“Why did the flag help?” I asked once. Pawel Kazmierczak/Alamy Hitchhiking in Poland “was like a rite ... “The two countries have always been friendly, there’s even an old proverb ...

“When other countries see a vessel flying the Polish flag and [it’s] suspected to be involved in drug trafficking, they basically have no one to authorise them to board it,” said Garsan ...