01x10 - Better Safe Than Sorry

[bunniefuu]

Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Agents have received reports

that privately-owned vessels

are being stolen

and used to smuggle cartel drugs.

Agent Rob and his crew are on the

lookout for a small cabin cruiser

reported missing just hours ago.

We're gonna be punching out.

We're using radar to find contacts

that are coming in from the Bahamas.

We have a storm cell to the north,

so we'll probably head up south.

The rough seas will test the skills of Rob

and agents Mike, Brittany and Todd.

It's not long before a cabin cruiser

matching the description

appears on the horizon.

Recreational boaters aren't normally

out in bad weather like this.

So, agents decide to take a closer

look for anything illicit.

- U.S. Customs! Where are we going?

- Home, the Bahamas.

- Bahamas? All right, all right!

- That's right.

- Where are you guys coming from?

- Bought the boat in Grant.

Okay. Any weapons on the boat

or anything like that?

- No, sir.

- Any knives or--?

Hey, sir, don't go in there.

- Hey, sir, just hang out.

- No, no, no, no.

The men say they just bought

the boat 100 miles up the coast

and are traveling on to the Bahamas.

It's a long journey in rough seas.

Agents are concerned they could be

using the weather as cover

to make a getaway.

Mike wants to see the occupants' papers,

so orders the vessel into calmer waters.

Why don't you take it in the inlet?

Take it nice and slow.

This boat matches the description

of the missing vessel

and their travel itinerary

fits the smuggling pattern.

- What do you think, are they nervous?

- Yep.

U.S. Customs!

They're non-compliant!

Non-compliant!

Go, go, go, go, go!

It's 3:00 a.m. on Cabo Rojo

on the west coast of Puerto Rico.

A spotter plane has sighted a fast

boat heading towards the island

from the direction

of the Dominican Republic.

Agents think

it could be carrying narcotics.

Vessel commander Squires and

his team must try to intercept it.

We're gonna go to the last-known

position that the airplane gave us,

then we're gonna go

and try to find this vessel.

It's like finding a needle in

a haystack. We're gonna go out there,

and see what we can find.

- All right, go ahead and clear them.

- Clear on one. All clear.

With the spotter plane

called away on another mission,

the team has to carry out

a nighttime search

of a vast area of ocean by themselves.

- Everybody good?

- Yep.

- Yep.

- All right. Coming up.

- Coming up.

- Coming up.

As the boat hits full speed,

the agents hope the darkness

will give them a tactical advantage

and the target boat

won't spot them approaching.

Coming down.

All right, keep an eye out.

The team uses radar

and powerful 1000 range night

vision goggles to aid its search.

We're getting to the area where the

last known position of the target.

We're a mile out from the waypoint

so we're just gonna slow and scan for it.

As the patrol boat reduces its

speed, all eyes are on the ocean.

The suspected narcotics boat

is out here somewhere.

Agents must find it before it makes land.

Port Newark in New Jersey

sees approximately

seven million containers annually

from all over the world.

It moves around $200 million

worth of goods each year.

Much of it is the food that ends up

on household tables across America.

Today, customs officers

have received a tip-off

that two containers of frozen fruit

from Costa Rica

are also carrying narcotics.

You wanna cut it?

In charge of the search

are officers John and Lee.

Start unloading.

The intel we received

that it's in the middle.

The warehouse devans all the cargo,

we're gonna start

stripping down pallet by pallet,

and try to find this contraband.

Costa Rica is a major

transit point for narcotics

coming up from Colombia,

which are often hidden

in shipments of fruit.

With over 20 pallets

of mangos and plantains to check,

the officers have requested help

from the K-9 team.

The dogs are highly trained

to detect the odor of concealed narcotics

including heroin and cocaine.

Two pallets

have caught the dog's attention.

Two pallets stacked right next

to each other. I'll show you.

- It's this one?

- And right across.

- These two?

- Yes.

Yeah. Sounds good.

So, our K-9 showed interest in this

pallet and the pallet behind me.

We're just gonna start breaking it down.

It may take several hours to

search through the boxes of fruit.

But John and Lee dig in, hoping

to uncover a hidden load of drugs.

Three miles off the Florida coastline,

agents have intercepted a boat

matching the description

of one stolen earlier today.

