!
October 4, 2018
What a story! What a life!
I feel honored to be able to be a part of it, even if only as a reader.
I feel honored to be able to be a part of it, even if only as a reader.
August 19, 2018
I will post a review as part of the blog tour
July 27, 2018
If this book was fiction, you’d dismiss the plot as being entertaining but too far-fetched to be believable. This story is stuffed with exotic locations, memorable characters, outstanding twists and turns of fate and luck, good and bad, and, at the centre, a man who takes unbelievable risks in pursuit of money. And it’s all true.
Honestly, I was gripped from start to finish just because I could not believe that this is the way some people live. The book explores a world of criminals, smugglers, bandits, corrupt officials, dictators, con artists, double crossers and every other type of scoundrel you see in the movies but struggle to believe exist in real life, but the author spent his youth consorting, in fact leading, such people in the pursuit of the fortune and lifestyle he’d dreamed of having during his difficult and impoverished childhood in Canada and it is utterly compelling, It reveals in bald detail a world that is totally alien to most of us; a world filled with private jets, yachts, Swiss bank accounts and apartments in Rio on one hand, but also squalor, danger, bribery, corruption, being held at gunpoint, repeated arrest, constant fear of death and finally a long period spent in prison and the US legal system. If you ever want a morality tale, this is it, and an entertaining one to boot.
The author, who writes in the first person and hence is the main character, is what my granny would have called ‘ a rascal’ who is out for a fast buck and even millions in the bank is not enough to make him stop his pursuit of more, even given the huge risks he is taking. In fact, I would say the adrenalin rush he gets from the danger, and the sense of satisfaction he has from spotting an opportunity and making the most of it is as important to him as the money. Any psychologist, amateur or otherwise will have a field day picking apart his motivations. He is also quite charming and as likeable as any confirmed rogue can be, given he is not quite as ruthless as some criminals you read about can be and does have a certain level of loyalty and morals to draw on, albeit of a different caste than those of us who are law-abiding citizens. Reading it can me an interesting moral dilemma since I found him quite likeable in parts.
The destinations covered – Brazil, West Africa, Europe, USA – are all well drawn and fascinating. In found the parts describing West Africa particularly riveting as it is not a part of the world you often read about and is one of the remaining truly undemocratic and lawless parts of the planet left. I have family who work in oil, on the legitimate side, so it was especially interesting to me to see the dark side of this industry.
The writing is fairly straight forward, written as if he is just telling the story, and without frills but I think that makes it all the more immediate and compelling. It jumps around from country to country and time to time so you have to pay attention to start with so as not to get lost and the pace is extremely fast, sometimes leaving you breathless. There were parts which were skimmed over and I didn’t quite get to grips with why certain things happened but overall it was well written and really gripping and fascinating.
I felt very sorry for his wife and wondered why she stuck it out so long, especially with the small children but we’d have to read the story from her perspective to understand that. I was glad it ended the way it did, but I was left with one question – Is the container still resting on the seabed in Alaska and does the book with its co-ordinates in still exist? Could he be tempted to go back and retrieve it? That’s another story.
It was very refreshing to read a non-fiction memoir for a change and as they go, this is a goodie. It would appeal to fans who enjoyed The Wolf of Wall Street or Catch Me If You Can and I would highly recommend it for something a bit different.
Honestly, I was gripped from start to finish just because I could not believe that this is the way some people live. The book explores a world of criminals, smugglers, bandits, corrupt officials, dictators, con artists, double crossers and every other type of scoundrel you see in the movies but struggle to believe exist in real life, but the author spent his youth consorting, in fact leading, such people in the pursuit of the fortune and lifestyle he’d dreamed of having during his difficult and impoverished childhood in Canada and it is utterly compelling, It reveals in bald detail a world that is totally alien to most of us; a world filled with private jets, yachts, Swiss bank accounts and apartments in Rio on one hand, but also squalor, danger, bribery, corruption, being held at gunpoint, repeated arrest, constant fear of death and finally a long period spent in prison and the US legal system. If you ever want a morality tale, this is it, and an entertaining one to boot.
