The Trade

El Paso has a wide area of responsibility.

30,000 vehicles plus a day.

Pedestrians, anywhere from 18 to 22,000,

depending on what week. So, you know, quite busy.

We have radiation porta monitors out front.

If there's any kind of alert,

that truck will automatically go to our x-rays

to make sure that there was no counterfeit items

or potentially dope, for example.

How many vehicles get diverted

to the point where you would x-ray them?

Probably about eight to ten percent.

Okay.

Are you seeing an uptick in, like, heroin and fentanyl,

things like that, through passenger vehicles and things?

We are seeing that bumping up a little bit, yes.

It could be in a tire, it could be in a compartment,

it could be on a person, you know.

We thought-- we've seen it all.

Drug trafficking is the most lucrative

illegal trade out there.

So right now, they're lining up for the scan, and I'm gonna...

And in my 26 years in law enforcement,

I've never seen this kind of epidemic before.

We're seeing folks that are struggling

across the border in Mexico

who would love to have that American dream.

And they see what the drug trade has to offer.

Thousands of dollars a day.

And that thirst to make money takes over.

Let's get all this stuff out.

I know we're making tremendous efforts

to limit drug trafficking.

But it seems like every time we patch one hole,

there's a new hole that opens up.

I guess in a perfect world,

we could stop that demand here in the United States.

But unfortunately our suburban areas have become

inviting places for drug cartels.

So what we see is drug traffickers

bring large amounts across the southwest border,

and then pass through the central Ohio area

en route to places on the East Coast.

Philadelphia and Baltimore and New York, Chicago.

So central Ohio is a gateway.

And my role as a chief deputy

is to figure out how we shut that faucet off.

You know, stop that flow of drugs coming

into the United States.

As you guys know, I had an opportunity

to go to El Paso, Texas

to see how the dope game works down there.

How they get drugs across the border,

and then how difficult it is to control the borders.

-Right. -It was eye-opening.

31, 32,000 vehicles a day that come into the United States.

But quite frankly, they can't screen every vehicle.

It's just impossible.

It's like searching for a needle in a haystack.

So we have a surge on our hands here.

And I know that resources are taxed,

with regard to DEA and HSI.

But I just wanna make sure that we're focusing on heroin,

short-term investigations, long-term, traffic stops.

Push on those resources to try to bring some resolution.

-Okay. -Okay, go do your deal.

Just so everyone's tracking what's going on.

It'll be initiating surveillance.

The suspect, Corey,

is a suspected narcotics trafficker

for an overdose which occurred earlier this month.

Copy.

Heroin's a killer.

It tears people apart, eats them away.

I mean, not only does it affect them,

but it affects family.

Having young children myself,

I couldn't imagine them growing up without me

or without their mother.

So me personally, I don't think I'll ever become numb to this.

I guess a way to kind of take the pain

is hold the drug dealers responsible.

All right, male's back in the vehicle.

Vehicle's backing out. Standby for direction.

Heading away southbound.

I have her. Um...

She's gonna be westbound on Grace.

The target was in the house getting the dope.

I have reason to believe that there is dope in that car.

- -

Turn the car off.

Right here, man. There you go. Come on back here to my car.

Who's in your car with you?

What's her name?

-Do you have dope in the car? -Um, I don't.

-Does she? -I have no idea.

-Come on. -It's not my car.

-It's her car. -Get in there.

Yes, sir.

Christina, you have a needle in there?

Am I gonna get poked?

You have a pouch in the glovebox?

Is there dope in the pouch?

What'd you do with the dope you just got?

Come on.

This is your opportunity not to go to jail.

- -What the hell?

There's two kids in the back of the car.

Do you have a family member who can come get your kids?

- -That's not a tough question.

Who do you want your kids to go with?

What I wanna know is where the dope is at.

I didn't get anything.

-So he got it? -I just waited--

So he got it?

I just-- I don't know.

Why do I have to go to jail? I didn't--

Damn it.

Ma'am, come here.

We're all adults here. We all know what's going on.

What'd he go in there to do?

All right. To get a front. Okay.

How much was he getting fronted?

-It should have been a 20. -A 20. Heroin?

Um, yeah.

Ain't no yes or no.

I mean, I got your goddamn rig right there.

-Yes, yes. -Okay.

You said you'd go find it.

You wanna go to jail or you wanna find it?

-Boss, she's coming your way. - Okay.

Are we getting the baby back in our car, though?

Okay. Fold it back up.

I'm gonna write up some charges. All right?

You're gonna be hauled to the county.

- I'm going to jail? -You're gonna go to jail.

You won't even be charged with a felony right now.

- -All right?

I wanna go home with my kids.

That's our big man? All right, cool.

Obviously, I'm not charging them.

-Mm-hm. -As far as that house,

where do you think I sit now that we got dope in pocket?

We got the overdose victim that brought us here.

And they said they went to Corey.

I think we're there.

I'd like to blow it up Friday morning if you're good with it.

-I'm good. -Okay.

Good hit, man. Good hit.

Our nation is in the throes

of a heroin and opioid epidemic.

Heroin is plentiful and cheap.

Deaths increase across all races,

ethnicities, and ages.

This drug is so powerful, it just takes over their lives.

My daughter has OD'd 18 times.

The opioid crisis kills 52,000 people a year.

It is a 9/11 every month.

We all think addiction and drugs,

that's somewhere else in another land.

It's not in my community, it's not in my home,

it's not in my neighborhood.

And the reality is it is.

This stuff is everywhere.

I hate big hotels like this.

Um, can you stop being paranoid?

Anyway, okay. Don't talk to me while I... please.

-You don't? -Mm-mm.

Try to relax.

You need a cigarette?

My...

Oh, God, my body's numb.

I can't...

Try to relax. You'll be all right.