Original subtitles

On this episode of Drug Wars, U .S. Border Patrol in Puerto Rico receives

about a drug load coming from the Dominican Republic.

We're going to be inspecting a vessel that's being pulled out of the water.

They must track them down via land, air, and sea with less than 24 hours until

the narcos make the drop.

They know that we know that they are bringing in narcotics or merchandise.

I need Advils big time. Believe it or not, my legs look good.

And drug abuse has become an epidemic on the island, while addicts like Jackie

have little hope of surviving.

The decades -long war on drugs is a constant

battle.

Drugs are menacing our society. With the growing demand in the United States,

cartels are moving an endless supply of drugs.

Positive for cocaine.

Fusion is taking you inside the drug war. To the front lines of Operation

Martillo, a multinational counter -narcotics operation.

In just three months, we witnessed over 15 tons of drug seizures, totaling over

$800 million.

This is Drug Wars.

Aguadilla is located on the western coast of Puerto Rico.

just 80 miles from the Dominican Republic, the top drug trafficking hub

Caribbean. This is why drug enforcement agencies like the U .S. Border Patrol

are strategically operating in this hot zone.

All right, for today we received information saying that two to three

from Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, they're expecting to have...

narcotics. The amount is unknown at this time. We don't have many more details

on that. Target location is in the area of Piedras Azules in Rincón near the

lighthouse. We'll be patrolling the same area since it's about the same area for

the other migrant trips.

Any questions?

Will we have any air assets available for tonight and marine assets for us?

Yes, OAM is available tonight. Coast Guard is available tonight. If also

we can call FURA, and they're more than likely going to be able to send us a

helicopter to assist with the operation.

Oh, thank you, sir. All right, you guys got it.

There's a total of three vessels,

Lately, this region has seen a surge in smugglers coming from Dominican

Republic, transporting not only drugs, but also undocumented immigrants.

Yes, sir, it's going to be Romeo 30 along with Romeo 72.

We're going to be covering the area of Coastal Zone 19 and Coastal Zone 32.

The first area they will search is Survival Beach, a hot zone known for

landings despite being nearby the U .S. Border Patrol base.

This is one of the most remote and difficult areas to work.

We tend to check it first.

And if we have to come back during the night, we can ascertain that if there

is foot traffic or anything that's being dragged on the dirt, on the sand.

That it's new.

See, if you can see right here, this is the drag mark right here.

Don't know yet what they dragged in this area, but from what you can see from

the distance, something was dragged.

But it's been a few days now.

That's a U .S. postcard.

Well, I guess they might receive the same information we receive, the same

intelligence. They're doing their part of their pattern, their search, their

search pattern.

We all come together here, all the agencies in this area.

YOLAs like this one come from the Dominican Republic, transporting large

of migrants to U .S. soil, some even carrying drugs to make the journey more

profitable. This remote area is covered with thick jungle, making for an ideal

hiding spot.

This is, they arrive here, and so they all regroup here.

Then they decide their course of route where they want to continue.

They usually get home, Stockholm, so they'll wait in an area like this.

They'll make a call, and once they tell them they're waiting for them on the

road, they'll start walking.

So they get picked up.

Meanwhile, a Marine unit prepares to join the fight tonight. Armed with the

intel, They will attempt to identify the smuggler boats.

10 -4, good copy.

We'll try to give them a call at landline.

We're going to be going 10 -8 at this time.

The one micro -home is up. They're going to fly them on the path. We'll go hit

all the marinas and look for this boat. And if anything comes up, we'll go from

there. Tonight we're just doing a patrol on the west coast of Puerto Rico.

We're heading out there to look for any vessels that are trying to make their

way coming into the shore. They could be smuggling any contraband, any kind of

drug, or even people or weapons or any other objects that they're trying to get

there without being detected.

One of the biggest challenges in Puerto Rico are the so -called spotters, who

spy on law enforcement in order to help smugglers find a way in.

