AGENT AGENTS ASSISTANT_PORT_DIRECTOR_VEGA CBP_OFFICER HSI_AGENT OFFICER OFFICER_ANGULO OFFICER_DEAN OFFICER_DIERLAM OFFICER_EVANS OFFICER_GARCIA OFFICER_LASKA OFFICER_MARROQUIN OFFICER_MARTINEZ OFFICER_MCCANTS OFFICER_TORRES POLICE_DISPATCH PORT_DIRECTOR_RODRIGUEZ PRODUCER SPECIAL_AGENT_NICK SUPERVISORY_OFFICER_PACHECO SUPERVISORY_OFFICER_SOLIS SUPERVISORY_SPECIAL_AGENT_MATT SUSPECT TRAVELER

OFFICER GARCIA
[speaking Spanish] Good day.
OFFICER GARCIA
Proceed to the x-ray, okay?
TRAVELER
Okay.
OFFICER GARCIA
The shipment's coming in from deep inside of Mexico.  Not, not from the border.  And it's going, I think it's going all the way to Miami.  He was surprised that I was sending him to x-ray.  Like he has never gone or he wasn't expecting to be sent to x-ray.
OFFICER MARTINEZ
There's only a few boxes on the front, and "by a few," I mean like two, maybe three.  Why would you have just a couple of small boxes at the front of a, of a trailer.  A full-sized trailer.  That's gonna have to go in and be looked at.
CBP OFFICER
Open up one of these boxes, make sure these products look good.
CBP OFFICER
Oh, wow.
CBP OFFICER
It's, it's a bomb.
CBP OFFICER
Let's start moving people away from this area.

CBP OFFICER
We have a suspicious package.  Please do not allow traffic until we call you back.  Thank you.
CBP OFFICER
Ten-four.  You got it.
PORT DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ
At this point, as you can see, this whole area is cordoned off.  The fire department has an Incident Commander on site.  The bomb squad, they'll make an assessment and they will take it from there.
CBP OFFICER
Hello, how are you doing?
TRAVELER
Good, sir.
CBP OFFICER
Stuff like that's alarming, man.
OFFICER
Yeah, it is.  We're just gonna x-ray it real quick.  Yeah.
CBP OFFICER
Yeah.
CBP OFFICER
Thank you.
ASSISTANT PORT DIRECTOR VEGA
That officer that's walking up there right now, he's gonna take some images using an x-ray system that they have.  And once they get that, they're gonna have to bring it back and get it developed inside their mobile, mobile unit.  So it does have a battery in it.
OFFICER
A smaller battery.
OFFICER
It's gonna of look dark.
OFFICER
I don't know, I don't really see the darkness.
OFFICER
It's ceramic.
OFFICER
It's part of the clock.
OFFICER
There's a signature.
OFFICER
It's in the back.
PORT DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ
It's got a signature in the back?
PORT DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ
Okay, hold on.  Let's do this.
OFFICER
Which way?
OFFICER
Just by the looks of it, it looks like it's gonna be some art.
OFFICER
The clock is still at the same mark.
OFFICER
When we got the picture, so.
PORT DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ
Yeah.  Yeah.
OFFICER
It's all clear.
PORT DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ
We really appreciate you guys coming out here.  So the art, it turned out to be nothing.
PORT DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ
But it can be a little scary.  Yeah, we're all clear.  We can open up again.  All right?  Yes, ma'am.  Now that the bomb squad has given us an all-clear, this shipment is gonna be ready to be released here pretty soon.  We'll have some conversations with the importer of how he can assist us in the future if he continues to import this type of material.  Our job as frontline officers is we need to make sure that everything is coming into the country and it's safe.


SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Keep coming.  Keep coming.  Keep coming.  Where are you guys coming from?
TRAVELER
Cairo.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Atlanta's one of the biggest transit hubs of the United States.  What'd you guys do while you were there?
TRAVELER
Sightseeing.
TRAVELER
A lot of pyramids.  A lot of museums.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Went sightseeing?  All right, have a good day.
TRAVELER
Thank you.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Thank you.  Sixty-five percent of the passengers that come in here internationally, go somewhere else.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Sir.  [speaking Spanish] Passport?  [speaking English] You live here?
TRAVELER
I'm in Salt Lake City.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  Do you have another flight going there?
TRAVELER
Yeah.  Hopefully.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay, all right.  Have a good day.  Go straight down this way.
TRAVELER
Thank you.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Most of the drugs that are here in Atlanta, they're distributed throughout the United States.  So we look at good routes.  Usually, we're not busting down the big cartels.  We're looking at single passengers.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
These are my, my last few days actually working here at the port.  And I'm kind of like taking the step to another direction, going to a field office.  The equivalent to a civilian where it'll be corporate.  Where you're running more programs that influence the ports.  So I wanna work a little extra hard to be more successful, to go out with a bang.  Young lady, can I see your passport, please?  You're going to Virginia?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Who lives there?
TRAVELER
My godson.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  How long are you gonna be staying for?
TRAVELER
Until the 20, the 30th of November.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You've been here before?
TRAVELER
No.  First time.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
First time?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
All right.  Come with me this way.  We're gonna go through your bags real quick, okay?  I'll take this one for you.  So there's two reasons why I like her.  One, said she was coming for her first time and I can see that she actually was here last trip.  And then, also her bag.  Bright purple.  I tell you how many times we hit on purple bags?  That's the ones I like more.
OFFICER
Why do you think that is?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Because it's the cheapest thing in the store.  Nobody wants a purple bag.  So they buy ten of them, load 'em up, and say, "Oh, you're going?  Here, take this bag."  More than you, more than you know.  Okay, all of these bags are yours?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Everything inside belongs to you?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
All right.  So you said you're coming to stay with your nephew?
TRAVELER
No, godson.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Godson.  How old's your godson?
TRAVELER
Thirty, around thirty-three, thirty-four.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How long has he lived here?
TRAVELER
More than 12 years now.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh, yeah?  Who paid for your trip to come?
TRAVELER
My godson.
OFFICER MCCANTS
What is this, ma'am?
TRAVELER
That is.
TRAVELER
Seasoning for the food.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh, that's curry.  I smell it from here.
OFFICER MCCANTS
I smell it.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Food items is a, is a big concealment.  We've seen stuff hidden in a lot of places.  Anything with powder, any kind of canned goods, any kind of food item, any kind of perishables.  If you think about it, it's been done.  Who's doing the cooking?
TRAVELER
Me.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Ah.  You come to visit and you gotta cook?  When my mom comes to visit, she don't wanna to cook.
TRAVELER
I like cooking, so.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Ah.  What's your favorite dish to make with curry?
TRAVELER
Indian food.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Yeah?  You're gonna make some while you're here?  Ah, you're gonna spoil everybody.  Everything seem legit.  Can you close it up for me, please, sir?  Thank you.  You have kids?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Where are your kids?
TRAVELER
One in Chicago.  So I went to Chicago.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You went to Chicago?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
So it's not your first time?  Okay.  Okay.  She kinda like, told me why she was here last time.  I guess it kinda slipped her mind.  Here's your passport.
TRAVELER
Thank you.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  Have a good day.
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Stay warm.  We didn't find any contraband, nothing that wasn't allowed, so we let her go.  That's it.  On to the next flight.

SPECIAL AGENT NICK
We're going out to the City Heights area.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Do a little bit of a directed patrol, right?  Under Operation Fastball.  We looked at some of the overdose data.  It looks like that area has a fair amount of overdoses going on, so I think it's a good place to do a little bit of surveillance.  Getting the word out that there's resources and then also trying to stop some criminal activity, stop some drug smuggling activity.  Any questions?  All right.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
We're probably one of the largest task forces in San Diego County.  We're made up of a handful of different agencies.  We target areas throughout the county that, essentially, there's either like a lot of drug activity going on.  And we're just trying to see if we can make something happen.

