Contraband: Seized at Sea (2024) s01e05 Episode Script

1
One thousand miles off the southeast
coast of Florida
lies the US territory of Puerto Rico.
A major hub for international drug
smuggling through the Caribbean Sea.
Tonight, agents are battling against
high winds and stormy seas.
Last position, three miles
in front of you.
Those coordinates are approximate
ten minutes old.
We'll check it out.
I'll let you know.
They have been tipped off
a boat full of drugs
s is headed towards Vieques,
a small island off the east coast
of Puerto Rico
that falls under their jurisdiction.
Get your rifle we are about to get closer.
As they approach Vieques
waves are crashing,
as a tropical storm is closing in.
We have lightning in the area.
I don't see any boat.
Do you see lights?
I'm just looking for like
a reflection off something.
Right now, we haven't seen anything.
We're still scanning.
Criminals can offload millions
of dollars worth of narcotics
from a boat in a matter of minutes.
- I think we are too late.
- Yes, me too.
We haven't seen any flashlights
giving us indication of a pick-up crew.
The search is hampered by more
reports of bad weather.
If we don't find anything we'll head back,
because we have lightning nearby.
Safety is first.
- It's real bad out.
- We have to go guys.
The gang may have evaded authorities
this time,
but the search will continue tomorrow.
It's dangerous. We want to make it to
the office before it gets any worse.
US Customs!
They're non-compliant, non-compliant!
Go, go, go, go, go!
One thousand miles to the west
of Puerto Rico is Fort Lauderdale,
on Florida's east coast.
FLORIDA
FORT LAUDERDALE
It's early morning and Agent Dan and
his team are starting their shift.
On board are Alex and Rob.
I expect a lot of outbound traffic
and see what we see,
stop a few boats, and maybe
even get some in-bound traffic
trying to mix in with the fishermen.
It's not long before they receive
a call from air support
about a boat smuggling people,
just 10 miles out.
We have a target coming in from Bimini.
- Would you be able to do a stop?
- Ten-four, copy.
They're looking for a 25 ft sports
fishing boat, traveling at 10 knots,
coming in-bound from Bimini
in the Bahamas.
Ten-four, keep eyes on them.
We'll head that way.
- You guys good?
- Yes.
Vessel commander Dan
heads their way at top speed.
Confirm that is your target.
During air support's patrol
of international waters,
they saw two men scurry below
the deck of the boat,
trying to hide them from their view.
- Eyes on.
- Windshield down.
- I think I see two people.
- I see two. Two on board.
How you doing Captain? U.S. Customs.
Where are you guys coming from?
- Fishing.
- Where are you coming from?
Bimini.
How many people you got on board?
The men claim to be just out fishing,
but agents have heard this excuse
before from people smugglers.
Four people on board?
Slowly come out.
Be aware, be aware.
Kind of weird to have two people of
four in a cabin on a boat this size
when it's so hot, it could be
a migrant venture.
We'll figure it out.
Sir, could you move that fishing
pole over to the side for me please?
We know for a fact they came from
Bimini to our aircraft telling us,
and the first question we asked,
where you coming from. Just fishing.
Then finally they came from Bimini.
They were very reluctant.
Agent Alex makes sure
that the men are unarmed.
Do me a favor. Can you guys
lift up your shirts real quick?
They decide to board the vessel,
but act with extreme caution.
Obviously guys, we'll be coming
over to talk to you, okay?
We got it, sir, just stand by.
What's your guys's nationality?
Where you guys from?
How about you, sir?
Okay. You have your IDs on you? Where
are the IDs? Everything's inside?
Okay. I'll go with you. And let me
see your IDs, okay?
Alex escorts one of the men below
deck to retrieve their IDs,
while Rob questions the others.
What do you guys do for work?
- Charter. I own the company.
- Charter company. Okay.
- It's your boat?
- Yes.
When did you guys come into the country?
I came about 25 years ago.
- How about you sir?
- Three years ago.
- Three years ago? You sir?
- Like, two years ago.
What is your status now?
You applied for asylum?
- Yes.
- Asylum? Okay.
Despite all four men claiming
that they are here legally,
intel has just come in
that tells a different story.
For sure right now, they said two
are undocumented
and not supposed to be
in the United States.