We're always being looked at as far as where we are, where we're operating, and

at what times and what days of the week.

And people can make a note that the law enforcement is going to be out on the

water.

While on the road, Border Patrol gets a radio call with some possible movement.

Go for Romeo 30, 30 is coming.

On the previous episode of Drug Wars, a

community group in Puerto Rico is doing their medical rounds helping drug

addicts in the most dangerous housing project.

They ran into Fernando and Jackie, a couple struggling with heavy drug use.

According to reports, There are over 60 ,000 injecting drug users in Puerto Rico

in need of medical care.

Fernando has used heroin for 30 years. He introduced Jackie to the drug world.

Ironically, his drug use has decreased.

Jackie's is now life -threatening.

I need Advil big time, because my ankles swell up at night. I ran out of Advil.

Believe it or not, like, my legs look good.

They've cleared up here. Yeah, I mean, my legs, because, you know, I've been

doing this for years. I mean, they look, really, they look, like, fabulous.

I think that each one of them could be like a mirror for us. Each one of them

a story that can resemble our own story.

While Lewis' injuries are treated, Learning that he has managed to stay

for three years is already a success for Iniciativa.

Unfortunately for Jackie, her drug addiction has caused her to be in and

the hospital.

Jackie,

originally from New Jersey, became a heavy drug user in Puerto Rico,

both heroin and cocaine.

I was in, like, pain for, like, an hour. I was screaming.

And they weren't touching.

But in your bed or?

Yeah, in my bed. And then I was, like, screaming or whatever. And I was

screaming, screaming, screaming, screaming, screaming.

And then, like, an hour later, it went away. Because you know what I get

Is that the ants go inside and die. The other day.

Inside the cut.

The other day, right here.

I seen something walking.

I didn't see it come out.

And I was like, what the f*** is this? Do you have anything coming out of this?

What? Do you want me to squeeze this? No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

You know, in certain places.

Both Fernando and Jackie live in a shack around the corner.

Jackie says she makes her money on the streets to pay rent.

But their living conditions are unsanitary and extremely poor.

Right, Fernando?

The bed's clean now? Yeah.

Right? And the bed's limp, you want to clean the bed?

Yeah, man, the other night when I was crying.

Oh,

you're hurting

me like a motherfucker.

They're constantly looking for each other's health, and their light fights,

their discussions.

It's always because Fernando, he tries to get her to go to the doctor so she

take care of herself and go to the hospital for her.

Some of them take care of him, they

encourage him.

Meanwhile,

on another part of the island, a multi -agency operation is underway to locate

possible smuggler coming from the Dominican Republic.

According

to the

intel, a possible drug handoff could be happening near the marina.

Border Patrol coordinates with Office of Air and Marine so all teams can spring

into action.

Any target that's going to be of interest really is anything coming from

west. It's not easy. The size of the vessels that are being used are so small

and it's such a large area to cover.

But for the most part, there's a lot of people that come out and fish at night

for night fishing.

So we have to be able to decide which is an ideal fisherman or which is somebody

coming most likely from the Dominican Republic or somewhere else.

Up on the hills nearby, another Border Patrol officer is strategically located

with a multimillion -dollar scope with infrared and thermal imaging

capabilities. This high -tech power night vision allows him to keep

across a vast area.

fishing vessels.

They have around more or less four to five people on board.

I could tell they've been there for a while.

Even though I believe it's legit traffic, I still keep an eye on it

might just be waiting there and another vessel coming and make a sick transfer.

With this new intel, units rushed to the location, hoping to find the smugglers.

In Puerto Rico, Border Patrol is following intel of possible smuggling on

western coast of the island coming from the Dominican Republic.

There are three vessels that are making their way to this side of the island.

So, I mean, it could be any of the migrant landings or it could be the

This area that I'm driving to right now.

This is supposedly the area where the landing occurred.

I saw some lights down there.

I don't know if it was a vessel or if it's a vehicle.

Seems like a vessel out there. I want to see what type of vessel is being

brought out here.

We're going to be inspecting a vessel that's being pulled out of the water at

the Black Eagle area.

Drug addiction is a complex disease.

Even if an addict wants to get clean, they need access to medicine to combat

withdrawal symptom.

And this is not easy in Puerto Rico.

To combat the problem of addiction.

When have you seen people who take off for a while and come back?

Because it's a cross that touches you. Because they don't have the support.

Because what they need is to hospitalize them at least in the hospital and give

them antibiotics for veins.

That's the problem of the user.

They hospitalize them and tomorrow when the side effects come, they fly out of

the hospital.

They leave.

We're leaving.

Eli, Jackie's neighbor, has lived here for 30 years.

She's a former drug user who managed to escape her addiction, but it pains her

to watch Jackie physically deteriorate before her eyes.

While Jackie's other leg is treated, Vargas finishes up with Luis.

Obviamente, él es un reflejo de que el sistema nuestro no funciona.

Una persona como él debería de estar recibiendo un medicamento que se respeta

para poder combatir el síndrome de retirada en una forma fluida y directa.

los CARES hacen imposible que eso pase y lo obligan a él.

Emmanuel knows that if Jackie doesn't go to detox soon, she will die.

After tonight, the team did not see Jackie again for weeks.

Two months later, she reappeared, but in much worse condition, now with the

serious possibility of having her legs amputated.

It is important that we know that this is the epidemic of the century.

Studies show only 10 % of addicts get help.

With drug rehab treatments costing around $1 ,500 and a spike in drugs

into Puerto Rico, for these addicts, Vargas Pido and his team might be the

hope for survival.

U .S. Border Patrol on the western coast of Puerto Rico is on high alert for a

possible drug smuggler that might have made it to land.

Okay.

Delta, Delta, just find it out. Man, it's on the system. It doesn't come up.

It's on text on PR6.

10 -4.

Did you check if the name has any text alert?

No, no.

Oh, well, that's good. That's fine. Okay.

We ran checks on the boat, and it came back negative.

I think they're going to be good to go.

They just said the wind picked up from the south and the water got too choppy.

But they haven't seen any vessels leaving the area, and they have been

since earlier.

Having cleared one suspicious boat, U .S. Border Patrol continues their search

for the possible smugglers in the area.

No landings. We were scanning the area. No vessels coming in. The only vessel I

thought that it was.

Suspicion based on the speed end up being the local PD responding

to the possible landing.

I believe this is the PD vessel. Right now what they're doing, they're scanning

with the radar and see any movement, any vessel coming in to respond.

Border Patrol agents get the feeling that something about this wild goose

doesn't seem right.

They can give a false report just to see how fast we respond to the area.

If we respond very quickly, all assets respond very quickly to the area. They

know that we know that they are bringing in narcotics or merchandise.

It's hard to try to stay one step ahead of them. All we're doing is we're...

reacting to everything that they're doing.

Have you seen anything tonight?

No, nothing.

So far, that call that we received earlier, I think it was a bogus call,

see how long it took to reach the area.

Yeah.

Even if the intel was a decoy played by the narcos to throw off law enforcement,

officers know if they are being distracted to one part of the island, it

probably means smugglers are heading the opposite direction.

Units must quickly react and reposition.

We have seen before here loads of steroids and loads of

Viagra in these waters.

240, Romeo 30.

Romeo 30, Robert 240.

Yes, sir. To inform you that the area of Steps Beach and Domes have been

extensively patrolled and all 1019, no traffic in the area. We're going to be

1013 returning to the station.

On the next episode of Drug Wars.

The night is far from over when U .S. Border Patrol gets

a call about an accident involving one of their own.

As the sun rises, the search continues for the smugglers.

Now with the office of Aaron Marine taking to the skies for a better look.