The author, who writes in the first person and hence is the main character, is what my granny would have called ‘ a rascal’ who is out for a fast buck and even millions in the bank is not enough to make him stop his pursuit of more, even given the huge risks he is taking. In fact, I would say the adrenalin rush he gets from the danger, and the sense of satisfaction he has from spotting an opportunity and making the most of it is as important to him as the money. Any psychologist, amateur or otherwise will have a field day picking apart his motivations. He is also quite charming and as likeable as any confirmed rogue can be, given he is not quite as ruthless as some criminals you read about can be and does have a certain level of loyalty and morals to draw on, albeit of a different caste than those of us who are law-abiding citizens. Reading it can me an interesting moral dilemma since I found him quite likeable in parts.
The destinations covered – Brazil, West Africa, Europe, USA – are all well drawn and fascinating. In found the parts describing West Africa particularly riveting as it is not a part of the world you often read about and is one of the remaining truly undemocratic and lawless parts of the planet left. I have family who work in oil, on the legitimate side, so it was especially interesting to me to see the dark side of this industry.
The writing is fairly straight forward, written as if he is just telling the story, and without frills but I think that makes it all the more immediate and compelling. It jumps around from country to country and time to time so you have to pay attention to start with so as not to get lost and the pace is extremely fast, sometimes leaving you breathless. There were parts which were skimmed over and I didn’t quite get to grips with why certain things happened but overall it was well written and really gripping and fascinating.
I felt very sorry for his wife and wondered why she stuck it out so long, especially with the small children but we’d have to read the story from her perspective to understand that. I was glad it ended the way it did, but I was left with one question – Is the container still resting on the seabed in Alaska and does the book with its co-ordinates in still exist? Could he be tempted to go back and retrieve it? That’s another story.
It was very refreshing to read a non-fiction memoir for a change and as they go, this is a goodie. It would appeal to fans who enjoyed The Wolf of Wall Street or Catch Me If You Can and I would highly recommend it for something a bit different.
July 1, 2019
Chasing Black Gold
ROBERT STONE was a serial entrepreneur – an enterprising individual, mostly on the wrong side of the law, who spent twenty-five years operating all over the world, before being arrested in Switzerland as a result of an international manhunt led by an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Over the course of his career, Stone earned and lost several lifetimes’ worth of fortunes, went to prison on three continents, used dozens of aliases, saw men die, and masterminded one of the biggest marijuana smuggling operations in criminal history. Fuel smuggling in Africa, trading fuel with generals, rebels and businessman, was both his career high and, ultimately, what brought him down.
Purchase Links:
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/pub...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Blac...
https://www.waterstones.com/book/chas...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chas...
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Black-...
https://www.ebooks.com/1974661/chasin...
Author Bio:
Author Robert Stone first came to Aberdeen Scotland in 1973 as a pioneer saturation diver in the early dangerous days of the North Sea. Retiring from diving in the mid 80’s he became a serial entrepreneur –mostly on the wrong side of the law. He spent the next decade operating businesses all over the world from his Aberdeenshire home.
Stone earned and lost several fortunes, went to prison on three continents, used dozens of aliases, and masterminded one of the biggest marijuana smuggling operations in criminal history. Fuel smuggling in Africa, was only one of his many exploits.
His Scottish wife and young children knew nothing of the dark side of his life until the day they were all arrested in Switzerland as a result of an international manhunt led by an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Twitter - https://twitter.com/rstonecbg
Twitter https://twitter.com/TheHistoryPress
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thehistorypr...
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thehistoryp...