It seems like the guy with the hat

might be the guy in control.

- Yeah.

- So, just be aware.

They just bought the boat?

Yep, and now we're gonna see--

We're gonna talk to him.

After a recent influx of boat thefts

by drug traffickers,

agents are suspicious of the men's

claim to have just bought this one.

Now that they've reached calmer waters,

agents want to determine

who the vessel belongs to.

I'll tell you what. Captain,

why don't you come close to me? Okay.

The vessel documents and

everything is-- Who's the owner?

- The owner is not here.

- Okay.

He's in Iraq.

I've got all the documents

and I just texted him.

The men have changed their story

and now say the boat is owned

by a colleague who is overseas.

It's a red flag.

The team decides to carry out

a full search at the dock.

We're gonna take it back that way.

Just follow around under the bridge.

Now, one more thing.

Let's not go into the cabins.

Just stay up top for me.

Is that cool?

- No problem.

- Thank you very much.

As they head inland, agents keep

a close eye on the boat's occupants.

We don't want anybody

do any overt movements

or going in the cabin.

If they are bad guys trying to get

away or trying to do something,

that puts us all in danger,

at least we can see it.

So, that's what we're doing right

now, make sure we keep visual.

Twenty miles off the coast of Puerto Rico,

after an exhaustive search of the area,

agents fear a boat suspected

of carrying contraband

has evaded them.

In an instance like this,

they may have made it to shore.

We might have missed them.

Those boats are so small

and the waves can be so big

that they get lost in the jumble.

It's very possible, too,

planes are flying overhead

whether it's a law enforcement plane

or a regular plane,

they can get spooked really easily.

As they prepare to return to base,

agents spot a lone vessel.

It's not the fast boat they're looking for

and the occupant

is just a regular fisherman.

He looks all right. We see a lot

of these guys on a regular basis.

Looks like he's heading out.

The team may not have found

its target this time,

but the agents will head back out

to see tonight

on the hunt for more traffickers.

Each year, millions of migrants

from South and Central America

are attracted to the U.S.,

searching for a better quality of life

than their home country can offer.

But not everyone enters

through the official channels,

so, in Florida,

people are required to carry proof

that they're legally in the U.S.

- 220 - Delta 19.

- Delta 19 - 220.

Be advised, myself and Delta 28

are gonna be conducting

a border patrol on I-75.

10-4, sir.

Today, Agent Lopez is one of two units

out on a routine patrol on I-75,

an interstate which runs from Canada

all the way down to Florida.

220 - Delta 19.

Delta 19 - 220.

It isn't long before he spots

a vehicle being driven erratically,

a possible indication

of a nervous driver. He calls it in.

Are you able to get

like an active driving license?

That's a negative, sir,

I don't see a driver's license.

10-4.

The vehicle is registered

in another state,

a tactic commonly used

by undocumented migrants

who cannot legally drive in Florida.

Agent Lopez signals the driver

to pull over.

We're gonna go

and conduct a quick investigation.

His patrol partner

joins him at the roadside.

In the vehicle

are a man and a female passenger.

Hello, how you doing, sir?

We noticed that we have no information

regarding the owner of this car.

- Are you the owner?

- Yes.

- What is your nationality?

- From Honduras.

Honduras.

Do you have documents proving that

you can stay in the U.S. legally?

No, I don't.

This man claims to have left

both his immigration papers

and his driver's license at home.

I am going to handcuff you.

Agent Lopez suspects

the man is not being honest,

and is actually in the country illegally.

He detains him for further questioning.

You have to come with me to my car, okay?

With the driver secured,

Lopez talks to the passenger.

What is your legal status?

I'm waiting to get asylum.

- You are waiting to get asylum?

- Yes.

- Okay. Are you friends?

- Work mates.

Despite the woman's claims,

she, too, is carrying no documents

to prove she is in the country legally.

One moment.

She offers up a social security number,

which agent Lopez checks out.

She does have a 52 back in 2023

for alien resident without a visa renewal.

That's a breach on that immigrant visa.

She has a hearing date

on February 18th, 2025.

Yeah, she has an immigration

court hearing for 2025.

The woman's story is verified,

and she's allowed on her way.

You should always have a copy of

your immigration documents with you.

Agent Lopez will take her friend to

the station for further questioning.

