The Trade

When the target faces, you'll draw fire at three rounds

for three seconds.

Scan and re-holster.

There's criminal organizations,

and their goal is to do the United States harm.

We estimate 25 billion dollars a year flows

from the United States to source countries like Mexico.

We disrupt them, we dismantle them, we arrest them.

And ultimately, we remove them.

-The bad guy lives over here. -Yeah.

We think he's gonna have to, sometime between 3 and 5,

show up, meet a couple guys,

grab two keys and then get on the roadway

and deliver them to our cooperator.

Are we gonna hit 'em before he gets there?

-Mm-hm. Yeah. -That's the plan? Okay.

The guy that we're targeting,

we believe he's a courier for one of the Mexican cartels.

We're going to engage him

and find out who he's supplying here in Columbus.

Hey, if we're lucky enough to catch him leaving

in that truck, let's make sure that he's committed

to coming to this area first.

Come to Papa.

We're passing Highland Hill.

Here we go.

We are in the curb lane.

That's the target vehicle.

Go ahead, Rob.

Picked up on a target last Tuesday.

He admitted to working for the cartel

for the past two and a half years.

Turn around.

He organizes narcotics loads and picks up currency

and transports it back to Mexico.

He estimated two to three million dollars.

He started crying during his interview.

He knows that losing this money is not gonna be good.

He indicates that he had a friend that lost money,

and that this friend, you know, was definitely executed for it.

-It's big business. -Yeah.

And the same way General Electric

would run their business is the same way

these guys run their business, except, um,

instead of firing you, they'll just execute you.

Uh, their termination policy is a little bit different.

- -But...

The courier that we arrested

said he was picking up money from a Hispanic female.

He claims that she runs a stash house for the cartels

and that the stash house is part of a larger cell

here in Columbus.

We want her to cooperate, we want her to work.

And we're keeping a close eye on her.

- Hey. -Hey. Thank you so much.

Thank Jesus. Follow Jesus.

Absolutely. And it will get better.

- It will. -Yeah.

- -Yo. Man, thank you.

- All right. -Thank you.

- Hey, man. - Let's... let's do this.

Yeah.

Yeah.

-I have four dollars. -Four?

-You have three dollars, right? -Um...

'Cause I have four, and you should have three.

Yeah.

Possibly.

Yeah.

- -He better do this.

Hey, it's John.

Hey, can I get--

Could you just do a dime of girl for, uh, what, eight dollars?

Right now?

All right. Um...

All right.

Appreciate it. No.

Man, that's fucked up.

Hey, sis.

I thought you said you were okay today.

I'm okay. But can I get, like, $20

so I can get something tonight?

You know, it's been really, really difficult

these last few months,

and I don't wanna give up any more of my money.

I'm aware, Lori. All I can say is that things will...

Things will be a lot better soon,

for me and you.

I mean, I...

I know you've heard that, but it-- it really will. So...

-So what is the plan? -I could, um...

-come into your house or... -That just means that you don't

have to worry about somebody stealing your stuff.

Yeah, go ahead and do that. No, I'll be here.

All right, bye.

So she's coming,

and I think I'll probably get like $30.

All right. That'll cover us, at least.

Yeah.

I guess.

"John, I left a white plastic bag with two envelopes

with cigarette coupons in 'em.

The money is tucked in the American Spirit one.

It's right inside the fence. It's on the ground

sitting next to a black bucket with some cans in it.

I'm just really tired and wanna go home tonight."

- -All right.

Yeah.

- -

All right.

I overdosed on this shit, like, two weeks ago.

- - I have eyes

on the target.

She's driving off, gonna be out of my sight.

Eastbound 12.

The courier that we arrested said he was picking up money

from a Hispanic female.

He says she runs a stash house for the cartels

and that the stash house is part of a larger cell

here in Columbus.

I've got her.

She's getting on 270, headed westbound.

Take a swing at her and see what she's all about.

You speak pretty good English.

- Yeah. -Okay.

Is there any money hidden anywhere other than upstairs?

-No. - No.

Same place where the drugs are?

- Yeah. -Okay.

How many total kilos are here?

- What? -How many total kilos

-do you have left? - Kilos?

-Kilos. -I don't know.

-You don't know? A lot? No. -No...

Okay.

- -

What grade are you in?

-What grade are you in? -Um, kindergarten.

Kindergarten? Is it fun?

Do you do good?

Are-- you're not scared anymore, right?

Okay, good.

Let's go up to the bedroom.

- -Is it a mean dog or...?

Well, see if that dog's gonna bite us.

-Then we gotta do that room. -All right.

- -Oh.

-Oh, shit. -Let's put this

packaging material...

This is, uh, serious fucking weight.

How many total kilos are we talking so far?

She said she'd been delivered heroin,

"en sinte," as she called it.

"Sinte" meaning synthetic, being fentanyl.

500 sinte.

Uh, we got...

Yeah, we're gonna have to really go through this place

-with a fine-toothed comb. -Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- -

From Mexico?

Uh... no, no, no, no.

They're gonna find out that you got arrested anyway, right?

- Yeah. -So they're gonna drop

their phones anyway, right?

Which one's your work phone, which one's your personal phone?

Work for the heroin? Work for personal?

-Mm-hm. -Okay. Ma'am.

At ten kilos of heroin,

you're looking at a mandatory 20 to life.

So...

Through our investigation