AIRPORT_EMPLOYEE BELLINO BOWLES CBP_OFFICER CBP_just_called ELIAS ENID FINN FRED_RIZZO HSI_OFFICER MOLONEY NARR NUGENT OFFICER PASSENGER RAMIREZ REDPATH SCAFFA SINATRA SUSPECT SUSPECT_BLACK_SHIRT SUSPECT_GRAY_SHIRT SUSPECT_PLAID_SHIRT TARPEY WOMAN WONG

NARR
On this episode of To Catch a Smuggler…

NUGENT
I got eyes on him, you see him walking down? He thinks he’s slick.

RAMIREZ
Ooh, we got coke all over the place here.

NUGENT
It’s our job to go after the bigger organization. We want to work all the way to the top.

TARPEY
If we make a call and record it tonight and we arrest people, we’re in court tomorrow with all of you.

BOWLES
Did you swallow anything today?

SUSPECT
No sir.

BOWLES
Yes sir.

ELIAS
It’s coke.

BELLINO
Coke.

BOWLES
Its coke. We’ll place him under arrest for the importation of a controlled substance into the United States.




NARR
At New York’s JFK Airport, millions of dollars of contraband are seized every year. 

NARR
And officers with the Department of Homeland Security work around the clock to stop this flood of illegal goods and drugs into the country.

BOWLES
Hold on. Stop.

WONG
I want to get to the bottom of this.

Latucca
It’s not the truth, stop saying to me you’re telling me the truth. 






FINN
CBP’s role is to stop people trying to commit terrorist acts, we stop people who try to bring drugs into the country.

FINN
I see a plane sitting out there, I don’t know if it’s our plane, but…

FINN
Pretty much anything and everything you can think of that is illegal, people will try to smuggle it.

FINN
Just keep your passports out guys, thank you.

FINN
From the time the plane’s door opens to when they pick up their bag, that’s our one window.

FINN
That’s it, we don’t get it there, they’re gone.


RAMIREZ
It looks like white powder inside the bag, it looks like cocaine. We’re gonna bring him into the back room and then we’re gonna search him and place him under arrest.

RAMIREZ
Oh, oooh, we got coke all over the place here. (Bleep).

RAMIREZ
It actually broke on me and powder started coming out and he goes, “Oh I don’t know about those drugs in there,” so made it kinda easy on me.

FINN
He said I don’t know about those drugs are there?

RAMIREZ
Yeah.

FINN
Nice. Good job.

RAMIREZ
Thanks.

CBP OFFICER
Let me get a, uh, evidence bag for the…

RAMIREZ
…for the coke.

CBP OFFICER
Yeah.

BOWLES
How old is the kid, how old is he? How old are you?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
18.

RAMIREZ
Do you want to call the agents or do you want me to call?

BOWLES
I’m calling PD, call the agents.

RAMIREZ
I’ll go do that, okay.

BOWLES
My first impression of him is he doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation. It’s almost a joke to him. But realize he’s eighteen years old, he’s gonna take the full weight of the law for this one. He’s not a minor.

RAMIREZ
Again, we’re gonna call these ICE agents okay, they’re like detectives. They’re gonna come talk to you. 

RAMIREZ
Whatever you want to tell them, you tell them. Okay?

MOLONEY
Well, we just received a call that an 18-year-old kid came into Kennedy Airport, he was carrying cocaine, he was smuggling in cocaine.

MOLONEY
The case starts here at JFK, at the airport, but ultimately it doesn’t stop here, you know, those drugs are going to someone and we want to find out who they’re ultimately going to.

NUGENT
Did they say which flight this guy came off from?

NUGENT
Our whole purpose is to stop this stuff, you know to stop kids from being poisoned by this stuff, families being destroyed.

MOLONEY
Our job as investigators is to take the case from CBP. They turn the subject and all of his possessions over to us and then it’s now our job to investigate it further.

RAMIREZ
It’s about a half a kilo of cocaine in his bag, in the lining of the bag.

MOLONEY
Is he traveling with anybody?

RAMIREZ
Nobody knows he’s coming, no phone number.

MOLONEY
Does he have a phone?

RAMIREZ
No phone.

MOLONEY
No phone. Okay. And he wants to talk?

RAMIREZ
He seems willing to cooperate.

MOLONEY
Alright, let’s talk to him.

NUGENT
Let’s talk to him.

RAMIREZ
Alright, Chris, these are the agents I told you about. They’re gonna talk to you, okay?

NUGENT
Hey how are you doin’?

MOLONEY
How ya doin’, Chris?

NUGENT
I’m Special Agent Nugent, this is Special Agent Moloney.

NUGENT
You said that you did a previous trip. How did it go, how did it go down? What did you do, same thing?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Okay, when I got out I called my friend Esteban right there on the phone. And then he called the people, like I said. And then...

MOLONEY
Esteban was in the DR at the time?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Yeah, yeah. And he said to go to my house and then he would send somebody over there to pick me up.

NUGENT
Okay, that’s the address you have on your deck right there?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Yeah.

MOLONEY
Do you remember his name?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
The guy, which one, you lost me.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
The one who picked up the drugs.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
The one that was really, that was supposed to...

