Saeed Yare is a dollar multi-millionaire and I am not. The difference between us: I am but a lowly writer and he is a pirate.

Being a pirate has always had its downside throughout history, chief among which is being hanged for treason. But piracy also has its upsides, as Saeed Yare found out after he joined up with Somali pirates about two years ago.

“It is not an easy job being a pirate. You gamble with your life, but I enjoy being a piracy tycoon,” said Yare, wearing flashy suit.

He then went on to say: “The piracy business is like a presidential seat, you don’t want to give it up once you taste its sweetness. A friend of mine died in the recent navy operation — but he left one million dollars!” I think a slight oversight he’s making here is that the guy is also dead.

Yare says he made $2.4 million dollars last year. “I spent some of the cash on weapons, private bodyguards, luxury cars, trucks, a boat and three villas. And I still have enough to use until another ship is hijacked.” Isn’t it nice to know that even in these tough economic times, people always find a way?

He started out as a humble drug dealer, selling “knat”, but he has now made himself a fortune in the piracy biz. I do love the entrepreneurial spirit.

Yare not only hijacks, but also invests. In 2009 he invested $80 000 dollars and made a massive profit from the venture, so he stuck to his guns, as it were.

But it’s not all glitz and glamour for this rapscallion of the high-seas, there’s also a soft side to the loveable rogue: “We give residents $200,000 whenever a ship is freed to enable them cope with the changing life. This amount goes to them through local officials such as clan elders.”

Watch out Bill Gates, there’s a new philanthropist in town.

[Source : Reuters]