Contraband: Seized at Sea (2024) s01e10 Episode Script

1
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 shoot 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 shoot 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.