NUGENT
Yes, that really picked up the drugs.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
I think his name was Alex, I’m not sure.

MOLONEY
Do you have a last name?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
No.

MOLONEY
When you brought the drugs in the first time, do you remember when it was? 

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
It was July 15.

NUGENT
Of this year? 

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Yeah.

MOLONEY
Alright, so let’s get this straight. You came here, right? You were supposed to call Madeleine, right? In Corona. You were supposed to go to Madeleine’s house. She would then call Esteban in the DR, right?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Yeah.

MOLONEY
He would then let Pedro know, who is also in the DR. Pedro would then call...

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Over here.

MOLONEY
U.S. contacts and that’s who’d ultimately pick up the drugs at Madeleine’s house?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
And then I would get the money there.

MOLONEY
Okay.

NUGENT
Hang tight Chris, we’ll be right back.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Can I use the bathroom or no?

MOLONEY
Yeah, in a minute, we’ll be back in two minutes, alright?

FRED RIZZO
We’ve been here awhile. This guy could have been in Corona already and probably should have been, right?

TARPEY
Plus Madeleine is an intermediary.

NUGENT
Yes, exactly.

TARPEY
If she was getting the package that would be another story.

FRED RIZZO
Maybe with the phones and the...

MOLONEY
Yeah.

NUGENT
Yeah, no we got it. He’s got plenty to give us. But you know. Let’s go.

NUGENT
He’s admitted that he was being paid $5,000, he admits that he did prior trips, he admits that he knows other people in this organization. 

NUGENT
As far as that, he’s, you know, he’s done, but it’s our job to take it further.

TARPEY
We want to develop the cases here and arrest people. These are serious crimes and we want to arrest these people. If you help us in the investigation that’s gonna help you, too. But what we want to get out of that is a phone call with them on the phone...


MOLONEY
Talking.

TARPEY
...admitting that they are going to pay you for doing this.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Well.

TARPEY
Do you understand what I’ve said to you? 

TARPEY
If we make a call and we record it tonight and we arrest people, we’re in court tomorrow with all of you.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Would I last long alive because wouldn’t they like kill me or something inside there?

MOLONEY
No, you’re not getting killed in prison. Don’t worry about that.

TARPEY
It’s up to you guy, do you want to make the call?

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
Yeah, yeah, I’m gonna use the bathroom and I might just think about it for like five minutes, then I’ll let you know.

TARPEY
Alright.

NUGENT
It’s difficult making this call, we like to get another person right away. 

NUGENT
A fast moving investigation is usually a good one, but at the same time if you turn around and get the wrong person here, you show your hand. And then the investigation can be dead in the water.



REDPATH
When someone arrives at John F. Kennedy Airport they have to go through immigration, that’s the first step.

OFFICER
Follow me.

REDPATH
If there are any issues, they’ll meet an officer like myself.

REDPATH
So he says he’s that he’s here to buy computer parts.

REDPATH
We have a gentleman here from Nigeria who is actually stating that he’s here to do some kind of purchasing...computer parts. 

REDPATH
He’s traveling with about $100 on him. If he’s here to buy computer parts…

REDPATH
Mr. Udom.

REDPATH
...that’s kinda funny that he doesn’t have the money to make those purchases.

REDPATH
Basically it’s just a question, why is he really here? Is he doing other things? Is he working while he’s here?

REDPATH
You’re currently employed?

PASSENGER
In Nigeria? No I resigned.

REDPATH
You have resigned. Okay, so when did you resign?

PASSENGER
May or June.

REDPATH
May or June, okay.

REDPATH
And you’re traveling with a hundred dollars and you’re here for four weeks.

REDPATH
Do you buy cars, too?

PASSENGER
Yeah.

REDPATH
You buy cars, you buy computers, you buy power washers.

PASSENGER
Yeah. Many of the time, all the old things there, I sell them.

REDPATH
Do you have any business transactions, any paperwork to show what kind of business you’ve done?

PASSENGER
I have it in my diary.

REDPATH
Do you mind getting it for me?

REDPATH
I’m really trying to get him to explain, to give me more information that would say yes, that is what he’s here to definitely do.

PASSENGER
This is electric motors, wheelchairs.

REDPATH
You do wheelchairs, too?

PASSENGER
Yeah.

REDPATH
These are pictures. I can print these off the computer myself. I’m talking about receipts.

PASSENGER
No. These are for me to buy. No.

REDPATH
Receipts, business receipts. You’re not clearing it up for me. You realize your story is almost unbelievable to me right now.




NUGENT
Let me ask you something Chris, there’s nobody else on that flight that you knew, right?

SUSPECT
They didn’t tell me, the guy only took me so…

NUGENT
Okay.

SUSPECT BLACK SHIRT
If there was, I would have told you, trust me.

NUGENT
Alright…so…we’re gonna walk in the airport now. I don’t think anybody from that flight is still here, but I just want to make sure…that you didn’t recognize anybody, right?

NUGENT
We decided not to make any phone calls. We felt as though we could get more out of him, our individual, by taking the information and following it up rather than calling.

NUGENT
If we call you always risk that you’re gonna blow it up, that they’re gonna realize that he’s in custody and that he’s also talking.