Go ahead and stand up for me.
Turn around.
ID checks reveal that two of the men
have U.S. residency,
the other two, who were hiding below deck,
appear to have no legal right
to be in the U.S.
Go ahead and have a seat for me.
All four men are secured until agents
determine if they are lying.
If this's a smuggling venture, they'd
be looking at five years in jail.
The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
in New York City.
NEW YORK
BROOKLYN
Welcomes 250,000 passengers a year.
Today, travelers are disembarking
from a ship returning
from Nova Scotia in Canada.
Waiting for them is U.S. Customs.
Morning. Straight ahead,
to the right, please.
Nice looking bag, I like it.
Officer Munir is on the lookout
for any passengers
with something to hide.
You guys have any purchases that you
have while you were on the cruise?
- No cigarettes, alcohol, jewelery?
- No.
When entering the U.S., duty must be
paid by passengers
if they are bringing in
more than 200 cigarettes.
Normally, most people know they have
to pay duty, they won't declare it,
so they don't have to pay duty.
It's just a cat and mouse game.
The U.S. government collects 100
billion annually in custom's duty.
How are you doing?
Just come over here real quick.
Are you guys in a group together?
Okay. You guys have any purchases
that you made on the ship?
Officer Munir has selected this group
of travelers for inspection.
- Are you guys all family or no?
- No, we are friends.
Friends. Okay. If you guys can just
come on over here, follow me.
Hello. Come over here. Come on.
He decides to take the two couples
to an inspection room
to go through their luggage.
Can you ask them if they have
any cigarette purchases, or alcohol.
No, no, nothing.
None of the group admit to having
bought anything on board the ship.
Tell them if they can put their bags here,
I'll take a look inside the bags.
Tell them to take off the backpacks
and stuff too.
All the bags, they can put
all of them here for us.
On the cruise ship,
all passengers are told they can
bring one carton of cigarettes each
into the U.S., duty-free.
Anything above that is subject
to duty, and a potential fine.
Officer Munir looks through one
of the women's suitcases,
and immediately finds
what he's looking for.
They bought the cigarettes on the boat?
- Yes.
- Let them know that
when they come off the boat,
if they're United States citizens
and they're coming back,
they're allowed one each.
What they're allowed. Anything extra,
they'll have to pay us duty for it.
Normally it's 10 dollars a carton,
it'll be 30 for this.
If I find more then I'll let you
know, okay.
One of the couples has been caught
with five cartons of cigarettes.
Three more than permitted.
- You need to get some cash ready.
- We need to pay 30 dollars duty? Why?
Is she upset about
paying for the cigarettes?
Despite the relatively small amount
of duty to be paid,
this passenger is not happy.
Our trip has been ruined.
This is ridiculous, I can't believe
they are doing this.
The woman is refusing to pay.
- You're not happy now?
- Happy, happy, no happy.
It's not money for me though, it's
for the government. Don't you worry.
She could be facing a fine of up to
double the value of the goods.
Not happy, happy. No happy.
Eight a.m. on the east coast
of Puerto Rico
the morning shift is just beginning.
Agents are about to resume the hunt
for a suspected drug smuggling boat
they were tracking last night
in bad weather.
If we go there and find the boat,
I'll talk to my boss and
see what he wants to do with it.
They're returning to Vieques, a small
island off the coast of Puerto Rico
favored by drug traffickers,
because of its location.
But this mission is not without risks.
The area is way out there.
It's far from any other means of backup
and they do have some lookouts
watching the boats.
This lookout, they are most
of the time armed.
[FOREIGN DIALOGUE]
As they approach the last known
coordinates of the boat
they were tracking last night.
Over there! Watch him.
The spot a suspect vessel.
Agents are on high alert.
Customs. Where are you coming from?
They suspect this man is a lookout,
because the only people
who are usually in this area
are connected to traffickers.
- Have you got any guns on you?
- No.
Get your license and boat registration.
We are just going to do a document check
to see what can get from him.
Although they suspect he is involved
in a gang,
the man has no criminal record.
Go ahead!
But they're left with no other choice
but to let him continue on his way.
They already know that we're here.
So you know, right?
Assuming the gang has now been
alerted to their presence,
they proceed to the last known
location of the suspected drug boat
and scan the shoreline.
