Original subtitles

On this episode of Drug Wars... A

Venezuelan cartel boss operating in the Dominican Republic is being closely

watched, while an operation to hunt him down is underway.

And Junior faces a drug addict's harsh reality. He desires to die in the

or during rehab.

Enemy number one is drug abuse.

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. Four, three, four, cocaine.

Fusion is taking you inside the drug war.

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.

On the previous episode of Drug Wars, with a Venezuelan cartel boss under

surveillance, authorities now focus on gathering evidence to connect him to the

drugs coming via go -fast boat.

Intel led them to a high -speed chase off the coast of the Dominican Republic,

where over a thousand kilos of contraband were seized along with three

smugglers.

Now the drugs are rushed for testing and classified as evidence so the DNCD can

move forward with the arrest.

The drugs tested positive for cocaine.

With three suspects in custody already and enough evidence to connect the

boss to the drug shipment, the team gets ready to execute the arrest.

The SWAT team heads to the narcos' residence

while the undercover agents stand by in the area.

We are proceeding with the arrest orders to arrest the different people who

belong to the organization.

There they come.

They come there.

There. They are with another person too. Yes, there are two.

Zulu, 50.

Before the units arrive, the cartel boss takes off.

Undercover agents follow discreetly, hoping he is not aware of the bus and

making a getaway to the airport.

Intel agents continue pursuit, now coordinating with the SWAT team to find

perfect spot to intercept the narco and not risk a shootout.

Perfect coordination between the units is now critical.

If they blow it, they may not get another chance.

With a drug epidemic in the streets of the Dominican Republic, organizations

like Hogar Crea help addicts recover.

They found Junior in a drug -infested alley, but he doesn't know if he's

ready to quit using drugs and enter the detox program.

He's lost it all, his family, his friends, his house. He's hit rock

Junior doesn't seem ready to make this sudden change to save his life.

But Igor knows if he doesn't come with them now, Junior will lose any fighting

chance he might still have.

Last minute, Junior decides to join Igor and jumps in the Algarbus.

Junior is going through a lot of personal situations.

He's manifest.

But I compromised with him that I was going to help him clear all his

But right now, we're in the process.

Hopefully, he'll let us help him out.

Igor is pleased he managed to get Junior into their center.

Now all he needs is care and the courage to stay clean.

With his body language, I noticed that he has a lot of potential in the future.

We're going to try to get him cleaned up.

He already took a shower. We're going to supply them with everything he needs.

This

cartel

boss might have gotten news that his drugs were seized.

and he may be trying to escape the Dominican Republic.

The local authorities are on his tail, waiting for the SWAT team to show up.

The tactical unit finally gets to a perfect location to intercept the

cartel boss.

Now they have to coordinate play -by -play with the intel agents, tailing the

suspects.

Car, speed up, speed up. Look, it's at a distance.

We could lose him.

Get in, get in.

When intelligence passes through here, right here, and passes the

objective,

it's giving me the signal that I have to leave.

Alpha, let's get behind the objective.

Copy that.

5 -5.

We're ready, we're ready.

Ocar, cuando vean que yo me mueva, ustedes se mueven conmigo.

Copiado, copiado.

Lo peor que pueda pasar es que haya que usar las armas.

Hogar Crea established several not -for -profit centers in high -crime areas of

the Dominican Republic, aimed at helping and rehabilitating drug addicts.

The centers get pretty full by providing free housing, food, and clothing for

dozens of addicts at a time. So finding a place in these clinics is not easy.

All the directors are former drug addicts, some even former drug dealers.

This allows Hogar Crea staff to relate better to their patients, as it was the

staff themselves who were patients here once.

Many ask whether they are truly fit to be role models and whether director's

ties to the thug life are truly over.

One such case is Santa Maria.

He was in question when he was caught in a crossfire between two rival gangs

while on the job. This incident led to a thorough investigation to determine if

he was involved in the drug deal.