NUGENT
This case is far from over. This case is just beginning.

FINN
The kid’s saying that there’s supposed to be more couriers coming on the next flight from the Dominican Republic, which is on approach right now. 

FINN
We got our guys on high alert...we’ll look for another load of drugs.

***** BREAK 1 *****



NUGENT
Our investigations are never focused on just one person. 

NUGENT
With HSI, Homeland Security, it’s our job to go after the bigger organization. We want to work all the way to the top. 

NUGENT
We want to cause enough chaos that they are not able to function, or if they try to function, then they’re making mistakes.

FINN
We have some intel from HSI that a gentleman coming from the Dominican Republic might be coming with a bag that has some cocaine inside of it.

AIRPORT EMPLOYEE
Okay, everybody clear.

FINN
We’re gonna go up to the gate, identify the gentleman, follow him down, hopefully he picks up a bag that does have cocaine inside of it and we’ll be making a seizure tonight.

FINN
Have your passports out please.

MOLONEY
What we know right now is that our subject coming in off the flight is connected to the first guy we arrested.

MOLONEY
It’s his uncle.

SINATRA
Any bags checked in?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
No.

NUGENT
Actually, there’s more than a couple family members in this organization. It may not be that it’s their organization, but it could definitely be jumping in on the opportunity to make fast cash.

NUGENT
Right now we’re waiting for the subject. He’s in our immigration primary. 

NUGENT
Unfortunately there’s about a couple hundred people over there in primary, so it may be a little while, but it’s good because he won’t get nervous. Maybe he’ll think that, you know, that actually not think anything. Hopefully, he thinks he’s walking right through the airport. 

NUGENT
We’ll catch him over here at secondary, we’ll take him in the back and we’ll talk to him. Hopefully, if he is up to something no good, we’ll catch him off guard, he’ll be nervous and we’ll be able to see it.


REDPATH
I really need you to start telling me the truth.

PASSENGER
Just stop.

REDPATH
No seriously, look at me, am I laughing?

PASSENGER
No, you’re not.

REDPATH
Okay, this is not a joke.

REDPATH
We have a gentleman here from Nigeria who’s actually stating that he’s here to do some kind of purchasing, computer parts, to fix computers to send them back to Nigeria.

REDPATH
His story is just not making sense right now.

REDPATH
You opened a bank account with a U.S. address on it.

PASSENGER
It’s my girlfriend’s address.

REDPATH
Okay, so you have a girlfriend here in the United States?

PASSENGER
Yeah, I have.

REDPATH
So why didn’t you say that to me before? Does your girlfriend know about your business?

PASSENGER
Yes, she knows, she knows.

REDPATH
What’s your girlfriend’s phone number?

PASSENGER
My girlfriend’s phone number is…

REDPATH
Okay, you can have a seat, I’ll be with you in a minute.

PASSENGER
I was surprised, I didn’t believe that they could just be… trying to shut me down, you know? Trying to [expletive] me up.

REDPATH
Hi Jenny, I’m sorry to call you so late. This is Officer Redpath calling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection John F. Kennedy Airport.

PASSENGER
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security they want to do their job. Fine. They’re doing their job but, there are some things you have to ask…you know. I told you is wasn’t working, it’s not work.

REDPATH
Okay, so he’s coming here just to work for a while and then you’re gonna get married. Okay. Have a good night. Bye.

REDPATH
Apparently, this is his girlfriend who stated that he met her approximately seven months ago, that he was working here assisting a gentleman fixing computers for the public and was being paid to do so. So he’s already been working here and he’s coming back again to work here.

REDPATH
Mr. Udom, come on up here sir. I’m gonna give you one more opportunity to tell me why you’re really coming today, because I really am not gonna continue to go back and forth with you okay, because what you’re telling me doesn’t make any sense. 

REDPATH
Because your story has changed since I spoke to you over there the first time about just computers, then you added on computers and cars, cars and wheelchairs, wheelchairs and power washers and it turned into something completely different. 

REDPATH
I need the absolute truth, were you working here the last time you were here or at any time at all when you came to the United States, were you getting any kind of monetary benefit from any job that you do? And don’t explain, I don’t need an explanation. I need a yes or a no.

PASSENGER
I don’t work to get paid, to be sincere.

REDPATH
Okay, you’re not working to get paid, but if they give you money, you will take it?

PASSENGER
Yeah, I can’t resist it. A lot of them give me money.

REDPATH
How much money do they give you? That’s good that you have friends that give you money.

PASSENGER
Ten dollars sometimes $20.

REDPATH
Ten dollars? Who gives you ten dollars or $20?

PASSENGER
Friends that come around.

REDPATH
Friends that come, where do they come around, the repair store?

PASSENGER
Sweetheart I am telling you the truth.

REDPATH
I am officer sir, please.

PASSENGER
Sorry officer.

REDPATH
Thank you, you can have a seat.

REDPATH
They do that all the time.

REDPATH
It may not be a paycheck to them, it may not be a direct deposit into their account, and they may not consider it working, but being compensated for services provided is work.

REDPATH
Do you have a final determination?

REDPATH
That's a huge deal for us, we take that into consideration.