If he is in the country illegally,

he faces deportation back to Honduras.

Half a mile out from Fort Lauderdale,

agents are escorting a vessel

into harbor for investigation.

They intercepted it earlier

because it matches the description

of a recently stolen boat.

Bring it down to the end, guys.

The agents

have requested dockside assistance,

so a complete check can be carried out.

So who's actually responsible

for the vessel right now?

- So, I am.

- You are, okay.

- The owner is in Iraq.

- Okay.

- Is he military?

- He is.

Okay. So, how did

that transaction transpire?

We own a business in the Bahamas.

- Okay.

- And he signed for the boat,

so we are taking it to the Bahamas

to turn it over to the business.

The men say their colleague

bought the boat earlier today.

But following a dramatic increase

of boat thefts by drug traffickers,

agents are being extra cautious.

- There's no weapons on the boat?

- I got my knife.

Just the knife? Nobody

has any weapons on their person?

- No, sir.

- Okay.

What I would like for you to do,

if we could get you off the boat,

so that we can get on,

we're gonna take a peek around.

You said all your documents

are down below, right?

Yeah.

- Whose backpack is this?

- It's mine.

That's your backpack? Okay.

Todd, Mike and Britney examine the

vessel for the ownership documents,

and any potential drugs

that might be on board.

I'm not seeing any holes in the

watermelon. Nothing except for fresh.

And in here, I'm not seeing anything else.

Stuff like this is typical.

They reseal these packages, which if

new, would be sealed already, right?

We'll see what that is. Or maybe

he bought it online or something.

But we still don't like it when

they got their own wrapping on stuff.

So, we just check, make sure.

Yeah, it is what they say it is.

A battery charger. So, we're good.

With the search complete, there's

no sign of contraband on the boat.

I'm feeling good.

We did a good inspection.

Everything seems to be checked out.

So, we're done.

And an online check of the

vessel's registration documents

has confirmed the men's story.

It turns out they run

a boat hire business in the Bahamas,

and this vessel has just been bought

by their colleague.

Here are your passports and all

your IDs. Appreciate your time, guys.

If you guys are in the Bahamas,

come check us out.

Yeah, if I ever make it down to Nassau.

- Take it easy.

- Thanks.

All right, have a good one.

The men head back out to sea

to complete their 100-mile journey

back to Nassau.

In Port Newark, following a tip-off,

a K9 has alerted

to some pallets of frozen fruit,

imported from Costa Rica.

Officers John and Lee

are searching them for narcotics.

So far it doesn't look like

there's anything in here yet,

but we're gonna try to tunnel down

to the center.

They have their work cut out for them.

Even the cardboard lids

could be hiding drugs.

They're known for doing it

inside of the box flaps.

They'll take the coffee stirrers

and they'll push them

right down through here.

And then they'll just drop

small amounts of cocaine inside.

The cartels are also known

to conceal narcotics

in the produce itself.

They'll take a couple fake plantains,

they'll make them out of plastic,

but they're actually

filled with contraband.

Sometimes they'll throw them

inside the actual legit commodity.

With no drugs found in the boxes,

the officers check

that there's nothing concealed

within the base of the pallets.

Yeah, you see how these pallets

are all extra thick.

So, they'll take these off here.

And they'll hollow out these blocks,

stuff the contraband inside,

and reseal the pallets back up.

If there are hidden drugs,

there'll be residue on the drill.

Looks good. Perfectly clear sawdust.

Since the tip-off came

from a reliable source,

John and Lee aren't giving up yet,

and turn their attention

to the containers,

using a handheld x-ray scanner.

They'll shake the drugs and

they'll shove them behind the panels,

so we'll make sure it's not in there.

Of all our searches, it seems like

narcotics are in one of three places.

It's in the container, in the commodities,

or in the railings of the container.

So, they're always good places to check.

The officers examine every inch.

So, right behind this wall,

there's a lot, a ton of gaps

that come to the top of the reefer,

where the refrigeration unit is.

A lot of times, they'll put

the contraband behind this wall.

We're just lifting this panel, we're

using our cell phones to look up,

and you can see that the gaps are in here.

You can easily fit a lot of

contraband in these tiny gaps.

So, but so far,

it looks like there's nothing here.

The cavities might be empty,

but John spots something else.