Santa Maria was later cleared to work as an advisor, but due to his injury, he

wasn't able to return to his former post.

It's awful to see a fellow mate because what happened to him could happen to me.

And instead of a leg could have been maybe in the hand, he would have been

The violence in the Dominican Republic is related to the drug trafficking.

One goes to the other.

At Hogar La Fez Center, Junior starts his first day in the program.

With no drugs in his system, he's ready to take a very big step, contacting his

family.

For five years, Junior has smoked crack out of a car antenna.

And in that time, he hasn't spoken to his family at all. But now, he'd like

them to know he's decided to turn his life around.

Junior is hesitant to speak with his wife and kids.

It's been a few years since he left home, but the Hogar staff encourages him

reach out.

Okay.

Bye.

Mi casa me hace falta.

Yo sigo completamente enamorado de mi esposa y se ha dicho con su palabra que

ella sigue enamorada, pero que tengo que comprender que no puedo llegar, que

aquí llegué yo con una mano alante y una mano detrás.

Dios te va a devolver tu esposa. Que yo pasé por eso. Yo perdí mis hijos, yo

perdí mi esposa.

Perdí todo por la droga.

Por lo tanto, ahora creo que tiene que descansar mucho, dormir tranquilo.

¿Entiendes? Recuperando ese sueño perdido.

¿Y na?

Junior finds himself at a loss, realizing that the drugs have made him

everything, his family, And his friends.

For Junior, having his family's approval is the main reason to want to get off

drugs.

Today, his brother is supposed to visit him.

It will crush him if he doesn't show up.

Junior has had a turbulent relationship with his brother.

It's been three years since they last saw each other.

Just when Junior is about to lose hope, his brother shows up.

So much time has gone by, so much pain caused.

Junior is at a loss for words.

Despite his long absence, Junior's family sends him a picture.

encouraging him to get well and come back.

I want him to recover so that he can leave for his children.

I want him to leave well, so that he can work, so that he has strength.

He has three children.

Time without seeing them is very difficult.

But nothing, at least there is no rejection.

We talked about my problems, my difficulties.

I don't know where to go.

Where to go.

I don't know

where

to go.

We'll see you on Sunday. Go ahead, brother.

I think so, that the sky is going to change.

The sky is going to recover.

The sky is going to move forward.

And you're helping him well.

Seeing the photo of my daughter, my children, it helps me at least to see

them and reflect.

Wow.

In another part of Santo Domingo, the undercover pursuit for the Venezuelan

crime boss has taken them into the busy street.

They finally coordinate with the SWAT team unit to make the arrest.

They find a perfect spot, and they have just a few seconds to execute without

losing the element of surprise or hurting an innocent bystander.

Let's go.

What started with reliable intel from a partner nation not only led to a major

bust worth almost $50 million, but also to take down a whole cartel operation on

the island.

These multinational efforts to take down elaborate crime organizations have

become the key to Operation Martillo's success.

The number

of federal agencies here,

the military, the cooperation with foreign governments, We're putting

significant pressure on those drug trafficking organizations, and we're

them in their pocket.

Each year, over 100 tons of drugs pass through the Western Caribbean region.

The Dominican Republic remains the hub of trafficking in this area.

Now that all the paperwork was filed and the case is closed, the DNCD watched

the 1 ,100 kilos go up in smoke.

All drugs seized on the island get incinerated within 30 days.

Junior, who enrolled in the year -and -a -half drug rehab program with Hogar

Crea, was fully committed at first, but after just four months, he quit and

returned to his addiction.

Usually half of the drug addicts who sign up leave the program early, but for

those who do complete treatment, 90 % manage to stay clean.

On the next episode of Drug Wars...

Drug trafficking in Panama is experiencing new trends, as gangs are

drugs directly from the smugglers.

And when the busiest ferry from the Dominican Republic resumes its service,

.S. authorities in Puerto Rico kick into high gear.

What is this? You got something here?