REDPATH
An overstay may be one thing, he never overstayed, but in a ten-month period he worked here, and he was compensated for it. That’s a violation of the terms of his visa.

REDPATH
Okay, Mr. Udom, based on the information that you gave me earlier, based on your answers to the questions in my statement, you will not be admitted into the United States today. And you will be barred from entering the United States for a period of five years from your departure.

PASSENGER
Five good years?

REDPATH
Five years, which is on Monday, your departure will be on Monday.

PASSENGER
You don’t want me to eat.

REDPATH
I understand. Basically what you did was a violation of the terms of your visa. Do you understand why this is happening?

PASSENGER
I understand. I don’t believe somebody as working.

REDPATH
Okay. But you do understand what the circumstances are?

PASSENGER
I understand you, that’s your law but for me I don’t believe I’m working.

REDPATH
But the decision has already been made. You understand, okay.





NUGENT
We are now an hour and a half since this plane landed. And we’re still waiting for the subject to come over to customs primary. So…right now, we’re still waiting.


MOLONEY
I think he’s definitely involved.

NUGENT
We know he’s involved, the question is whether he’s loaded? He doesn’t look nervous.

MOLONEY
No.

FINN
Where do you live?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Pennsylvania.

FINN
Pennsylvania?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Yeah.

FINN
How are you getting there today?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Uh, my brother.

FINN
You got his phone number?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
No, I don’t have the phone number for him.

FINN
How do you not have your brother’s phone number? How do you know he’s picking you up?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
He called me. He called me over there...

FINN
When did he call you?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
It was like, two days ago.

FINN
Two days ago? He just happened to call you?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Yeah, he told me that he was going to pick me up.

FINN
But you don’t live here, right?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
New York?

FINN
Well, Pennsylvania.

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Yeah, I live in Pennsylvania.

FINN
You wrote Florida here.

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Yeah, that was my brother’s house.

FINN
So, you don’t live there now though?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
No.

FINN
I don’t know about this. Sounds a little shady.

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
I cannot remember everything.

FINN
You don’t seem to be able to remember anything, not everything, let alone everything.

NUGENT
He didn’t even blink.

NUGENT
He definitely knows why he’s getting tossed.

FINN
How much money are you traveling with?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
No no.

FINN
Nothing? Zero?

FINN
Simon, what we’re going to do, is we’re going to bring you into a private room, we’re going to check your body, make sure you’re not carrying anything, okay?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Good.

FINN
Good?

(Laughter)

FINN
Can I see your phone? Let me see your phone in your pocket.

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
No, I got, I got...

FINN
Follow this guy. I got it.

RAMIREZ
Yeah, everything’s empty on this phone, bro. This phone’s shot.

MOLONEY
I guess we’ll dump it.

RAMIREZ
Okay. So you’re going to do that?

MOLONEY
Yeah.

RAMIREZ
Alright.

MOLONEY
There’s nothing on this phone. Contacts or anything, it’s like a brand new phone.

NUGENT
No, that’s called brand new SIM card.

MOLONEY
No, there is no SIM card in there.

NUGENT
Oh, so then that means he took the SIM card out.

MOLONEY
Right.

NUGENT
And he’s saved nothing in the phone. Who has a phone that has nothing in it?

HSI OFFICER
Does he have the SIM card on him?

MOLONEY
I’ll have to ask. There’s no SIM card in there.

FINN
What if you go outside and Luis isn’t there? What are you going to do?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
I’ll wait.

FINN
You’ll wait? How long are you going to wait?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
I don’t know.

FINN
And what if he never shows up? Are you going to live at the airport?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
I’m taking a cab service, or taxi.

FINN
Cab service? You got no money!

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Well, from over there pay me.

FINN
Who?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
My wife.

FINN
You think a cab is going to let you get in a car and you’re going to tell them, “Drive me to Pennsylvania and we’ll pay you when we get there?”

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Well, somebody have to do! 

FINN
Nobody’s gotta do it!

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
I cannot stay over here! You see I don’t have no coat.

FINN
I know, that’s the problem I have with what you’re telling me.

NUGENT
Right in here a SIM card would go.

MOLONEY
Nobody travels or carries a cell phone that doesn’t have a SIM card.

NUGENT
You know what he does have here? Did you check that? He left the memory card in.

MOLONEY
So what am I getting? Memory dump?

NUGENT
Looks like 100 maybe. Cable 100.

NUGENT
Customs and Border Protection Officers just took him to Customs and checked his luggage, anything that he had on him. Came back negative.  So they’ve taken him into secondary to talk to him a little bit more and see what he has to say. At this point, they know what’s up, he knows why he’s being pulled aside. Who knows, maybe if he’s not involved himself, he’ll be willing to give us information.

FINN
You need to start telling me things so I can let you walk out of this room, ’cause right now I don’t believe a word you’re telling me.




MOLONEY
Does he have a SIM card?

FINN
I can certainly ask him.

FINN
It’s kind of suspicious that this guy is traveling around with a cell phone with no SIM card...maybe he’s trying to cover his tracks, maybe he’s trying to protect himself or maybe he’s trying to protect the other people in the organization.

FINN
Where’s the SIM card for your phone? 

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
It was in the phone.

FINN
It was in the phone?