SPECIAL AGENT NICK
In San Diego, it is fairly simple for people to come by illicit fentanyl.  We have a very strong, steady supply of it from Mexico.
CBP OFFICER
Oh, jackpot.
OFFICER ANGULO
It's fentanyl.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Our goal is to limit the number of fentanyl overdoses in San Diego County.  And we see something that a lot of places don't see.  What we see is we see a lot of people who are, essentially, smuggling for themselves.  If I'm a drug user, I can purchase fentanyl in Mexico.  So I think that is accelerating the fentanyl problem, specifically in San Diego.  And the end result is, is overdose deaths.  Sometimes with these street operations, it's just kind of the nature of, of the beast, right?  Just sitting out here, seeing what people are up to.  I kinda just wanna see what this dude in the gray sweater is up to, 'cause he definitely handed that, that guy in the jacket.  We'll see where gray sweater guy goes, what he's doing.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
He's got something in his hand too.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
What it might be?
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Oh, he's got the foil in his hand.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
All right.  We're gonna, we're gonna contact him.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
What's up, man?  You got that foil in your hand.  What are you doing?
SUSPECT
I was trying to throw it away.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
You dropped it right there, dude.
SUSPECT
I, I.
SUSPECT
I don't do fentanyl.  I just do weed.  That's it.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Well, I didn't say fentanyl.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Okay, do me a favor.  Just turn around real quick.  Can you put your hands behind your back?
SUSPECT
Yeah.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Okay, you're not under arrest.  I'm just gonna check for any weapons, okay?
SUSPECT
No, I have, I have nothing.
SUSPECT
I swear to God.  Just weed.  That's it.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Okay, relax, dude.  Relax.
SUSPECT
That's my weed.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
All right.  Well, you can have that.  It's California, man.  All right.  Thank you, sir.  So, do me a favor.  Have a seat.  Before you go, we work for a team called the Fentanyl Abatement and Suppression Team.  So our job is to try and, and stop fentanyl problems in San Diego County.  This right here is, is an outreach card.  If you or anybody you know has a problem with fentanyl, all of this stuff over here is resources.  It's phone numbers you can call, it's websites you can go to.  And they can do things like get people housing, temporary housing.  They can do things like harm reduction, stuff like Naloxone, fentanyl test strips, stuff like that, okay?
SUSPECT
Okay.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
So hang on to this.  You are free to go.  Thanks for being cool with us for a little bit.
SUSPECT
Yep.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
All right?  And no more burnt tinfoil, dude.
SUSPECT
Okay.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
All right?  We took the opportunity to give him a little bit of resources and that's it.  So, he's free to go.  
PRODUCER
Any chance of a pee stop?
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
We can jump in this right here, and see if they've got a bathroom.  It looks like there's three people just kinda sitting here in front of the store.  They're just kinda digging around in their stuff and talking to each other.  And it looks like one of the guys is maybe handing a piece of paper over to the female there on the left.  Hey, I just saw a hand-to-hand.  Okay, guys, we got IDs?
SUSPECT
I have, uh…
SUSPECT
I don't have one.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
You don't have one?  Okay.  Can you hand me that little piece of paper, my dude?
SUSPECT
There is some meth in there.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
You said there's a little bit of meth in there?
SUSPECT
Yeah.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
All right.  And is this what you handed him?
SUSPECT
Yeah.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Yeah?  Okay.  And the rest of the meth is in your purse?
SUSPECT
Yeah.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Yeah?  Okay.  I saw you take it out, that's why I'm asking, you know?  Is there anything else in your purse that you shouldn't have?
SUSPECT
No.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Okay.  Is it okay if I look and make sure?
SUSPECT
Yeah, take it all out.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Okay.
HSI AGENT
Do you have anything in your shoes?
SUSPECT
Oh, no.
HSI AGENT
This is out the female's purse.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
It looks like methamphetamine.
HSI AGENT
Do you have another bag in there?  I'll grab it.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Have you guys been arrested before?
SUSPECT
I'm supposed to go to court.
SUSPECT
I do have a warrant out.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Okay, you do have a warrant?  Can you stand up real quick for me?
SUSPECT
Yeah.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Can you put your hands behind your back?  Just 'til we figure out what's going on.  So far, we have a little bit of the, what I'm fairly certain is meth.  I saw her hand that to him.  And then we also have the ball of methamphetamine in her wallet there, so.  We'll do some records checks.  Go ahead.
