Most of "The Testament" by John Grisham takes place in Brazil. One of the little gems in the book is the description of the "despachante" - which I now realize we have used several times - here is the description from the book:
"a personal dispatcher, expediter, buyer, or
runner. No official document is obtained in Brazil without waiting in long
lines. A despachante knows the city clerks, the courthouse crowd, the
politicians, and the customs agents. He knows the system and how to grease it
to get things done. The job requires a quick tongue, patience, and a lot of
brass. For a small fee, a despachante will obtain permits and passports or do
your voting, banking, and mailing - the list has no end. No bureaucratic
obstacle is too intimidating. A ‘despachante de aduana’ will assist you with
imports, exports, and transportation involving customs houses. Some of the
services of an honest despachante may seem fraudulent by U.S. standards, but
acceptable by Brazilian standards. The services of an unscrupulous despachante
may seem fraudulent even by Brazilian standards.”
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