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
Inside of the phone.

FINN
It’s in the phone? It’s not there.

SUSPECT PLAID SHIRT
It’s not in the phone? Who take it out?

FINN
I don’t know.

NUGENT
His story is messy, he’s claiming he doesn’t know what happened to his SIM card, you know, there’s nothing in the phones and stuff, you know, we don’t know how he’s involved at this point so...

MOLONEY
Can’t do anything about this yet, we need a sim card.

FINN
You know we have a big problem with people bringing drugs from the Dominican Republic.

(Suspect in Spanish)

FINN
What?

RAMIREZ
He says what happened to Christopher.

FINN
Well, what happened with Christopher? 

(Suspect in Spanish)

FINN
What did he say?

RAMIREZ
He says that Christopher, he came through here and got caught with drugs.

FINN
How did you know?

(Suspect in Spanish)

RAMIREZ
He said because of him, now his family’s under…

FINN
Yeah, because I asked him, and I said, ya know we have a lot of problems when people bring drugs into the United States from the Dominican Republic and he said, “Yeah I know, like Christopher, that’s the, he did it.”

NUGENT
So he’s either totally clueless, or he just knows what not to talk about.

FINN
Yeah. 

FINN
Right.

MOLONEY
Is he worth talking to?

NUGENT
No, you know why, cause you’re not gonna get anything out of him, he’s playing dumb, or he’s just, you know, not near the circle of the group, he’s on the outs.

FINN
Put this back in your wallet.

FINN
Obviously, not everybody’s guilty and not everyone has what you’re looking for.

FINN
Good luck, okay. I hope your brother is still outside.

FINN
If the person is not giving you what you’re looking for, you have to know when to just cut your losses and say, okay, have a good day and move on to the person that may have what you’re looking for.

MOLONEY
It’s unfortunate that we didn’t pick up somebody tonight but at least we weeded another guy out.


BOWLES
Where is it Elias? 

ELIAS
There you go. Ninety percent of all criminals caught in New York wear Yankee hats.

PASSENGER
Can you please help me?

ELIAS
You’re gonna go right over here. Okay? Okay, sir.

PASSENGER
Thanks.

BOWLES
You said ninety percent of criminals caught in New York are wearing Yankee hats?

ELIAS
Ninety percent of the people that commit crimes in New York City that are wearing baseball hats are Yankee hats. Play the numbers.

ENID
Your only job when you travel is to tell me if I ask you what’s in your bags, you have to tell me. That’s all you have to do.

ENID
You have seaweed, kimchi? What do you have, what kind of food do you have?

ENID
If they already declared it orally, here, then it’s not a problem.

ENID
No meats, no fruits.

ENID
Just because they declared it does not mean they can keep it. 

ENID
This is a full duck with feathers. It’s not cooked. Uncooked duck no good.

ENID
There is no country that does not have something that we have jurisdiction over.

ENID
Can you come with me please?

ENID
Ma’am, did you pack your own bags?

PASSENGER
Yes.

ENID
So you know what’s in here? Okay. What’s this?

WOMAN
I got this on the plane.

ENID
It’s still food; you have to declare it. So I have to seize this from you.

ENID
I asked you what food you had. I asked you what food you had.

WOMAN
Okay. I have some pork. I never know. I could not carry.

ENID
Ma’am, is it food? 

WOMAN
Yeah.

ENID
You just have to say, yes, I have food. Yes, I have meat.

WOMAN
But I write it down on the paper and said yes.

ENID
And I asked you what kind of food, and what did you tell me?

WOMAN
Pork, I said pork.

ENID
You didn’t tell me until I opened this bag.

ENID
Ma’am, you cannot argue with me, alright.

ENID
Well, ma’am, because you didn’t declare, I have to open up all the packages now. And I need you to put this bag up here.

(Woman laughs)

ENID
Are we sure that was a roach? We do find roaches...they come crawling right out of the bags.

ENID
The reason why we take all the contraband is because they may be harbingers of bugs and pests and all kinds of fruit diseases or viruses in animals.

ENID
Want another roach folks? I don’t want to touch it, but...

ENID
And we don’t want that in the economy here. We have to explain that to people, but like beef coming in from England might have mad cow disease.

ENID
Ma’am, you’re getting a warning this time.

WOMAN
Yeah, thank you, thank you.

ENID
You’re welcome. But I want you, all this talking I did to you, did you learn from that?

WOMAN
I did, yeah.

ENID
So you’re not going to do that again? Okay, it’s alright.

ELIAS
We got a port runner. That’s pretty nasty. Mangoes aren’t allowed from Jamaica, but I guess roaches are. Go figure.

ENID
There’s no regulation on cockroaches.

ELIAS
No really?

ENID
They live in this terminal.

ELIAS
So he’s good to go.

ENID
And he’s going. He’s leaving us.

ELIAS
He’s DTR. Down the road. Unless we find something wrong with his paperwork.

MOLONEY
CBP just called us, they let us know another target is coming in from the DR.

NUGENT
This is good, but time is of essence.

MOLONEY
Possible loaded with cocaine, so flights coming in at 7 o’clock, so let’s see what we have.