HSI AGENT
Your subject has no bail.
POLICE DISPATCH
Your second subject comes back all around negative.
POLICE DISPATCH
Your female subject comes back all around a negative.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
Ten-four.  Thanks.  I'll be back on primary.  Black sweater has a armed-and-dangerous parole warrant.  He's taking a ride to central.  The female here, she's gonna end up taking a ride to jail for the furnishing of meth.  That gentleman there, the one that we saw her hand the meth to, it's a user amount, so he'll end up just getting a citation.
SPECIAL AGENT NICK
When it comes to F.A.S.T. and how we attack fentanyl kind of on this full spectrum, some days we go after the, the large bulk vehicle loads of, you know, thousands of pills, hundreds of pounds.  And some days, we're out here chasing, you know, grams.  Now that drug use is what's causing people to die.  So they're all kinda equally important, when it comes to trying to stop overdose deaths, when it comes to trying to stop this cycle of addiction and drug use in our communities.  So, successful so far.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How are you doing?
TRAVELER
Good.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You two together?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Family?
TRAVELER
My son.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Here you go.  All right.  Just go straight down.  You're fine.  This flight just came from Kingston, Jamaica.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Jamaica is a hotbed for narcotics.  Come through.  Come through.  I'm looking for people who either have unexplained travel, short trips, a lot of trips.  If we see anything that stands out for us, we're gonna be taking them, we're gonna be escorting them down, and we're gonna be going through their bags downstairs.  Hello.  How are you?
TRAVELER
Not bad today.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You live here or are you coming for a visit?
TRAVELER
Coming for a visit, sir.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How long will you be staying?
TRAVELER
Just three weeks.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Where are you gonna be staying?
TRAVELER
Milton, Connecticut.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Who lives there?
TRAVELER
My friend.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
And how long are you gonna stay with her?
TRAVELER
How long?  Pardon?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How long are you gonna stay with her?
TRAVELER
Three weeks.
TRAVELER
I'm staying for.
TRAVELER
I'm spending, Thanksgiving with her.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How long did you stay the last time you were here?
TRAVELER
Two weeks.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
All right.  Just do me a favor.  Come this way.  She seems super-nervous, snapping her lip a lot.  Every question I asked her, she was pausing, couldn't have good, direct eye contact.  So we're about to grab her bags and see if there's anything interesting.  All right.  Okay.  You have no other bags?  That's it?
TRAVELER
No.  Just, just packing for three weeks.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh, okay.  Short trip.
OFFICER
You ever been to Connecticut before?
OFFICER
Or is this your first time?
TRAVELER
No, not my first time.
TRAVELER
The last time I was here, I was in Atlanta here.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You stayed in Atlanta?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
And how long did you stay for?
TRAVELER
Just only two weeks.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How long ago?
TRAVELER
Two or three weeks.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Two years ago?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Only two weeks?  And you stayed for how long?
TRAVELER
Uh-huh.  For how long?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Yeah.
TRAVELER
In Connecticut?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
The last time you were here.
TRAVELER
I just spent a little time.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Now and then, you know, we come into people who are coming to visit the U.S. and sometimes their intentions aren't just to visit.  They may be coming here to work.  Okay.  So was it two weeks or was it more than two weeks?  As long as you're honest, you'll be fine.
TRAVELER
It was more than two weeks, to be honest.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
About, about how long?
TRAVELER
About a month or so.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
A month?  Or like three months?
TRAVELER
But I, I'm just here only at my friend's.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Are you sure?  She had traveled here before and she had a little bit of a lengthy stay.  She wasn't really forthcoming with it right off the bat.  Okay.  Here's your purse.  He's gonna take you over to another room real quick, all right?  Some other officers are gonna have a conversation with you, all right?  My main mission is looking for narcotics, looking for bad players and so, we'll have the guys over there talk to her.  And if all she did was come to visit, she's gonna be good to go.  But if she came here and she was, she was working, then it's probably gonna be a problem.  Her visa will probably be canceled and she'll be sent back to her country.  So the next load is the next passenger, you know, so.  We're gonna move on and just keep on working our other flights.