It looks like the container

has been tampered with, but by whom?

And for what reason?

I don't see anything inside.

No, there's nothing in there.

The tip-off

hasn't led to a seizure this time.

The pallets may have come into

contact with narcotics previously,

which the K9 picked up on.

Yet John and Lee aren't deterred.

If they're pointing us

in the right direction,

that's what we're gonna keep going for.

The job is a numbers game.

If we don't find it,

there's always tomorrow.

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Vessel Commander Todd,

and agents Aaron and Nick

are on the lookout for boats

that could be moving contraband

from the Caribbean into the U.S.

It's a Friday night here locally,

and there's a break in the clouds,

so we'll go offshore

and see if there's

any international traffic.

Here we go.

The radar soon picks up a target

on the horizon.

A slow moving sailboat heading north

from the direction of the Bahamas,

which is a key route for drug smuggling.

- Where you coming from today?

- The Bahamas, Bimini.

- Bimini? Where are you headed to?

- Yep. I'm gonna go to Lake Sylvia.

Are you by yourself?

- Single-handed.

- Okay.

Sailing yachts

are increasingly used by smugglers

because they are slower moving

and less suspicious than motorboats,

plus, there are plenty of places

to hide drugs.

- What was the purpose of your trip?

- I'm a YouTuber.

- To sh**t videos for YouTube?

- Pretty much.

Okay. Do you have anything to declare

- before you enter the United States?

- Nothing.

The man's claim to be

a globe-trotting social media star

isn't something agents hear often.

We're gonna come around

to your other side there.

But this could be

just an elaborate cover story,

so they decide to investigate further.

- How you doing?

- Great.

- She's a disaster in there.

- Yeah.

I actually went over on the bank.

- Oh, really?

- Yep.

Can I check down here?

Absolutely, go ahead.

Yeah, feel free.

Police, anyone down here?

The man says his sailboat tipped

over during his voyage,

which explains the mess below deck.

Hard drives.

It's just water.

But the amount of clutter

is making it difficult to search.

A little tight down there.

It is, man, sorry, yeah.

It's just a disaster in there.

Agent Aaron is on high alert.

The man's history as a lone yachtsman,

drifting around the Caribbean,

fits a typical smuggler's profile.

I'm gonna run your name.

- Anything crazy gonna come back?

- Absolutely not.

- Have you been arrested?

- Never.

- Is there any narcotics on the boat?

- Absolutely not.

Okay. 'Cause this is the typical boat

we see that smuggles.

Yeah, I mean, search away.

I've got nothing to hide.

Absolutely not.

'Cause if there is, it's better for

us to talk about it ahead of time,

because if we can maybe get the

people that you were meeting up with,

- that would--

- I wouldn't take that risk.

I implore you, please go ahead,

search me, do whatever you gotta do.

- We'd put a dog on here.

- Yeah.

Although the man insists

there are no narcotics on board,

Aaron isn't satisfied.

He sends vessel commander Todd

a text message.

The guys have just indicated that

they want to bring this boat in

and put a dog on board.

That tells me that they have

some kind of an inclination

to think that maybe there might be

some narcotics on this boat.

Agents escort the vessel back

to port for a top to bottom search.

If there are drugs on board,

they will find them.

In Florida, Agent Lopez

is working with a Honduran man

who failed to produce

any immigration documents

during a roadside check.

On the way to the station,

the man has admitted

that he is in the country illegally.

He will now be processed

as an undocumented migrant.

I am going to remove your handcuffs.

Agent Lopez must first carry out

some background checks

to find out

if the man has any criminal history.

He could have been arrested

or encountered under a different identity.

We will only find out

through his fingerprints.

If he has had a brush with the law,

then he could be facing

an expedited deportation.

You should have some water there.

We'll get you some cups.

But the fingerprint search reveals

that the man has no known priors.

He's gonna be placed

in immigration proceedings

and ordered to appear

in front of an immigration judge.

Each year, around 20,000 Hondurans

are caught attempting

to illegally enter the U.S.

in search of better economic prospects.

The man will be transferred

to a processing center

until he can appear before a judge,

who will decide

whether he remains in the country.

Agents have intercepted a sailboat

inbound from the Bahamas,

and suspect it could be smuggling drugs.