NUGENT
Right now we’re waiting for the subject to come in. Hopefully, we got, you know, a 50/50 chance, I think, that he’s gonna...uh, that he’s going to be loaded. This may work out really great for the case.

MOLONEY
Today the subject was connected through that first courier that was arrested. We’ll follow him, we’ll do surveillance on where he’s going...who’s picking him up.

NUGENT
You don’t want to spook ’em to the point where if the suitcase is loaded, he may just leave it, leave it on the carousel and walk away. It’s much better when he claims that suitcase.

NUGENT
There he is. I got eyes on him. You see him walking down?

NUGENT
He thinks he’s slick.

MOLONEY
Bald guy.

NUGENT
Yep.

NUGENT
They got him. Light gray shirt and a vest.

BELLINO
Alright, you only got one bag?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Just one.

BELLINO
Okay, throw it up here...alright, this is your bag though, right? What did you go down to the DR for?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
To see my wife.

BELLINO
Your wife? 

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah. My wife and my kid.

BELLINO
Everything okay with the family?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah, my son is kinda sick.

BELLINO
Oh yeah, what’s wrong with him?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
He has asthma.

BELLINO
Do me a favor, just pile this in there? Alright, listen. I’m gonna take you to a private room real quick, I’m gonna search your outer body.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Alright. 

NUGENT
This is good.

BELLINO
Alright, put your hands on the wall and I’m gonna search your body, okay? Alright, so just like this, just like they do in the movies, just spin around like this.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Alright.

BOWLES
Bag’s clean, body’s clean, I’m gonna see if he has a phone, I didn’t ask him yet, but so far nothing.

NUGENT
Any…any…?

BOWLES
Pocket trash? Absolutely?

BOWLES
Whatsup? Where you comin’ from?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Dominican Republic, sir.

BOWLES
How long were you there, brother?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
For a month and three weeks.

BOWLES
For a month? 

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
For a month and three weeks yeah, a month and three weeks.

BOWLES
Where do you live?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Um. Over there?

BOWLES
Simple question.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Oh, I live in New York.

BOWLES
You do?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

BOWLES
Where do you spend most of your time? Here or there?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Here.

BOWLES
You sure?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
It’s just that I’ve been traveling more over there because my son is sick out there.

BOWLES
I’m sorry to hear that. What is wrong with him?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
He’s got asthma. He has a breathing problem.

BOWLES
You travel down there by yourself?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yes.

BOWLES
Is your son doing better?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah, he’s doing better thank God.

BOWLES
Where’s his mom, is his mom down there?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
She’s down there, yes.

BOWLES
You guys married?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Not by papers, but we live together over there.

BOWLES
Wait, you just told me you live here.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I mean, when I go over there, we’re together you know, but not like marriage on papers.

BOWLES
I got that part. You don’t spend most of your time over there?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Well, lately I’ve been traveling over there because of the child, he’s only three months old.

BOWLES
What’s your wife’s phone number? Huh, what’s your phone number at home in the DR?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
In the DR its 809, 968, let’s see 968. I’m not really good at memory, sir.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Let me see, can I check the papers for a sec.

BOWLES
It’s in this pile of papers somewhere?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

BOWLES
You sure?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah, yeah.

BOWLES
Nah, that’s all I got.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
It was one of these papers with the number.

BOWLES
Alright, if I see it I’ll ask you if it’s it. Have a seat.

BOWLES
Is there anybody here that I can speak to to verify your story?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Why, is something wrong?

BOWLES
No, we’re just talking.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Alright.

MOLONEY
Basically, right now we’re just, we’re gathering all of his pocket trash, which seems to have a lot of phone numbers. We’ll run the numbers and we’ll see what comes up.

NUGENT
They say he’s nervous, but I don’t think he’s real nervous, because he knows he’s not loaded.

MOLONEY
Right.

NUGENT
I think, but he knows something.

MOLONEY
I don’t need to copy all these, right?

NUGENT
Copy them.

MOLONEY
Yeah?

NUGENT
You never know if you get somebody else with the same stuff on ’em. Copy everything.

BOWLES
How are you getting home today?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
They are gonna pick me up, my sister.

BOWLES
What’s your sister’s phone number?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Umm…

BOWLES
How would you reach her if she’s not outside?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I’ll wait for her.

BOWLES
You gotta call her and make sure she’s still coming.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

BOWLES
So you don’t have a number?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No. 

BOWLES
Alright, what are you gonna do if she’s not outside?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I take a cab and go home and when I get over there somebody pays it.

BOWLES
How much money do you got on you?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I got $15 here and like 2,000 pesos.

BOWLES
And you don’t even know your sister’s number, right?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Nah.

BOWLES
That’s not good brother, we’re gonna be here a long time. You gotta give me something to go on. You gotta give me something. Be here all night.




BOWLES
Alright, you’re unemployed, you buy a ticket to come here, no income. That [bleep] don’t make sense to me.

FINN
Mr. Bowles is convincing, you know, when he’s interviewing someone, whether he’s maybe fibbing a little bit or telling the truths, whatever he says, that passenger believes.

BOWLES
Let me explain something to you. I’m asking you questions I already know the answer to. So if you’re [bleep] me, I’m gonna know it.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Oh no, I’m sorry.