Giveaway – Win 10 x signed copies of Chasing Black Gold (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
I did post this before the actual blog tour. Theres also a give away at some point in this post. I'm not going to put it at the bottom, so you cheeky bloggers will have to check my post 🤣
For two decades Robert Stone made his living on the high seas. A modern-day pirate, he was a pioneer saturation oil field diver, involved in fishing, treasure-hunting and, more than anything else, smuggling, which brought him more money than he knew how to spend. Stone spent the last ten of his smuggling years in Africa, where he traded in illicit fuel. The murky waters of the Niger delta were his place of business as he operated in the most corrupt regime in the world, a place ruled by money and guns. Protected by the military, he bought diesel directly from refineries and sold his black cargo to legitimate and illegitimate businesses all over the world, making millions of dollars in the process until his smuggling empire came crashing down thanks to a friend’s betrayal and the US law enforcement. Chasing Black Gold is the incredible true story of Stone’s African fuel smuggling adventure. It is a tale straight out of Hollywood, one which throws the reader into a world where suitcases full of millions in cash are flown around the globe on private jets, where the corrupt practices of Third World governments and military regimes must be mastered, a world of numbered bank accounts and countries of convenience where living under false IDs and money laundering are all in this book.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?
This book should be put on a Hollywood film makers desk and make this into a movie.
I was lucky enough to receive this book of the author himself, which I'm really grateful for. This is an impartial and honest review.
This book isn't usually a genre I'd read, but from the start of this book I couldn't put it down. The book is very fast paced and may have you a bit confused at the start, but once you get to know the characters it all falls into place.
I don't condone crime but the story sounded amazing, and what a life he must have had. But with everything in life the higher you climb the harder you come crashing down to earth.
The characters were really well written and makes you think your actually there in the action.
The places this man has been and where he's travelled will have you in awe. He's had houses, boats and everything else you can think of. He's been around the world many time's and always goes back to his favourite place back in Scotland.
We look through the world through a different set of eyes. We all think it's cookies and rainbows (I couldn't think of the saying 😂)
This book opens your eyes to the world where nobody wants to think is actually going on. I think anyone can pick up this book and get lost in it. I couldn't add anymore without giving way parts of the book.
I'd give this book 4/5 and highly recommend it.
If your ever on twitter come over and say hello 👋 @yesmoreblogs
ROBERT STONE was a serial entrepreneur – an enterprising individual, mostly on the wrong side of the law, who spent twenty-five years operating all over the world, before being arrested in Switzerland as a result of an international manhunt led by an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Over the course of his career, Stone earned and lost several lifetimes’ worth of fortunes, went to prison on three continents, used dozens of aliases, saw men die, and masterminded one of the biggest marijuana smuggling operations in criminal history. Fuel smuggling in Africa, trading fuel with generals, rebels and businessman, was both his career high and, ultimately, what brought him down.
Purchase Links:
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/pub...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Blac...
https://www.waterstones.com/book/chas...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chas...
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Black-...
https://www.ebooks.com/1974661/chasin...
Author Bio:
Author Robert Stone first came to Aberdeen Scotland in 1973 as a pioneer saturation diver in the early dangerous days of the North Sea. Retiring from diving in the mid 80’s he became a serial entrepreneur –mostly on the wrong side of the law. He spent the next decade operating businesses all over the world from his Aberdeenshire home.
Stone earned and lost several fortunes, went to prison on three continents, used dozens of aliases, and masterminded one of the biggest marijuana smuggling operations in criminal history. Fuel smuggling in Africa, was only one of his many exploits.
His Scottish wife and young children knew nothing of the dark side of his life until the day they were all arrested in Switzerland as a result of an international manhunt led by an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Twitter - https://twitter.com/rstonecbg
Twitter https://twitter.com/TheHistoryPress
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thehistorypr...
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thehistoryp...
Giveaway – Win 10 x signed copies of Chasing Black Gold (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
I did post this before the actual blog tour. Theres also a give away at some point in this post. I'm not going to put it at the bottom, so you cheeky bloggers will have to check my post 🤣
For two decades Robert Stone made his living on the high seas. A modern-day pirate, he was a pioneer saturation oil field diver, involved in fishing, treasure-hunting and, more than anything else, smuggling, which brought him more money than he knew how to spend. Stone spent the last ten of his smuggling years in Africa, where he traded in illicit fuel. The murky waters of the Niger delta were his place of business as he operated in the most corrupt regime in the world, a place ruled by money and guns. Protected by the military, he bought diesel directly from refineries and sold his black cargo to legitimate and illegitimate businesses all over the world, making millions of dollars in the process until his smuggling empire came crashing down thanks to a friend’s betrayal and the US law enforcement. Chasing Black Gold is the incredible true story of Stone’s African fuel smuggling adventure. It is a tale straight out of Hollywood, one which throws the reader into a world where suitcases full of millions in cash are flown around the globe on private jets, where the corrupt practices of Third World governments and military regimes must be mastered, a world of numbered bank accounts and countries of convenience where living under false IDs and money laundering are all in this book.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?