OFFICER TORRES
Hello, sir.
TRAVELER
[speaking Spanish] Good afternoon.
OFFICER TORRES
[speaking Spanish] How many are there?
TRAVELER
[speaking Spanish] Twenty-seven including me.
OFFICER TORRES
[speaking Spanish] You are going to move up a little bit.
OFFICER TORRES
And you know the process.  Remove everything.
OFFICER TORRES
When it comes to processing the buses, as soon as they arrive here at the port of entry, every single traveler exits the bus.  And once the, their bus is examined, they go ahead and wait in a waiting area.  Z-portal, are you up?
OFFICER
Ten-four.
OFFICER TORRES
We have a bus heading your way.  Every single bus that passes through this port of entry is scanned by the x-ray machine.  I see some square objects located from the middle of the-the bus floorboard area, all the way towards the end of the bus.  And that's definitely not supposed to be there.
OFFICER TORRES
This bus may be loaded.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

OFFICER DIERLAM
There seems to be, like, some anomalies underneath the seats, so we're just right now, at this point, accessing areas that we can access without damaging the vehicle.
OFFICER DEAN
Anything in here?
OFFICER TORRES
Let's look in there.
OFFICER TORRES
We've actually had several buses that have had narcotics.  Ranges from cocaine to meth.  We've found them in the floorboards, on the side of the buses, within the walls.  If anything, we're looking up higher, right?
OFFICER DIERLAM
Yeah.  So I just wanna get a better check underneath.
OFFICER TORRES
Now I'm trying to get these screws to get loosened up, but they're pretty tight on here.
OFFICER TORRES
Let me see if there's anything in there.
OFFICER DIERLAM
I wonder if it's this beam right here.
OFFICER TORRES
The beam that's causing that?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER SOLIS
It's the support where the, where the, where the seats go.
OFFICER TORRES
You can see, this layer right here is good.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER SOLIS
Yeah.  Here's your anomaly.
OFFICER
Good eye.  Good eye.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER SOLIS
So, the anomaly is the actual support on the seats, that are made differently than we're used to.
OFFICER DIERLAM
Oh, yeah, yeah.  That makes sense.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER SOLIS
You have it here.  You have it here.  There's nothing here, here, here, and here.  It's only there.  So we're good to go.  We're done.  The bus will get all the passengers in and get it down the road, so they don't have to wait anymore.
OFFICER TORRES
You can't get them all, right?  So, you just keep trying until a narcotic seizure pops up on you.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
My last day coming to work here at the airport.  I'm not gonna go that far away.
OFFICER EVANS
We've been together for a few years, before this port.  Talking about in New York.  He got stuck between two pillars, and that was the funniest day.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh, she's taken a picture.  She's gonna bring that up.
OFFICER EVANS
I have a picture.  So funny.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Seven years ago, she still talks about it, so it's good.
OFFICER EVANS
Yes.  So funny.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Memories.
OFFICER EVANS
Yes.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Hopefully, today is the day we get a load.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
We're waiting on a flight coming from Ethiopia that actually stops in Dublin.  It's a good flight for us.  It's a big transit route for a lot of the other, Middle East and all the other countries over there.  The main thing we're looking for is we're looking for narcotics.  Most likely, we're looking for heroin.  How are you?  How are you doing today?
TRAVELER
All right, how are you?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Traveling by yourself?
TRAVELER
Nah, I got a friend behind me.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  All right, there you go.
TRAVELER
Thank you.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Thank you.  How are you doing, young man?
TRAVELER
I'm doing pretty good.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Traveling alone?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  What countries did you visit on this trip?
TRAVELER
Ethiopia.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Any other countries?
TRAVELER
No.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You traveled.
TRAVELER
I've been, I've been to China.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
On this trip?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
So how long were you gone from the United States altogether?
TRAVELER
Almost 45 days.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh, okay.  Okay.  Just do me a favor.  Just hang out over here for me, please?  Thank you.  We have six people up here.  So we're about to head down for further examination.  Follow.  This one guy, he went, like, all the way to China.  There's a hot route from Ethiopia going to China for drugs.  Also, they are producers of fentanyl too, right?  So if he was in China, what was he doing in China?  Right over here, sir.  Put your bags right up here for me, please.  Okay.  All of these bags are yours, right?
TRAVELER
Yes, sir.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  So you said you were in China.  How long were you there?
TRAVELER
Twelve days.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Twelve days.  What were you doing in China?
TRAVELER
Just visiting the expo.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
The World Expo?  Okay.  So which part of China did you go to?
TRAVELER
Guangzhou.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
What kind of expo was it?
TRAVELER
The Canton Fair, basically.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
The Canton Fair?  What's this?
TRAVELER
That is a.
TRAVELER
It's a powder.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
What kind of powder?


SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
We're scheduled to meet with a known area drug trafficker, who's scheduling to meet with an undercover.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
And he will deal for fentanyl pills.  We're, uh, getting ready to go get set up.  In today's specific operation, this particular offender has reached out to an undercover agent who is posing as a significant drug trafficker.  The undercover agent will actually be the one who's furnishing the pills to this individual, who is supposed to show up with a large amount of cash.  This type of reverse operation is one of the more dangerous that law enforcement and HSI use.  But sometimes the only way to lure out those most prolific drug traffickers is to insert themselves into their supply chain at a relatively high level.  We have this particular individual identified and engaged in undercover communications to meet at a parking lot.  Hey, Jim.  Go ahead and radio in when you guys are set.
AGENT
Loud and clear.
AGENT
I'm set up.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Once the undercovers have heard from the subject that he's on his way and he's agreed to the meeting location, we anticipate he'll arrive here in a white Alfa Romeo with possibly one other individual.  And we will take it from there.
AGENT
The U.C. is in the parking lot.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Ten-four.  All right, location is hot and the subject is en route.  There's a white Alfa Romeo.  It's occupied with two adult males.  Looks like it's backing in.
AGENT
The driver looks like and S1.

SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Ten-four.  The U.C. said they're in two cars with one other individual in a Mercedes.
AGENT
Actually, Mercedes looks like it just pulled in.
AGENT
Yeah, I see it.
AGENT
Looks like it's occupied by one.
AGENT
Yeah, that's it.
AGENT
All right.  It just, it looks like they're parking.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Driver from the Alfa Romeo is out, walking towards the direction of the U.C. wearing a black hoodie with, it looks like, a white hat.
AGENT
He's looking around quite a bit, but he's not, he's not too spooked.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
The passenger from the Alfa Romeo is stationary for now.  So there's one individual in the Mercedes now, one individual in the Alfa Romeo, and one individual's interacting with the U.C.  Let's just hold and see what unfolds.  All right.  The U.C. negotiated a price and we're looking at, approximately a 50,000-pill deal.
AGENT
Ten-four.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Door of the Alfa Romeo is open.  The passenger is out.  They're staring right at us.  Hold on a second.  Break, break, break.  Can we have the cameras down?  Put the cameras down.  Here.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
S2 is staring right at us.
AGENT
[inaudible] one who moves slow just right there.

SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
He's meeting with another guy in the Mercedes.
AGENT
Head on a swivel.  He's looking all around.
AGENT
S2's at the Mercedes.  S3 is making his way back now.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
He's coming around your side.
PRODUCER
He just looked at you.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Did he?
PRODUCER
Yup, he looked right at you.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
S3 is getting in the Alfa Romeo.  S2 is in the Mercedes.
AGENT
Mercedes is pulling away at a high-rate of speed.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Looks like S1 is back, looking down at his phone.  Possibly texting.
AGENT
S1 is on the move.
AGENT
Back in the vehicle.
AGENT
That's it.  Alfa Romeo is out.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
They burned surveillance.
AGENT
Okay.  Ten-four.
AGENT
The U.C.'s away.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
We're gonna move just so we're outta here.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
So the U.C.'s gonna depart the scene and reestablish communications with the subjects in the hopes that we can get a, another location for a meet.  As with anything, with these undercover operations, things change and what you plan for to happen doesn't always happen.  So we just gotta be flexible.
AGENT
All right, Alfa Romeo's back.
AGENT
Mercedes pulling in.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
That sounds like both vehicles have met back up in the, in roughly in the similar area.
AGENT
U.C. is on site.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Our undercover was able to make communications with the main subject.  And seems like they've made an agreement to move forward with the drug exchange.
AGENT
Surveillance will be staying static.
AGENT
Do not move.  Do not get yourself burned.
AGENT
Driver is out of the Mercedes.
AGENT
S2 is out of the Romeo.  They're both talking.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
So the U.C.'s discussing the drug exchange.
AGENT
Now.  Now.
AGENT
Moving in.
AGENT
Now.  Now.  Now.

OFFICER MARROQUIN
That's bowling balls.