BOWLES
I’m just letting you know where I’m at. I want to know where you are, that’s why I’m asking you questions, so let’s make it very clear. The second you tell me something that’s not true, I’m gonna know.

BOWLES
I asked you who’s picking you up, you said your sister. What she look like?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Uh.

BOWLES
That’s a simple question.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
She’s uh, black hair.

BOWLES
Black hair, go ahead.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Black hair, and um…

BOWLES
How old is she? She older or younger?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
She’s older.

BOWLES
Well, how much older? You ought to know that. How old are you?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
34.

BOWLES
So, how much older is she?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
About three years older.

BOWLES
Alright.

BOWLES
Like I said, I know just about everything I need to know about you and you’re lying to me.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No sir.

BOWLES
Yes, sir, you are lying to me. Out of all the people on that flight, I’m talking to you.

BOWLES
You know why you’re in this room? Do you have any idea why you’re in this room?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
Because you pique my interest. You pique my interest. When I get interested in people, I don’t really don’t stop.

BOWLES
Do you know what we do for a living here? I’m part of a specialized unit, me and my partner here.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

BOWLES
All we do is narcotics. All we do is drugs. All day, every day, for many years.

BOWLES
I don’t pretty much care about much else. I’m talking to you because I think you’re involved in narcotics smuggling. Matter fact, I know. I’m flat out telling you, I know.

NUGENT
He’s even admitting he doesn’t have money, like somebody’s paying for his trip. C’mon who just pays for your trip? They’re paying for his trip because he’s doing something for them.


ENID
Everything that’s in here goes into the grinding room and it’s ground down into the sewers. 

ENID
So the trick is to get everything out of our system, our ecology here, so there’s no bugs...nothing.

ENID
Looks like it’s something aquatic, but we figured out hearts of palm right. But I think they’re very pretty. Bye.

ENID
This is snake fruit from Indonesia. We’re not seeing anything moving, I’m very happy to say. 

ENID
And we throw a little ginger in, a little bit more fruit and you have the recipe for a wonderful salad. Tropical salad.

ENID
This is how you get it in from a Russian flight. They just have it like that. We get horse meat in from Russia, which isn’t allowed.

ENID
These come in from where, South America?

SCAFFA
Usually they come in from South America, yes, South America. Usually Ecuador.

SCAFFA
Found a bug. There we go.

ENID
That’s what we’re looking for.

SCAFFA
See?

SCAFFA
There’s an insect right there and that insect is not allowed in this country because that insect will turn into a beetle. This insect, this bug can cause the United States billions of dollars in damage.

SCAFFA
I mean, one day you can wake up and apples can cost five dollars a pound because an insect got in and that’s how much they cost and then there’s not enough apples left in the country.



BOWLES
There’s a few ways that people bring things into the country. It’s in your luggage; we checked your luggage we didn’t find it there. So on your body, we patted you down, made you remove your shoes, it’s not there. There is another way, have you heard of it, can you tell me about it?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
What’s the other way?

BOWLES
You don’t know? You don’t know. Alright. That wide eye look, I think you know.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Oh what, what do you mean, like the inside?

BOWLES
Oh yeah, on the inside. On the inside. I’m gonna ask you a question.

BOWLES
I’m gonna find out anyway whether you say yes or no. I’m gonna take you somewhere and I’m gonna find out anyway. 

BOWLES
Did you swallow anything today? Did anybody give you anything, did you willingly swallow something, put something in your stomach or for lack of another term, up your [bleep] to smuggle into the United States?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
You sure?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yes.

BOWLES
Not this time?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
Oh. What about last time?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I haven’t done it.

BOWLES
What about the time before that?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I haven’t done it, sir.

BOWLES
Never?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
So how we find out is you take an x-ray. You’re familiar with an x-ray, right?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

BOWLES
I can tell you what you ate, if you have some pellets in your stomach, if you got gas we’re going to see it, even if it’s liquid.

BOWLES
You don’t have anything else on you?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
Okay.

BOWLES
Let me explain a few things to you. If you do have something in your stomach right now and you admitted it, you told me, you’re a courier, you’re a mule. You’re just a tool they use to bring stuff into the United States. That’s if you to tell me.

BOWLES
If you don’t tell me and I find it later, the drugs are yours. I don’t give a [bleep] about anybody else, you become an international drug smuggler in my eyes. All the weight falls on you. All of it. There is no help me, it’s not mine, it’s this guys. I don’t want to hear it, it’s yours. Bottom line you take the full weight. Do you understand that?


***** BREAK 3 *****



BOWLES
Did you swallow anything today? Did anybody give you anything or did you willingly swallow something, put something in your stomach, or for lack of a better term, up your [bleep] to smuggle into the United States?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
You’re sure.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yes.

BOWLES
Not this time?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No.

BOWLES
What about last time?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
No, I haven’t done it.

BOWLES
What about the time before that?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I haven’t done it, sir.

BOWLES
Never

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Never.

BOWLES
I’m just asking.

BOWLES
Tell me no in the beginning, that’s fine, I expect you to, that’s your job. It’s my job to catch you.