This book should be put on a Hollywood film makers desk and make this into a movie.
I was lucky enough to receive this book of the author himself, which I'm really grateful for. This is an impartial and honest review.
This book isn't usually a genre I'd read, but from the start of this book I couldn't put it down. The book is very fast paced and may have you a bit confused at the start, but once you get to know the characters it all falls into place.
I don't condone crime but the story sounded amazing, and what a life he must have had. But with everything in life the higher you climb the harder you come crashing down to earth.
The characters were really well written and makes you think your actually there in the action.
The places this man has been and where he's travelled will have you in awe. He's had houses, boats and everything else you can think of. He's been around the world many time's and always goes back to his favourite place back in Scotland.
We look through the world through a different set of eyes. We all think it's cookies and rainbows (I couldn't think of the saying 😂)
This book opens your eyes to the world where nobody wants to think is actually going on. I think anyone can pick up this book and get lost in it. I couldn't add anymore without giving way parts of the book.
I'd give this book 4/5 and highly recommend it.
If your ever on twitter come over and say hello 👋 @yesmoreblogs
August 1, 2018
Money is not the root of all evil, it’s the love of money that can distract you and lead you into some pretty shady and dark places.
That’s how a teenage boy who ran away from home—after decking his high school vice principal—at 15 to find adventure as a commercial diver ended up on the wrong side of the law for decades. Distracted by gold chains, fancy watches and an abundance of women, young Robert Stone was seduced into drug smuggling for the first time.
He was a millionaire by the time he was 17.
This memoir is fast-paced, intense, and detailed. Stone doesn’t absolve himself of wrong-doing, nor should he. But he and his friends are not the only criminals here. Were it not for rampant and widespread corruption in governments and police agencies, this book would have been a lot shorter! HA!
Stone doesn’t strike me as ruthless or hard-core, but that’s the type of people he was involved with on both sides of the law. I believe it was not only his entrepreneurship but also his enthusiasm for the game that drew people to him. Robert Stone made millions of dollars and lost them in a blink of an eye. But a change of name and a new operation and he’d do it all over again.
I am in awe he lived through most of his business dealings and being incarcerated on three different continents.
Without a doubt, Stone’s best asset was his late wife, Linda. She may not have known what she was getting into, but Linda Stone was no shrinking violet. If she was as strong as Stone writes her here, he would have been wise to heed her counsel.
Hard-hitting, Chasing Black Gold is an intriguing read on one man’s life of crime. Stone has not prettied it up. Some scenes are gritty and the language is graphic, but for me, those things worked to pull me into the story. True-crime readers, and lovers of crime fiction and suspense should take this adventure.
Enjoy!
That’s how a teenage boy who ran away from home—after decking his high school vice principal—at 15 to find adventure as a commercial diver ended up on the wrong side of the law for decades. Distracted by gold chains, fancy watches and an abundance of women, young Robert Stone was seduced into drug smuggling for the first time.
He was a millionaire by the time he was 17.
This memoir is fast-paced, intense, and detailed. Stone doesn’t absolve himself of wrong-doing, nor should he. But he and his friends are not the only criminals here. Were it not for rampant and widespread corruption in governments and police agencies, this book would have been a lot shorter! HA!
Stone doesn’t strike me as ruthless or hard-core, but that’s the type of people he was involved with on both sides of the law. I believe it was not only his entrepreneurship but also his enthusiasm for the game that drew people to him. Robert Stone made millions of dollars and lost them in a blink of an eye. But a change of name and a new operation and he’d do it all over again.