- See something shiny there?
- Yes.
It's not long before they spot something.
- Is that a boat?
- A boat, what is it?
That's a yola boat. That's the same
type of boat that smugglers use.
- Damn, that's got some engines.
- They're 225s.
They immediately notice the powerful
outboard engines,
typical of drug boats
trying to evade authorities.
That's the one from last night.
They believe they've found the boat
they were tracking last night.
There is no way you can park
your boat here.
You leave it there,
[UNSURE OF WORD] that's it.
They need to get ashore quickly.
We have to see who owns that yola.
But getting close is impossible,
because it's too shallow.
There's a rock, so take it easy.
- It gets deeper again over there.
- No, I'm not going any further in.
They're using a boat hook to judge
the depth of the water.
It is really shallow, I don't want
to get stuck in here,
because the tide is still going down.
When it touches, I'm only going
to stay there.
I'm not going forward.
We've touched, but I'd get
in the water all the way up to here.
After determining the boat
can't travel any closer,
they're left with no choice.
If you're jumping in now's the time.
Yes, we will jump from the back.
Agents Maura and Cano prepare
to enter the water.
We have to be careful here.
It's likely the smugglers are armed
and still in the area,
possibly watching from the mangroves.
The agents are extremely vulnerable
in this environment.
- They just got to the boat?
- Yes. That's right.
There's no sign of the gang, but
the boat looks recently abandoned.
Looks left recently because
it's very clean.
If there are a few days or a few
weeks, you are going to see,
but it's very clean.
We'll get intelligence.
Right now what we have is this boat
is abandoned.
There is no report of a stolen boat.
Agents are left to investigate the scene
and try to identify the owner of the boat.
They will check if it has
any registration number.
Agents find and photograph
the registration number on the boat.
This is the crucial information
they were looking for.
The more picture and intelligence
we get from these guys, it's better.
The gang must have cleared the boat
of contraband last night.
Agents widen the earch to look
for more evidence.
Despite the thick natural cover,
they find proof of planning for
future smuggling ventures.
They have the gas tank over there.
Hidden in the mangroves
are full cans of gas,
leading agents to believe they were
using this area as a staging post
to re-fuel for further drug runs.
Get pictures of everything and be done.
Since no drugs or weapons were found,
they must leave the boat here.
They keep playing the game.
All the evidence collected today
will be used to build a case
against the owner.
All on board, pull up the ladder.
The net is tightening. Next time,
they hope to catch them red-handed.
At New York's Brooklyn Cruise Terminal,
Officer Munir has caught a couple
of travelers smuggling cigarettes.
They're allowed one each, but
anything after that has duty on it.
Happy, happy. No happy.
The female traveler is refusing to pay
the 30 dollars duty
owed on the cigarettes.
They can start packing that bag up.
I'll look at this.
So far, the only thing I saw is duty
is on the three cartons so far, okay?
No happy. Before I was very
very happy, very happy.
Now I'm no happy, no happy.
If she continues to object and
refuses to pay the duty,
she could face criminal penalties.
If she's not going to be compliant,
it'll become bad for her.
If the traveler stands her ground
and refuses to comply with U.S. law,
then she's risking a fine of twice
the value of the goods
and up to three years in jail.
You can just have a seat over there.
Go sit down. Sit down.
Just tell her it'll be 30 dollars.
Not money that comes to us,
it's something they'd pay.
It's a law. If we don't enforce
the law, why are we here?
I know and understand that people,
they get cheap prices,
they don't want to pay,
it doesn't work like that.
It's customs duty and you have
to pay. That's just the way it works.
If you keep behaving like this, you
won't be able to get out of here.
Can I pay cash?
- Please don't behave like this.
- I'm unhappy now.
The woman realizes she has no choice
but to calm down and pay the duty.
- No happy, no happy.
- That's okay.
We go outside, you'll be able to
smoke, it'll make you happy again.
Although the woman has paid the duty
on the excess cartons of cigarettes,
she's still paying less than
it would have cost her in the U.S.
Stop chatting with him.
I am still really upset.
The four tourists have cleared
customs and are on their way.
Thank you for helping out. I'll walk
you guys out, alright? Thank you.