The lone yachtsman claims

to be a social media star.

- What was the purpose of your trip?

- I'm a YouTuber.

To sh**t videos for YouTube?

- Pretty much.

- Okay.

An inspection

of the yacht's cluttered cabin

has so far drawn a blank.

So, the agents are escorting it

into the dock,

where a dog unit

will conduct a more thorough search.

It's a unique situation because most

K9s are not used to being on boats,

so sometimes they get a little nervous.

And so, we'll see how that goes.

In the past, private yachts like these

have been found carrying

hundreds of kilos of cocaine.

Got it.

Agents Aaron and Todd

have a feeling about this one.

So, this guy is by himself

on his sailboat here.

He's been out of the country,

but he's been bouncing around the islands.

- He doesn't have a job.

- Okay.

Before the K9 gets to work,

Aaron has some words of warning

about the messy cabin,

which the owner claims is the result

of tipping over in a storm.

He said there might be some open knives.

And that's oil that's down there,

in the jar, that's yellow.

So far, the dog isn't showing any nerves.

If any narcotics are found,

the solo traveler could be looking

at anything from a fine

to 30 years in prison.

With the inspection complete,

dog handler Kevin

reports back to the team.

- How are we looking?

- It didn't look like anything.

There's no contraband on board.

There was no final alert with the dog

for any narcotics to be found,

and this boat is ready to be released.

It's good news for the owner,

who takes the opportunity

to film some content

for his social media channel.

- It's passed inspection.

- Thank you, guys. Appreciate that.

This stop went exactly

the way it was supposed to go.

The guys were super safe about it.

The owner-operator of this boat

was obviously nervous,

but he was at ease relatively quickly

once we explained the process to him,

and now he's free to go.

All in all, it was a good day.

- You can be on your way.

- Thank you.

- Nice to meet you.

- Take care.

Okay, bye now.

On the East Coast,

at Port Newark's warehouse

Okay, so the first two pallets,

if we could just put them here.

Customs and border protection officers

are preparing to examine a shipment

from South-East Asia,

after an x-ray raised suspicions

about its contents.

So, this shipment

is coming from Singapore.

When we do our examination,

we look at how things are packed.

Is it dense, not dense? These are all

things that we take into account.

Scans taken of the boxes

don't match the contents

listed on the cargo's manifest.

Officers Debbie, Marcia and Vanessa

open the first few boxes.

Cigarettes. Seems like it's gonna be

a full shipment of the cigarettes.

It could be that a mistake

has been made on the manifest.

But a closer look

quickly reveals otherwise.

Counterfeit.

This brand of cigarette

is made exclusively in the U.S.,

so it wouldn't have been shipped

from overseas.

If you look at them,

they actually look pretty good.

They're very well made, as you can see,

the carton, the markings, the packaging,

if you were to buy this in the street,

you wouldn't know that you're

buying a counterfeit cigarette.

The convincing packaging suggests the work

of a high-level organized crime group,

operating on the black market.

It's a big business.

They pose a significant danger

to unwitting customers,

who think they've found their

favorite brand at a cheaper price.

We don't know what ingredients

they're putting in there.

They're obviously

not being made in the U.S.,

and when the consumer

purchases the cigarettes,

and thinks they're made here,

they don't know what's going in

to the cigarettes

that they're purchasing.

The cigarettes would have been distributed

through a network of complicit shops

and grocery stores,

generating vast profits for the smugglers.

A pack of cigarettes,

I think now maybe goes $10, $12.

The value of it is gonna be

a good three, four million dollars.

Globally, cigarettes are the most

prolifically smuggled legal items,

with the proceeds often funding

other criminal activities,

such as terrorism and money laundering.

It's very gratifying

to be able to catch these.

It makes me very proud

to be able to find these things.

I love my job, I do.

It gives me a lot of pride

to be able to protect our borders

and our people, absolutely.

Florida is home

to the largest Cuban population

outside of the Caribbean island.

Many have lived here for decades,

and have no plans

to return to their home country.

In Fort Lauderdale,

agents have stopped two men

on a fishing boat

for routine questioning.

Morning, gentlemen, how are you?

U.S. Customs.

Can you just put it in gear,

and just steer that way?

It just makes it easier, so we're

not spinning around in circles.