OFFICER MARROQUIN
We normally process anywhere between 2,200 to 2,600 trucks a day from any part of Mexico.
OFFICER MARROQUIN
[speaking Spanish] Here you go.  Thank you.  All right.  Thank you.  Have a good day.  [speaking English] They usually bring produce, automotive parts, and parts for appliances.
OFFICER MARTINEZ
The tractor looks good, the floor and the trailer, but when we come over here to the reefer we have this anomaly here.
OFFICER MARROQUIN
Yeah, send it into a dock, you know?
OFFICER MARTINEZ
Have it looked at.
OFFICER MARROQUIN
'Cause I'd like to do a better close inspection.
OFFICER MARTINEZ
Okay.  Find out what's really there.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Give me one minute.  I'm gonna use our Gemini equipment.  I just wanna see what this stuff is.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
This guy has got a bunch of stuff that looks kinda suspicious, so we're gonna run some tests to, to see if any of this stuff comes back positive for narcotics.

SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
It's starch.
TRAVELER
Yeah.
TRAVELER
Bag full of starch, yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay, you can pack that up.  All right, sir.  Here's your passport.
OFFICER
Hey, yo.
OFFICER EVANS
Why are you so nervous?  No need to be nervous.  We're just checking your bags.
TRAVELER
Because a lot of police here.
TRAVELER
I don't know what's going.
OFFICER EVANS
Say that again.
TRAVELER
A lot of police here.  I don't know what's going on.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
What you got?
OFFICER LASKA
So this was a package that someone gave him there.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh.
OFFICER LASKA
To ship to someone here.  That's, like, his whole story and I'm just, like.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
It's a suspect thing.  It could be meth.  I mean, they're making meth over there now.
OFFICER
We're gonna be testing it to see what it is.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Negative.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
It's just soap.  Even though all the stuff that we tested in his bag is coming back negative, we have to follow our instincts and what we're seeing in front of us.  This guy is really nervous.  He really doesn't have good, explained reasons for why he's traveling with this stuff.  He doesn't know where it's going to.
OFFICER LASKA
We're gonna be conducting a pat-down to make sure you have nothing concealed on your body, okay?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
The story is not making much sense to me, so we're gonna take him inside.  We're gonna search his body and talk to him a little more in depth to find out what's going on with him.
OFFICER
Turn around and spread your feet apart for me.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
OFFICER
Take off your shoes and give them to me.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
So they're just searching his body to make sure there's nothing dangerous or anything hidden on his body, real quick.

OFFICER
No issues.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
All right.  How are you doing?
TRAVELER
I'm fine.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You're doing okay.  You live here in the U.S., right?
TRAVELER
Yes.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
All right.  Tell me about your trip.  How long have you been gone from the U.S.?
TRAVELER
Huh?
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How long have you been outside of the United States?
TRAVELER
Six months.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
So you're family lives in Chad?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
But you're not from Chad?
TRAVELER
No.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
You're from, originally, from where?
TRAVELER
Sudan.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Sudan?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  And why is your family in Chad?  Did they leave?
TRAVELER
Refugees.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Refugees?
TRAVELER
Yeah, refugees.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
How many years in Chad?
TRAVELER
Like almost.
TRAVELER
Twenty years.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Oh, so a long time?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
TRAVELER
Haven't seen my wife in long time.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Uh-hmm.
TRAVELER
So that's why I go over there.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
So you went back to go spend time with your wife?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Are you trying to get her to come here?
TRAVELER
Yeah.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Okay.  Let's talk.  I think he's good to go.  He's not, like, usually they're gonna look away or they're gonna, like, like, I think he looked pretty chill.
OFFICER
He seems to be.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Looks pretty chill.  As long as you're good with it, I'm good with it.
OFFICER EVANS
I'm good, I'm good.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
All right.  Everything that he's telling me seemed, you know, pretty straightforward.  As far as narcotics go, he's clear for us.  We, we have, we have no other interest in him.
OFFICER LASKA
Are you good?
OFFICER EVANS
Uh-hmm.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
This is my last interview inside the room.  Yeah, starting Monday, I mean, I'm moving on to another position.
OFFICER LASKA
You can pick up all your stuff and I'll show you now the exit, how to exit out.
SUPERVISORY OFFICER PACHECO
Always a good day when my guys are all working together.  Everybody's working for the same common goal, right?  We're all here trying to, trying to find something, find the next smuggler.  I'm one of those guys who's been doing it the longest here.  So I think it's, it's good to have someone to lean on to, right?  Whether I'm here or not, they can always lean on me.  It's not a problem.