Just let her smoke when she gets out,
she'll be okay out there. Right.
I told her after you pay it,
you're still saving a lot of money
as to buying it on the streets.
Just remember the good time
you had on the cruise.
This seconds shouldn't ruin your day.
Ten miles off the coast
of Fort Lauderdale.
You guys took a chance leaving the country
without having immigration status,
leaving and then coming back in. Why?
Two undocumented migrants have been
caught on board a boat
coming into the U.S.
You said you left this morning.
With these two?
They're claiming that they live in Miami,
but the agents believe they're
being smuggled in.
If that's what's going on, the owners
of the boat face serious charges.
But you come into the country illegally,
then you go back into the Bahamas,
to come here by boat.
The captain is claiming he's taking
them on a day trip fishing charter,
and that he had no idea they were
undocumented migrants.
My question is why?
We just went fishing
and we were coming back.
I don't know, like I'm really
so shocked right now.
Rob suspects he's being lied to
and the captain is knowingly
smuggling the men into the U.S.
- Whose bag is this one?
- His.
I'll look through your bag, sir.
Is there anything in here I should
be concerned about? Nothing.
He suspects the two undocumented
migrants were picked up
while the boat was in the Bahamas,
and this is a planned smuggling operation.
- What is this?
- What?
What is this? Who's [BLEEP]?
And [BLEEP]?
Why do you have a travel itinerary
for May 12th, 2024? What is this?
A bag search reveals the two men
who claim to have been living
in the U.S. for several years,
in fact, arrived into the Bahamas
by plane two days ago.
First you live and you work here.
But you have plane tickets from
[BLEEP] to the Bahamas.
Why?
This information is evidence against
the captain and his first mate.
- This is not looking good.
- Why's that?
I have paperwork for flight information.
- We didn't see their papers.
- No.
I can play this game like this
all day long.
You are trying to say to us we are
illegal people here and we are not.
- These two are.
- But we didn't know that!
Despite their continued denials,
the agents are not convinced.
Ten-four. Bye.
Some additional information has come
back about the captain of the boat.
One of the guys has a history of
organizing migrant smuggling.
That confirms their suspicions.
As soon as I saw those two guys come
out from down below in a 24,
maybe 25 ft. vessel,
when it's 90 degrees,
there's no AC on that boat,
I much knew, based on my knowledge,
experience, it's a smuggling load.
- We are not bad people.
- Understood.
We're not for the weapons, we're not
for the smuggling of the drugs
and for the people.
The captain and his first mate could
be looking at five years in jail
if convicted of conspiring to
smuggle migrants into the U.S.
The Florida Keys, a hot spot for tourists,
but also a smuggler's paradise,
given it's remote location.
FLORIDA
KEY WES
Two weeks ago,
authorities investigated a suspected
smuggling boat,
but when no drugs were found on board,
it led agents to believe they were
dumped at sea.
In the weeks following narcotics
packages have continued to wash up.
Border Patrol agents are roaming
the shorelines warning the public.
- How are you?
- Good. How are you?
We've been getting a lot of,
what's called wash ups.
Packages washing ashore. A lot of
it's any sort of narcotics.
We're bringing attention to the public,
if they see anything, make sure
to call the local authorities.
- Pass the word.
- Yes, absolutely. Thank you.
They're spreading the word at beaches
and marinas
up and down the length of the keys.
Just bringing attention to folks,
if they find anything,
just to call it in and try to avoid
any touch with your hands,
don't know what residue is on there-
could be something as marijuana,
God knows what else it'd be.
If you see any wash ups, call us,
we'll get it off your hands for you.
In the past, agents have found wash
ups that contain Fentanyl,
a powerful synthetic opioid
that could be fatal if ingested.
Over the past few weeks, there's been
at least marijuana, cocaine.
Oone or two per week,
it's been a pretty steady flow,
ranging anywhere from one brick of it
to 50 plus bricks of it.
Due to the vast size of their area,
the patrol agents'd engage with the
community to be their eyes and ears.
We've been having a lot of wash ups,
narcotics going on,
we're coming around,
checking out the area.
- The cocaine in the [BLEEP].
- We got a lot of that going on.
See anything, call the station.
- We appreciate law enforcement.
- Thank you, have a good day.
We do have a drug problem in America,
any bit we can get off the streets,
avoiding that danger that comes
with those drugs,
it's not just the drugs themselves,
but also the drug market.
With multiple packages floating
around offshore,
it's only a matter of time
before more wash up.
Members of the public are a help to us.
Help us do our job, we appreciate
when they communicate to us.
Helps prevent getting that stuff
in the wrong hands.
Their hard work of warning the public
about the dangers of wash ups
is already paying off.
I heard a call over the radio
that there's a suspicious package.
My guess is it's probably another
wash-up that just occurred.
150 miles to the north, off the coast
of Fort Lauderdale.
Agents have detained two undocumented
migrants
and arrested two U.S. citizens
who are attempting to smuggle them
into the country.
The way I'm getting it to turn's when
I slow it down and coast to port.
When I give it gas, it goes to starboard.
Agents are now in control
of the smuggler's vessel,
but one of the engines is out.
A lot of times these boats are not
in the best of working shape,
They're en route to meet up
with the coastguard,
to offload the migrants and smugglers.
I'm doing not even 10 knots, and we
still have about 9 miles to go.
To make matters worse.
You okay? Talk to me, bro,
talk to me. Are you alright?
The first mate, who is a U.S. citizen
and is currently detained,
is diabetic and his blood sugar
is falling dangerously low.
- You okay?
- Talk to me, bro.
He needs water.
This guy needs water.
- Sir, can you help him please?
- Yes, we are doing that.
We're working on it,
nothing you say or do,
is going to expedite anything
that's happening with him.
At this speed, the journey to meet up
with the coastguard could take hours.
Time that the sick man does not have.
- Does he have his medication?
- No, he does not.
I don't want to [BLEEP] with this.
The decision is made to call for help.
We have a one male subject
falling out, slumping over,
needs medical attention.
With the diabetic man's condition
deteriorating quickly.
What do you need? Just tell me.
Talk to me. Are you alright?
Two more customs boats from Miami
answer their distress call.
Feel that cold water going down
or no? Good.
- I got two EMTs with me.
- Alright, go alongside.
The diabetic man's blood sugar is
dangerously low.
We're almost there. It's okay.
Almost there. We're getting closer.
The additional boats have trained
paramedics on board
to administer care to the sick man.
They have two EMTs on that boat.
It made more sense to get advanced
life-saving treatment to him.
This one right here. He's rolling
out. Head's bobbing. He's lethargic.
Plan to transfer to man onto one
of the boats with the EMTs.
We'll bring you over.
There's an EMT here.
They're concerned he could go
into diabetic shock.
You ready? Let's get to onto
the boat. Ready? Let's do it, man.
Give me five minutes of strength.
Not even. Five minutes of strength.
You see that big guy over there?
That's who you'll go to, okay?
Every second counts.
Good.
- Ready? Got him?
- Thank you sir.
Now under medical supervision,
the customs boat will be able to get
the man to dry land in a few minutes.
You'll be okay.
Everything will be okay.
He'll receive the care he needs,
then be transferred to a detention
centre, where he will be charged.
They'll arrest him,
so make sure somebody goes.
He'll be arrested at the hospital.
Alright, cool. Alright, bye.
Just because he is sick doesn't mean
he is out of trouble.
Suspected smuggler we had,
we'd make sure we send one of
our agents to escort to the hospital
so he doesn't try to run off.
Agents continue towards their
rendezvous with the coastguard boat
which is making its way from Miami.
Sit over there. I'll grab some
water for him.
Thirty minutes later they arrive.
I think they'll make their approach
over here and they'll come alongside,
disembark from this vessel,
go onto their vessel.
- I have no steering, okay.
- Yes, maintain your course.
Ready? Will go to him. Three points.
One, two, there you go. Three.
The three men remaining,
one suspected smuggler
and two undocumented migrants, are
placed into the coastguard's custody.
Watch your step. Grab their hand.
That's one, two, there you go.
The two undocumented men will have
their biometric data taken,
before being interviewed
by Homeland Security Investigations.
- All set?
- We're all set.
The suspected smugglers could both
be looking at jail time
for their part in this operation.
Dan and his team how have to get
the stricken vessel back to the dock.