BOWLES
Now, back up to the x-ray, I’m gonna give you a form, I want you to read it, can you read English?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

BOWLES
Alright, I want you to read it, make sure you understand it, and if you agree, sign it. Would you prefer Spanish?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Either way, I speak…either way.

FINN
Well, you gotta tell me, what’s better for you? 

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Let me get both. Let me get the English.

FINN
Can you read both? That’d be impressive. One language for each eye.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Alright, so what happens if I don’t want to take the x-ray?

BOWLES
I’m glad you asked. You still don’t leave, you don’t get to pass go. You stay here and there’s another path we take. We’ll get to that in a minute. Do you want to sign and take the x-ray?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Do we need all these cameras over here?

BOWLES
They’re following us unless you got something you want to tell me and you don’t want the cameras to see you.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Exactly.

BOWLES
I’ll ask them to leave.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Please.



BOWLES
I just started drilling, drilling, drilling until we got him to admit fifty-four pellets of cocaine. I love it when it comes together like this.

NUGENT
Nice, nice. That’s what I’m talking about. JFK CBP.

BOWLES
Alright.

MOLONEY
Fifty-four pellets?

NUGENT
That’s what he said. Fifty-four pellets, half a ki, just like the other guy. Five hundred grams.

MOLONEY
Awesome.

BOWLES
These guys are gonna come talk to you in a second. Just like you were honest and straight up with me, trust me, do the same thing with them. It will go a long way. Alright. How are you feeling?

NUGENT
It’s important that we get them medical attention, because especially with a drug like cocaine they could, if one of these pellets were to rupture, they could die instantly. At the same time we try and get some information, we do the best we can under the short circumstances that we have.

FINN
He wants to talk. He wants to help himself.

NUGENT
He’s ready.

FINN
We got to get him to the doctor soon.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
How are you doing, sir?

Kappauf
How you doing?

MOLONEY
We’re special agents with Homeland Security. You know why you’re here right? You brought drugs into the country.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

NUGENT
Joe, I just want you to understand, I want to be straightforward with ya, you’re not here by accident, there was a reason that you were pulled aside, okay?

MOLONEY
We know a lot more than what you think. You know, you can help yourself in this situation, you know, if you’re straightforward with us. Are you willing to waive your rights and to speak with us now, to cooperate with us without an attorney present?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I would love to, but I mean…

NUGENT
So it’s up to you but...

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Can I get an attorney then talk to you guys?

NUGENT
If you want to go that path, if you want an attorney then no, we can’t talk right now, then we’re done right now.

NUGENT
It’s a little bittersweet, you know, he asked for an attorney; that ended the interview. It would have been nice to get him to speak up and give us more information that we can run with. I mean, you know we may speak to him eventually, but for now, you know, it’s gonna slow it down a little bit.

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
I feel real sorry, but I did have to for my kid, for the money, you know.

FINN
I understand. Again, again, we’re not judging you.

BOWLES
We’re not judging you. We’re not. 

BOWLES
Alright, how are you feeling? I know you’re a little nervous, you okay?

MOLONEY
He is a ticking time bomb...

MOLONEY
We have to take him to the medical facility so he can get checked out by a doctor.

FINN
If a cocaine pellet opens up inside of you, there’s not much saving you.

FINN
Cocaine will kill the system right away, cardiac arrest, they’re probably done within minutes, seconds.

ELIAS
You’re gonna go up there, you’re gonna drop your pants, you’re gonna go to the bathroom, right?

SUSPECT GRAY SHIRT
Yeah.

ELIAS
On this machine.

BOWLES
That machine is what we call the uh the electric loo. It uh, as the person passes pellets or any foreign bodies it cleans them, sanitizes them as best as possible so the officer can handle them, get a small sample and test it and see what kind of narcotic it is.

BELLINO
He released seven pellets...one second, let him.

ELIAS
It looks like some kind of dark tape and then some uh, like cellophane over ’em.

ELIAS
Even though the guy said he swallowed coke...

BOWLES
Could be mixed up.

ELIAS
…we assume it could be mixed up, or you know… 

BELLINO
He doesn’t know.

ELIAS
Or we can’t really trust him or he really don’t know.

BOWLES
Or how about the ones that swallowed it and got duped and it’s absolutely nothing.

ELIAS
It’s blue, it’s blue. There it is, come on guys, it’s blue.

BOWLES
It’s coke.

ELIAS
It’s coke.

BELLINO
It’s coke?

BOWLES
Yeah, it’s coke. It tested positive for cocaine. We’ll place him under arrest for the importation of a controlled substance into the United States and let’s start the paper work.

BELLINO
Okay Joel, just wanted to let you know right now, you’re being taken under arrest for the importation of narcotics into the Unites States, okay?

BOWLES
After doing this for so long, you know, you can’t help but feel the human connection and a little bit of sympathy for them. I mean, he’s a grown man, down on his luck, he made a mistake.

BOWLES
He chose to swallow a controlled substance and attempt to smuggle into the United States. That’s his job. How I pay my bills is I try to catch guys like him.

FINN
I love catching drugs.

FINN
It’s always coming in, you know it’s always coming in and it’s that drive to look for it, it’s a hunt...knowing that there’s another one coming right behind it so get back out there...it makes you wanna come back the next day and do it again.