I am in awe he lived through most of his business dealings and being incarcerated on three different continents.
Without a doubt, Stone’s best asset was his late wife, Linda. She may not have known what she was getting into, but Linda Stone was no shrinking violet. If she was as strong as Stone writes her here, he would have been wise to heed her counsel.
Hard-hitting, Chasing Black Gold is an intriguing read on one man’s life of crime. Stone has not prettied it up. Some scenes are gritty and the language is graphic, but for me, those things worked to pull me into the story. True-crime readers, and lovers of crime fiction and suspense should take this adventure.
Enjoy!
November 11, 2017
I didn't really want to like this book. I always feel that people should never profit from their crimes and that includes writing memoirs about them, no matter how long after the event or how much they seem to have repented. Though thankfully this book was a gift so it wasn't my own money being given to the author.
That said, the book is quite good. Absurd at times, yes but fast paced, exciting and a whirlwind to read from start to finish. I'm not sure I quite believe all the anecdotes told by Stone (some artistic license perhaps) but they make for entertaining reading. As a person, Stone seems hard to like. He is arrogant, misogynistic and downright immoral at times but you still end up rooting for him. He's done wrong no doubt but he has also had wrong done to him and for the sake of his wife and kids you read on in the hope that he gets back to them.
All in all, an entertaining and out of the ordinary book that is worth reading. Just wait until someone buys it for you!
That said, the book is quite good. Absurd at times, yes but fast paced, exciting and a whirlwind to read from start to finish. I'm not sure I quite believe all the anecdotes told by Stone (some artistic license perhaps) but they make for entertaining reading. As a person, Stone seems hard to like. He is arrogant, misogynistic and downright immoral at times but you still end up rooting for him. He's done wrong no doubt but he has also had wrong done to him and for the sake of his wife and kids you read on in the hope that he gets back to them.
All in all, an entertaining and out of the ordinary book that is worth reading. Just wait until someone buys it for you!
September 19, 2018
This was an amazing story of Robert Stone's life, of drug and fuel smuggling, of gains and losses. This story would make a 5 star movie!
July 22, 2018
Review to follow on blog tour
May 7, 2020
High tempo hijinks in crime and foolhardiness across the continents colored the better or perhaps, the more foolish part of Robert Stone's adventure years. Operating in heavily corrupt and dangerous locales, he still found a way to thrive, albeit by sacrificing some of his conscience in the process.One wonders what he could have done if he applied himself in more meaningful pursuits.
An object lesson on the futility of illegality. The money just does not add up when the cost is family, freedom and peace of mind. Best thing I've read in I don't know long.. Great pick. You can learn a few conceptual shenanigans to get you on the path to becoming the next Rob Stone, or maybe pick up the real lesson that this work of art conveys, EVERYTHING CATCHES UP WITH YOU, SOONER THAN LATER.
An object lesson on the futility of illegality. The money just does not add up when the cost is family, freedom and peace of mind. Best thing I've read in I don't know long.. Great pick. You can learn a few conceptual shenanigans to get you on the path to becoming the next Rob Stone, or maybe pick up the real lesson that this work of art conveys, EVERYTHING CATCHES UP WITH YOU, SOONER THAN LATER.
October 3, 2016
Actually 4.5 stars.
If you ever wanted to know how the life of the people who created fortune for themselves by means of illegal trading....this book is for you then.
A well written, well drafted and well narrated true story of Fuel Smuggler in Africa.
If you are considering this book, trust me and just go for this one. You surely won't regret reading this.
In case you want to know more about the book visit: http://the-empty-pages.blogspot.in/20...
If you ever wanted to know how the life of the people who created fortune for themselves by means of illegal trading....this book is for you then.
A well written, well drafted and well narrated true story of Fuel Smuggler in Africa.
If you are considering this book, trust me and just go for this one. You surely won't regret reading this.
In case you want to know more about the book visit: http://the-empty-pages.blogspot.in/20...
October 20, 2016
Got this as a Goodreads Giveaway. Liked that the story was completely different to what I normally read. Had the map out looking for some of the locations. Will pass it on.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews