Original subtitles

On this episode of Drug Wars, in the Pacific Ocean, the U .S. Coast Guard

up with the U .S. Navy to collect the transfer of 1 ,200 kilos of cocaine.

But a night mission begins soon after that may turn into the first major bust

their 90 -day deployment.

And in Panama, the National Naval Air Service combats the continuous flow of

drugs from Colombia.

The decades -long war on drugs is a constant battle.

Drugs are menacing our society.

With a growing demand in the United States, cartels are moving an endless

of drugs. Using new and ingenious trafficking methods.

The war on drugs has failed. All it does is it enhances the drug dealers.

So what does it take to fight this criminal force?

Fusion is taking you inside the drug war to

the front lines of Operation Martillo, one of the world's most successful

counter -narcotics operations.

In just three months, we witnessed undercover operations, high

-speed chases,

and over 15 tons of drug seizures totaling more than $800 million.

This is Drug War.

Since the 80s, Panama has been notoriously known as a drug trafficking

to its location connecting coca -growing countries to Central America.

Because it lies right next to Colombia, which holds the title as the world's

second largest cocaine supplier, Panama sees an estimated 400 tons of drugs

every year.

One of the major players fighting Panama's drug war is Sinan, the

National Naval Air Service.

Each year, their 2 ,000 -plus troops manage to get their hands on about 40

of drugs.

And although it's just a fraction of the overall drug trade, their work keeps

narco -traffickers on high alert.

Tonight.

Sinan is preparing for a routine night patrol. The team is on high alert, as

intel confirms possible drug movement in the area.

With most drug shipments leaving Colombia on small fast boats, these

patrol units are the tip of the spear in this war.

The patrol leaders call these abandoned vessels pirate boats or phantom ships,

because according to urban myth, they could be haunted by dead crew members.

Sinan knows the ship could be used as a drop -off point to hide drugs.

They can be used as trampolines by drug

traffickers. These embankments are abandoned by companies.

It appeared this ship isn't abandoned after all.

But the fact that its lights are off could mean its crew has something to

Turn it on.

Don't you know there's been an accident, a collision?

Yeah, there's been one.

There's been a boat that's been covered.

The normal thing is to have your lights on and you didn't have them on.

We're going to tell them to turn them on, because you can't be like that in

middle of the sea.

You're exposed to a lot of things.

We're going to tie up the area.

Don't turn off the lights.

Don't turn off the lights. We're going to be in the area.

That's a danger for navigation.

It's with the lights off.

A

boat

ahead of us.

Well, the things we're looking for, to realize that it's a suspicious person.

If they continue their night patrol, the team spots another suspicious boat, so

they head over to scope out the situation.

The US is a key force against international drug trafficking.

They've teamed up with 14 countries in South America and Europe as part of

Operation Martillo.

These troops and police officers are fighting the modern drug war. It's a

strategic mix of intelligence.

firepower, and perhaps most importantly, international cooperation.

It's vital that we maintain partner relations with this. Without partner

help, it would be very difficult to be successful in interdicting these drugs

sea. The U .S. Coast Guard is one of America's key players in the fight

cartels. They're responsible for a large part of the 130 tons of cocaine seized

by Operation Martillo each year.

Twenty years ago, you had the Colombian cartels in Medellin and Cali.

They were lightweight in comparison to what you have today. Drug cartels, they

are international businesses.

Cutter Bowell embarked from San Diego with a crew of about 160 men and women

a 90 -day deployment in the Pacific.

They often work in collaboration with the U .S. Navy and other agencies.

With the interdiction of illegal drugs, the Coast Guard plays a vital role.

Essentially, what we're able to bring is both a military and law enforcement

element. We are both a military organization by law, and we are also a

enforcement agency. So we are able to approach this problem from many

aspects, and it gives us a lot of different freedom of movement in how we

process everything from the interdiction to the apprehension.

of drugs in the maritime domain.

Today, the U .S. Coast Guard will be working with U .S. Navy ship Vandergrift

receive a transfer of 1 ,200 kilos of cocaine that the Navy seized in the

Pacific. USS Vandergrift, Cutter Bow Well, come to course 140 and maintain

foursome speed for the transfer.

We'll be maneuvering off view.

We'll be using bow one for the transfer and maintaining comms on this station.

Over. We are currently offering course to the west to close your unit to one

nautical mile, and then we'll take station off your vessel. Over.

About 80 people from the Navy and the U .S. Coast Guard are assigned to this

drug transformation.

We'll be communicating to you via small bus on CT -124.

Unlike the U .S. Navy, Coast Guard officers have the law enforcement

process the drugs as evidence.

The transfers need to occur for multiple reasons.

One, you need to consolidate the contraband to free up your other assets

out and conduct further interdiction.

U .S.

Navy and U .S. Coast Guard work on several missions together, including

defense, homeland security.

overseas operations, and conducting these counter -drug operations.

In

order

to transport the drugs back to the cutter, they'll launch a 26 -foot quick

response boat known as an OTH.

You need to conduct contraband transfers so that the contraband

evidence...

and case package can be properly prepared and assembled so it can be

dropped off potentially at the next port of call or with a partner nation for

further process.

Due to the large amount of drugs, they'll take several trips using two

response boats that are equipped to transport heavy loads.

This must be done despite the unpredictable weather conditions.

We have all the drugs on deck accounted for. We'll now secure them in one of our

holding facilities.

The next step, Wawa will reposition for possible operations tonight, and

Vanegraaff will depart the scene and reposition to a different area of the

eastern Pacific for possible operations.

Back in Panama, Sinan.

The country's National Naval Air Service is on the lookout for any illegal drug

trafficking during a routine night patrol.

Suddenly, they spot a suspicious boat.

But the suspects make a run for it.

They started the engines and accelerated.

That was the goal to say that they were doing something weird.

Although the men claim to be fishermen, the officers know that the six fuel

canisters are a telltale sign of possible long -distance drug running.

U .S. Coast Guard Cutter Bowtwell has just received 1 ,200 kilos of cocaine,

seized by the U .S. Navy in the waters of the Pacific off the coast of Central

America.

With the transfer complete, later that night, the crew receives intel from

air support.

The Marine Patrol aircraft, or MPA,

has just spotted a small boat possibly trafficking drugs.

On a course of 010 degrees true, speed 18 knots, profile panga.

You have visible contraband on board.

There's no visible tarping, and you are able to see fuel bales on deck.

Cutter Botwell, Roger, good copy on all. We'll be maneuvering to get in position

to launch our helicopter.

So we've gotten a report from a Marine Patrol aircraft that there's a target of

interest heading north at about 20 knots. We're going to launch our

to take a closer look.

Night vision is critical for helicopter pilots to be able to see the horizon and

gauge the aircraft's altitude, especially when flying at low level over

We're going to get on scene.

Again, it's low light level, so not much moon out there. We're not going to have

real good visibility on the NVGs.

So let's back each other up, make sure we're watching altitude, air speed when

we're low over the water.

Initially on departure, anticipate a northerly force out of here. So any

questions at all?

All right, let's head out and get the helicopter ready to go.

Common Combat, launch a helicopter.

After you are done launching the helicopter, launch the OTH.

Send helicopter on course 020 degrees through for intercept.

Roger. All right, bring our speed down. Bring our speed down, please.

The Boutwell has to slow down its speed so the quick response boat can be

lowered into the water.

The helicopter will also launch from the deck to get eyes on the target.

Red deck. Red deck.

The role of the cutter is to deliver the helicopter and the small boat close

enough so we can get the target of info.

The U

.S. Coast Guard is in the middle of an operation with a Marine Patrol aircraft.

which spotted a small boat transporting drugs in the Pacific Ocean off the coast

of Central America.

They've just sent a helicopter and a quick response boat to intercept the

target.

Smugglers prefer to move contraband at night.

The U .S. Coast Guard must move with caution due to the decreased visibility.

All the things that normally you can see, you can't see as well. So it just

becomes that much more critical.

Speed distances are much harder to gauge at night, so you have to make sure that

we slow down to a safe speed, we're on a good course for launching them, and

that they're really paying attention, which they are. But, yes, it just

inherently makes it a little risky.

Meanwhile, after a chase off the coast of Panama, drug enforcement is searching

a fishing boat for possible drugs.

The two men on board claim to be fishermen. Their story doesn't seem to

When did you come out?

We have two days in the area fishing.

Commander,

two ducks.

Two ducks.

This is not our command.

We found a suspicious boat. We found a suspicious boat. We found a suspicious

boat. We found a suspicious boat. We found a

suspicious

boat.

We found a suspicious boat.

Back in the Pacific,

The U .S. Coast Guard continues with the pursuit of the drug boat.

Now, both the quick response boat and the helicopter need to try to intercept

the target before the Marine Patrol aircraft is forced to stop its

for refueling.

Since the U .S. Coast Guard is near the target, the helicopter is able to get

there quickly to stop the boat.

If they don't end up stopping, most likely employ one shotgun.

And if they don't stop, then they'll do the trailing fire, but they're going to

do it separate right now.

We've got some barrels on top.

We've got a lot of barrels.

One, two, three, four, five.

That's what I'm writing. Stay in contact on this guy.

Okay. We're going to go down for 500 to get better for their imagery.

Okay.

Luchador, Luchador, Cutter Botwell, Cutter Botwell, 401.

Although Coast Guard officers haven't been able to identify the boat's

nationality, their command center has given them the go -ahead to fire warning

shots. If the boat doesn't stop, they'll be forced to disable the engine.

Roger.

Back in Panama, both arrested suspects are transported to base along with a

possible contraband.

where Sanan intel agents will take over.

The intel agents already have a feeling that these guys are hiding something

crucial after being told by the officers who seized the drugs that their two

suspects were secretly communicating.

They know this case could be much bigger than it appears, and that the

investigation has just begun.

On the next episode of Drug Wars... There's a jettisoning in the water. Mark

that position.

The pursuit isn't over when the smugglers ignore the U .S. Coast Guard's

shot as they try to escape with the drugs.

And the investigation continues with an extensive interrogation that revealed

key intel, which could lead Panamanian drug enforcement to a major cartel drug

stack.