Where are you guys coming from today?

- Oh, we're looking for fish.

- Yeah?

- No luck yet.

- No?

- Where'd you guys launch out of?

- Right here along the cove.

- Are you guys U.S. citizens?

- I am.

- You are? Sir?

- No.

He has a-- My dad, he has a deportation.

The agents are surprised

that the son confesses to his

father having a deportation order.

- Where are you from?

- From Cuba.

From Cuba? Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

While Agent Britney

examines their paperwork,

Kyle and Todd try to get

to the bottom of their story.

Mind if we come over

and take a look around?

If you could step to the back side

of the boat, we'll come on over.

How long you been in the U.S.?

I was born here.

Since the '80s, he's been here.

So, are you naturalized, LPR, parole or

- What do you mean?

- How is he here?

Oh, he came from the '80s.

- So, what status is he right now?

- Right now, he has a deportation.

But he has all his papers,

like all his permits, all that stuff.

And you have

an active deportation order now?

I really don't know how that works,

but I know every year he has to go

and renew his status.

We'll figure out what's going on.

We'll finish running these documents,

and we'll get you guys

on your way, all right?

The son's honesty

might cost his father dearly.

If he does have

an active deportation order,

he could be detained,

and required to leave the country.

They're good?

But a check reveals

that the father is in fact

a lawful permanent resident.

The son appears to have just been confused

about the immigration process.

- Thanks for the cooperation.

- Yes, sir.

Have a nice day y'all.

- I'm gonna catch some fish today.

- Hey, maybe we're good luck.

With the misunderstanding cleared up,

the father and son

are free to continue their day.

Story seems pretty legit that

they were just doing some fishing,

moving from one spot to another.

One was a U.S. citizen,

one was a Cuban national

but has been here for a long time,

has authorized,

work authorization in the U.S.

So, his status is good.

The Florida Keys,

and a mysterious package has been handed

into the border patrol station.

Agents Escala, Solano and Sontano

are investigating.

That looks very wet.

It is completely soaked.

It was discovered by a local

fisherman while out at sea.

It's potentially cocaine. That's what

it looks like, 'cause of the shape.

The package bears a distinctive logo,

a tactic used by the cartels

to identify themselves.

It tells couriers who it's from,

what it contains,

and its intended destination.

This one's got a bunny

with some crossbones underneath it.

This is the first time

I've run into this one.

Normally, when they're packaged

this small, it's gonna be cocaine.

Let's find out.

Doesn't feel like powder.

- You see something in there?

- No.

Unless it's all washed out.

It appears to be empty,

but I'm gonna cut to see.

This is usually filled with stuff

in there, but as you can see

There is nothing, just plastic.

So, there is a lot of water intrusion

inside of it.

There could have been cocaine

that was washed out of it,

but you would think

there would be some sort of trace.

It's not the first time agents have

discovered packages of narcotics

in the sea.

Cartels in this region commonly

make drop-offs along the coast,

weighting them down in the water.

That's a first. We don't have

anything in here, which is weird.

But underwater loads are usually

packaged to be watertight.

Either it was a test run

or they're maybe testing the smuggler

to see if he can be trusted.

The other possibility was, there

was water intrusion that was so bad

that it had absorbed all of the

cocaine and washed it out.

If it did contain drugs as suspected,

the agents need to find a way

to confirm it.

Our only option

would be to test the water,

and maybe there might be some

trace amounts of cocaine left over

to confirm whether there was

something inside at one point.

I have never seen this before.

Just trying to get some of this water

into the test kit.

See what we come up with here.

Let's just wait a few seconds.

The color we're looking for, blue.

It shows

that there is some cocaine residue.

It's not that strong,

but maybe this package

was in the water for a long time.

And all the cocaine just dissolved.

Now the agents begin gathering evidence

to help build a picture of the

cartel which might be behind this.

I have not seen these markings before.

Hopefully we'll run into

these markings again,

and we can trace it

to where it's supposed to go.

The fact that agents haven't seen

this package's logo before

could suggest that there's a new

cartel operating in the area.

Hopefully we'll be able

to come up with the conclusion

of where this was coming from

and where it was going.

Our intelligence crews will track

what drug trafficking organizations

are running to what areas,

so that hopefully, in the future,

we can start breaking up

these organizations.