We'll tow the boat back into the office.
Make sure you go underneath that rail.
We'll inventory the vessel,
seize the vessel
and we'll finish up our paperwork.
That's about it.
Alright, go tight.
Alright, it's tight.
Back in the Florida Keys
Agent Nick is en route to a private
residence in the southern Keys,
after a concerned citizen found
a suspicious package
that had washed up on their property.
We'll just see what they've got going on.
The homeowner called the authorities
and local P.D. is on the scene.
I'll go show you where it's at.
We have another package washed
ashore over here.
Most likely narcotics, as we've been
seeing in these past week.
We'll go check it out and see what it is.
Alright. Just watch your step.
Nick is on a private beach
and is directed toward the package
by the police officer.
It's right there.
Just in how it's packaged itself,
it doesn't feel like any cocaine.
We'll take a closer look at it,
but I have really no indicators
right now of what it could be.
We'll take possession of this and
bring it back and see what we got.
Over the past weeks the surging tides
have brought in bundles of narcotics
that were likely dumped overboard
from a drug boat.
Nick believes this one package
could be from the same boat,
and is just the tip of the iceberg.
I'm losing track of how many wash ups
we're getting,
but I think for just this week alone
that's number four,
and it's either five or six
in the past two weeks.
We're seeing an increase, more than
we've been seeing in the past months.
Before Nick's gets the package back
to the station and test it.
- Okay, ten-four, I'll see you there.
- Alright, see you in a bit.
Yet another call comes in.
We just received a call
from Monroe County,
one of the deputies, they're asking
for border patrol assistance.
With all these wash ups happening,
it'd be another wash-up.
We're headed that way right now and
we'll go see what the call is about.
FOR LAUDERDALE-FLORIDA
In Fort Lauderdale, fresh from
busting a people-smuggling operation,
Dan and his team are about to finish
their shift.
All day Rob has been hiding his black eye
that he picked up during
his Brazilian jiujitsu training.
I'll hide my shiner.
A defensive combat technique
he's been practicing for years.
It's unusual that I get a black eye
like that.
It's the first time in like ten years.
That's an interesting boat
coming from Brazil.
Just before they return to dock, they
spot a TOI, or target of interest.
You want to go alongside,
get a little face-to-face contact
there, see what's up.
The Brazil flagged yacht is being
towed by two tug boats into port,
which has drawn officers' attention.
We've had traffic in the past getting
towed in by a sea tow,
that were loaded, and they'll carry
a few kilos of cocaine.
We want to do a quick document check
and a customs border search on it.
- Where are you guys coming from?
- We are coming from the Bahamas.
Bahamas. How many people
on board on the vessel?
- Two?
- Just two? What is your nationality?
- Where's your citizenship from?
- The boat is Brazilian and we are.
- Any weapons or drugs on board?
- No.
We are going to jump on board.
Agents Rob and Alex board the vessel
to check over the boat and confirm
their paperwork is in order.
Two males on board coming from
a foreign country,
this is one of the prime areas
to smuggle drugs and humans,
it's our job to get boots on deck
and check it out.
Good morning.
- Good morning, everything good?
- All good, thanks to God.
- You speak Portuguese?
- I speak Portuguese well.
We brought the boat here to fix
the boat and everything.
The boat has been sailed from the Bahamas
and has come to Fort Lauderdale
for repair.
- Do you have your documentation?
- What do you need?
The title of the vessel, if you have
it or the registration of the vessel.
Title of the vessel, Brazil.
The man retrieves his documents.
Go ahead and take a picture of it
and we'll run it.
Now he'll go and clear the vessel.
- Any weapons?
- No.
While Alex searches below deck.
Look at his shirt, coffee and
Jiujitsu makes me happy.
Rob realizes one of the men is also
trained in martial arts,
when reading on his t-shirt 'Coffee
and jiujitsu make me happy'.
What about that black eye?
From jiujitsu?
- It's from jiujitsu, that's right.
- I'm a black belt.
I'm almost there! I'm a purple belt.
I'm close, almost there.
I had a school in Brazil for 20 years.
Despite their friendly chat, if
something is found during the search,
Rob could be in great danger knowing
the man's superior fighting skills.
- Your black belt, which degree?