AGENTS
Individuals in custody.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Block traffic, please.  Let's just get these cars parked on the side and then we'll get them out.  We'll get towing arranged.  All right.  Pat these guys down and get them cleaned up.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
So both cars were stopped.  The white Mercedes and the white Alfa Romeo.  Both cars have evidence within them, so we're gonna arrange for tow for the two vehicles.  As you can see down here, we have the proceeds from the drug transaction on the floorboard here of the Mercedes, in this kinda zipper bag.  The drugs are at a separate, secure location and those are gonna be transported down for processing.  Okay.  Go ahead and pull up the transport vehicle and we'll walk 'em both up to you.  The suspects in custody here are gonna be taken for interviews, processing, and eventual booking into jail.  We're headed to the San Ysidro Port of Entry.  The plan is to start gathering and processing all of the evidence so we can make sure that the U.S. Attorney's Office gets everything they need to prosecute these offenders.

OFFICER MARROQUIN
Right now let me check the, the reefer unit.  Just to see if there's any tampering.
OFFICER MARROQUIN
If it's loaded, they might add like a GPS tracking device on the, on the unit itself.  But in this case, everything looks normal.  There's no tampering, no GPSs around.
OFFICER MARROQUIN
The anomalies are in this specific area.  So I'm just gonna make some holes just to see if, if we hit something.  There's a crystalized powder.  I don't know if it's a, a part of the, the Styrofoam.  But we need to remove the paneling so we can inspect the actual unit from the inside.  Oh, yeah.  It's loaded.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
OFFICER MARTINEZ
Turns out it's quite a load, huh?
OFFICER MARROQUIN
Yes.

OFFICER MARROQUIN
This is the last, the last one.  All right.
OFFICER MARTINEZ
We think, because of the makeup of the packages, might be cocaine, but we're not sure.  So we have to verify what we have here.  So we've got the narcotic in a secured container for our own protection.  It takes very little for this Gemini to detect.  It doesn't have to put just a few grains on there really and this thing will, analysis in progress.  Cocaine.  It's positive for cocaine.
OFFICER
We'll weigh it.
OFFICER MARROQUIN
We extracted 25 bundles of cocaine, weighing 28.88 kilos (63 pounds).
OFFICER MARROQUIN
The subject was escorted to Hidalgo Port of Entry for our withdrawal.  We're gonna be seizing his tractor, the trailer, and he's gonna be sent back to Mexico.


OFFICER MARROQUIN
For us, doing our job is a feeling of, of safety for the kids.  To get those drugs off the street, it feels really good.


SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
These are the fentanyl pills that the defendant took possession of.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Now, they're needed for evidence to show that in fact during this law enforcement operation, the defendant took possession of these specific pills and he intended to take them and distribute them.  These particular drugs were previously seized during a separate law enforcement operation and we're repurposing them for use to get more criminals.  We find that using real drugs with real markings, real packaging saves us the, you know, the need to doctor up something fake when we can use the bona fide thing during undercover operations.  This was the bag that was recovered from the vehicle.  We're gonna go ahead and remove the funds that were recovered.  Ultimately, money that's seized during the, the process of a criminal investigation is held by Customs and Border Protection.  And then it goes through an administrative judicial process to determine whether the money will ultimately be forfeited after the investigation is over.
SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
I counted $13,040.  Through asset forfeiture, we were able to seize vehicles.  The value of the cars is still yet to be determined but we're looking at over a six-figure seizure today alone.

SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Today, we were fortunate to be able to take significant drug traffickers off the streets who traffic fentanyl pills in at least the tens of thousands.

SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT MATT
Our unique location here on the southern border, and one of the busiest drug trafficking corridors in the world, means that some of the most significant players operate here.  Those significant offenders are really the reason why fentanyl is as pervasive as it is.  So by taking out that critical link in the chain, we're able to hopefully have an impact.  Not only just locally, but nationally on this crisis.