Original subtitles

On this episode of Drug Wars, a go -fast leads the Colombian Armada on a

dangerous high -speed chase.

And the USS Rance chases an elusive go -fast in the dead of

the night.

The war on drugs is now in its fifth decade.

Fueled by demand in the United States, it continues to generate billions for

cartels.

For three months, Fusion embedded with the men and women who do it every day.

And they gave us an unprecedented look inside a new international anti

-narcotics operation. While we were there, the operation seized $400 million

worth of pure cocaine.

This? is drug war.

In a previous episode, the USS Rents received intel on a possible drug

shipment in the Pacific, but they lose valuable time to a malfunction.

Now, hours away from their target, they have no time for course correction.

We're going right now through a long -range intercept.

I'm maneuvering at my maximum speed to an intercept point that we calculated

based on the known position, course, and speed that's being tracked.

Luckily, they've got air support from the Department of Homeland Security.

I have a position.

Target is changing course now to 010 and slowing down to about 30 knots.

Bridge calculated through wind at 235 at 7 knots.

Thereabouts. 115 miles away going 30 knots. We should close them in around

hours.

My rib is not working.

So I've got a helicopter and I've got the ship. I do not have the ability to

send my boarding team or the lead in this case to go and close in and do our

normal tack.

The Rents faces another equipment failure.

And once again, they're going to have to improvise if they're going to make this

bus.

Center of venture, Omaha 370.

You making out our packages or soles on board yet, or are we still too far out?

Negative yet. As we come around the next turn, I'll have a better view.

Copy that.

Trying to get my aircraft up so that my aircraft can rendezvous with the

Maritime Patrol aircraft.

And in doing so, we'll get real -time updates of the TOI.

A launch at night at this speed is risky, but they have no choice.

Right now, the rents can't afford to slow down for any reason.

I'd rather be advised now we're down to about 20 more minutes on station than

we're going to have to go for a gas.

Roger, 20 on station.

The maritime patrol aircraft will stay on station as long as he can.

My aircraft will then pass all the information to me, and I'll keep my

up as long as I can before he ends up having to come back for fuel.

Our people is going to try and get in contact with the MPA to get more info on

where this guy actually is.

Tower, we need decent to Alexander flight there.

It's 35 feet in length, but I have a console.

Flight Raider, we see three people on board, and the target is increasing

speed now to approximately 40 knots.

Bridge calculated true wind at 235 at 7 knots.

Combat rate to be advised, once we steady on 195, the helo is ready to take

so that will be our BRC.

Set, law enforcement phase one. Set, law enforcement phase one.

Roger, thank you.

We are the front end of the hammer. We stopped them out here at 6.

If not, then we drive into the hands of our other forces.

They're going 49 and continue pushing them to the east.

This is Comfort Clear Roger, over.

On the Victory 7, be advised that we have about 20 minutes.

left on station. We now have a lock on the helo. We show him headed our way. We

should be handing off to him in approximately seven minutes.

To further complicate matters, the P -3 surveillance plane

is running out of fuel, so they need the helicopter to take over.

Fast.

Log in. Bridge, combat.

Come to course 131, speed 25.

The go fast that we're following is switching between going 5 knots or 30

so that's why we keep having to change course, because they have to redo an

intercept solution.

And bridge XO, come to course 080.

Target of interest there is 080, 6 ,000 yards from us. Roger that. Thank you.

Hilo has visual on them. They're 35 miles away, going 35 knots.

If the rent is going to catch the smugglers without using their faster

ship, they have to outsmart and outmaneuver them.

Bearing a range for the Hilo.

Target of interest bearing 079, range 5 ,900.

From the Hilo, sir, they are right on top. The Hilo is following in a convert

posture, sir.

Bridge XO, recommend maintaining that course and speed.

Intention is to close to within one nautical mile.

We will go covert in coordination with the helo.

The smugglers must have somehow detected the helo, the surveillance plane, or

even the rents, because now they're making a run back to shore.

If they make it to 12 nautical miles away from land, then we can't follow

anymore.

We can't pursue somebody in the territorial waters.

Hey, sir, this is Battle Watch Captain at 4th Fleet.

Just wanted to let you know we have a target of interest.

The rents might lose the go -fast in Colombian territorial waters.

So command is hoping the Colombian Coast Guard can come in and save this bus.

Okay, Mo Group contacted.

They're working with the Colombians now to conduct a military transfer.

Now,

the rents must rely on her helicopter to track the go -fast.

If nothing else goes wrong, the rents might make this buzz happen.

Colombia's port city, La Cartagena, connect the cocaine labs in the jungle

major drug trafficking sea routes.

That's why the Colombian Armada are quick to follow up on any bit of intel.

So Captain Gutierrez alerts the closest ship, the 11 de Noviembre, to be on the

lookout.

The ship calls in for a fast boat to join the mission.

This is not a drill. I say again, this is not a drill.

Target position, 13 degrees, 38 .4 minutes north.

Meanwhile,

Captain Lancier and his crew on the Wren are pursuing a different go -fast.

Their high -speed boat, called a RIB, is crippled.

So they are now relying on their helicopter and the Wrens itself to make

bus. Right

now,

the Wrens need help from the Colombian Navy, or they might lose this bus.

Fourth Fleet Command gets word there's help on the way.

about 25 nautical miles away from the TOI. I continue to work a intercept

for the Colombian Navy, and a watch officer will push that to Jada South.

Target of interest, change course to 040.

Have the ELO go over, go over. Go over. Right there, we're going over. Go over,

just on the glow.

I see the lights turn.

Bridge XO, ELO is spotlighting.

Make sure they put that spotlight on the TOI so I can drive at it.

For Lantier, it's not just about the ELO spotlight.