- Third degree.
You're up there, man.
Thankfully, background checks, the
search of the boat, come back clean.
I got the information back on both
the individuals on board,
both of their visas are valid.
I think they're wrapping up.
It looks like Alex already finished
his search.
- Everything up to date?
- Alright, bye Fabricio.
Thank you, have a nice day.
Guy's a third degree black belt.
Let me guess, you talked to him
about jiujitsu. He had the shirt.
His shirt said, 'Jiujitsu and coffee
make me happy, '
and I took off my sunglasses,
he noticed my dotted eye.
The first thing he said is,
"Jiujitsu." I said, "Yes sir."
Knowing that he's a third degree
black belt,
it'd be a hard boarding
if he wanted to fight us.
For me, the threat level goes up
knowing that.
I felt comfortable at the end of
the boarding, gave each other the nod
and we were good to go. We were
satisfied with the inspection.
With the boarding safely completed,
Dan and his team wrap up their shift.
In the Florida Keys
after finding a package of narcotics
that had washed-up on a beach,
Nick's now on his way to meet an
undercover cop to retrieve another.
This will be about 30 miles, so from
the first package to the second.
Within pretty close proximity
to each other.
Border Patrol is responsible
for policing any international border
in the U.S., including the beaches.
Because these drugs are washing up
on the beach
and coming from international waters,
they fall under federal jurisdiction.
Here we are.
Agent Nick will meet a local police
officer who will hand off the drugs.
- Where'd you find this?
- It was one of the owner's property.
They have a beach front behind the house
so a concerned citizen just called
as soon as they saw the package.
The owner, he has got pictures
of where it washed up.
We'll get that and
I will transfer you the files.
Awesome. Appreciate it. Thank you.
He immediately notices the likeness
to the first package.
It's very similar. Just even
the texture, wrapping.
From what I could see on the inside,
looking like it'll be marijuana,
and we'll test it just to be sure.
He believes these two wash ups
could be linked.
Could have been multiple bundles
contained within that shipment
that got separated from each other,
we're seein' these washes to multiple
locations, similar size, shape.
From that one shipment, I'm thinking
it'll be multiple bundles
they were attempting to deliver.
Border Patrol seizes a huge variety
of narcotics in the Keys every year.
These packages could be anything.
There's been kind of a busy weeks.
At least two weeks.
- Four wash-up. Fourth this week.
- Busy for wash ups.
Nick's colleague, Rafa, assists him
in testing the bundles.
- You want to do this stuff, Rafa?
- Sure.
Rafa'll test it right now and
we'll see what it specifically is.
Rafa conducts the test, taking all
the necessary precautions.
I like to be careful in case of, you
never know, this could be Fentanyl.
That's a lot of wrapping right here.
And it doesn't have a label.
Usually at least cocaine bricks
are marked.
Doesn't look like cocaine.
We have a test kit right here,
take a measurable sample.
The test kit has three different
glass ampules,
with chemical and you break the vials
to expose them, and then you wait
for a chemical reaction.
Turning red.
High contents for THC.
The package is tested positive for THC,
the active chemical compound in marijuana.
This package has a high content of THC,
which is what's commonly used
in marijuana, or hash.
Nick tests the second package.
As we can see here, green leafy substance.
Consistent with the contents
of marijuana, as you can see.
This package is also positive for THC.
We're always thankful to the public
and help get whatever it is washing
up, off their hands.
Even this is marijuana,
could be something else that could be
even just to the touching it.
Could have some residue on it
that can be pretty harmful.
The combined weight of both packages
is 3.3 lb,
in 2023 alone, Border Patrol seized
26,000 lb of narcotics in Florida.
We thank the public for giving us a call
and having the authorities come
take it off their hands.
While they have two packages
in their possession,
agents believe there are many more
out there waiting to be found.
As of 2024, cannabis is legal
in 24 states.
A large market still remains
for lower quality Marijuana
imported from South America.
The undocumented migrants
are awaiting deportation.
The smugglers are prosecuted
and are facing 5 years in prison
if convicted.
The owner of the hidden boat was
found to have past drug convictions.
Investigations continue to locate him.
Agent Nick has been inundated with
calls from the public about wash ups.
Two more packages were found
that same week.