He'll need help from the Joint Interagency Task Force, or GIATF South.

They're part of Homeland Security.

They can get the Colombian Navy where it needs to be to catch this go -fat.

Watch officer, can you request from GIATF South that they vector the

patrol craft on a northerly course to consummate intercept?

Zero visibility.

Lots of cloud cover.

Our MEGs are only so good.

My only visibility right now comes out of that helicopter.

It's my life. Even with the MEGs, I might see his wake if I'm lucky.

Sir, Jaida South has been notified.

Now, with Jaida South directing the Colombian Navy, it's a game of strategy.

Lantier will try to use his helo and ship to push the traffickers into the

of the Colombian Armada.

But any wrong move and the go path could vanish into Colombian waters.

Smith, keep looking directly off our bow.

Smith, left and right. Let me know if you see anything.

Tell me where he's at.

Roger, sir. He's bearing one, seven, five.

Okay, I'm coming right.

Right, right, right.

Finally, the ship has a direct visual of the traffickers.

Now all Lance here needs is for the Columbian Armada to show up before the

smugglers enter territorial waters.

Condor Corps, 030.

Condor Corps, 030, aye, sir.

CEO Captain, I want you to go over to Alpha Bravo and I want you to

ask if I am authorized to use warning.

Lanthier can authorize the rents to pursue and even approach to go fast.

But when it comes to using deadly force, he has to go up the chain of command.

While Lanthier waits for the

decision from Fourth Fleet Command, he readies the battle stations.

I don't want to use them, but if I have to use them because he refuses to stop,

then I've got to use more shots.

So you can hit him to stop and know that we mean business.

Brent, sponsor, if they could fire a warning shot, BWC.

Negative. Roger.

Not authorized.

Brent, this is Comfort Fleet. Negative on warning shot. Over.

A Colombian Armada speedboat is chasing another active case in their waters.

They spotted a go -fast on radar, while another Armada vessel helps them plot an

intercept course to surprise the traffickers from behind.

But the Armada speedboat

is struggling through some rough seas.

Contact radar.

Toronto,

I have a visual of the motorboat. I have a visual of it. They made light signals

for it to stop and it hasn't done so.

Barrios!

The Rents has been in hot pursuit

of their target for a few hours now.

But as the fleeing traffickers approach the limit of territorial waters,

Lanteers concern the Colombian Armada won't show up in time for the intercept,

and they'll miss the bus.

Now they're trying to stay on top of him and get him to dump his load.

We got folks that are supposed to be coming out to join us, but they're not

here, and they're not going to be here anytime soon, it looks like. So we're

going to run up that front of you.

We're not going to run.

We're going to run to the fourth side, sir.

Hard left runner.

Hard left, sir.

Left runner on.

Bridge,

come back. Come to course. 0 -1 -5.

Left full loader.

Sir, Gladys South has one Colombian naval vessel heading 010 north.

Finally, the Colombian ship pops up on radar.

Looks like the go -fast has come a bit more northeast. Now, the rents need to

guide her to a perfect intercept point. What we can do here is we'll just

continue pushing them to the east right into the Colombian Navy.

Bridge XL, recommend course 060.

With the Hilo running low on fuel and the territorial water limit creeping up,

the Colombians need to speed up and join the chase as soon as possible.

The Colombian Navy is on intercept course 000, estimated time to intercept

approximately 20 minutes.

With its speed and maneuverability, I can't outmaneuver, so we're in a tail

chase.

The chain of command back in Florida denied Lanthier's request to use his

So keeping up the chase is all he can do.

Control craft, course 356, speed 49, ma 'am.

What we're doing is basically we're behind him with our lights on, letting

know we're still coming.

We're basically driving him back to where he came from. If all goes well, we

might be able to drive him all the way back into waiting Colombian hands, and

that would be fantastic.

But there's no guarantee. We might lose him.

The Colombian Armada are closing in on a goat bath near Cartagena.

But a high -speed chase in these rough waters can turn deadly at any moment.

So the Armada fires a warning shot.

The traffickers surrender without a fight.

After reporting to the ONSA de Noviembre ship, the officers escort the suspects

back to port for a full inspection of the apparent drugs found on board.

The RENS has been pursuing a go -fast for hours.

The helo is right on top of the go -fast but running out of gas.

If the Colombian Navy doesn't help intercept the suspect, they'll lose this

Right now, radar and info teams on the rent have been silent about when or if

the Colombian unit will show up.

Tension is to continue closing to one nautical mile from the target of

Recommend course 130, 25 knots, sir.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, the Armada appears on their scope, coming at

speed behind the traffickers.

Sir, from the Hilo.

The Hilo has visual on the GOFAST and on the Columbia Patrol.

The Columbia Patrol craft is coming alongside the target of interest at this

time, sir.

This bus happened only one mile away from Colombian territorial waters,

where the rents would have had to abort the mission.

Attention on the watch floor.

Colombian military is picking up the vessel and escorting back to port.

Without the Colombian forces being able to come out and vector in on our

intercept points that we're giving them, we wouldn't have caught this guy.

The Colombians by themselves wouldn't have been able to do it because they

didn't have MPA support the whole time.

And they don't have the radars and the capability to fire on this guy in the

middle of the dark.

You've got to put all these pieces together and have them fit.

And so now it is a perfect example of where it did fit.

According to Jaira South, in 2013, Operation Martillo sees three -quarters

all the cocaine recovered coming into the United States.

But its operating budget is less than 2 % of the $25 .5 billion U .S. counter

-drug budget.

Coming up on Drug Wars, a suspicious ship from North Korea attempts to cross

Panama Canal.

The nun detains a North Korean ship when intel suggests it could be smuggling

drugs from Cuba. But the Panamanians are in for a big surprise.