All language subtitles for Trafficked.with.Mariana.van.Zeller.S05E05

You're driving on some of

the most dangerous
roads in the world,

behind the wheel of an
armored truck with close to

a million dollars in the back,

escorted by a team armed
with high-caliber weapons,

monitored in real time
from a control center,

with chopper support above you.

And yet, you feel
anything but safe.

Fifteen men coming for you,

highly trained,
armed with automatic weapons.

In a high-stakes game
of cat and mouse.

Every time they
don't surrender,

it means that you
have to shoot at them?

And do they, have
you killed anyone?

Welcome to the deadly world

of highway robbery.

In March of 2024,

an LAPD SWAT team came
looking for a gang member

believed to be a part of
the Chesapeake Bandits,

a crew that had pulled off
four armored car heists.

The
Chesapeake Bandits armed with

assault rifles and zip ties.

Police say Rocco,

who was killed
reaching for his gun,

and his accomplices
had stolen more than

half a million dollars,

part of a growing
number of armored car robberies

in major American cities.

That's what caught my attention.

In a world of cryptocurrencies
and artificial intelligence,

it's hard to imagine that
tactics dating back to the days

of stagecoaches would be an
effective way to steal money.

I want to understand how
these cash heists work and

how robbers are
getting away with them.

How are you?

It's been a long time?

If anyone
would know, it's Playboi,

a gang member I
met two years ago.

At the time, he was making
good money selling weed

and untraceable guns.

So you're selling wholesale?

I'd
reached out to Playboi to find

out if he knew of any other
groups who have moved on to

robbing armored cars,

which is what brought
me to a safe house,

20 stories above Los Angeles.

X, Spike,
and Bone are L.A. gang members

who have formed
their own stickup crew.

I'm gonna get contact
high over here.

You're Bloods?

So what
do you, what do you guys do?

When did you start
doing these robberies?

You've got informants inside?

What was the most amount
of money you've made on these?

The guy in the back?

So the guy
that gets out with the money is

the one that's most at risk?

That's the one.

Footage
from a robbery in Denver shows

it was just a matter of
seconds before guards were

overpowered and
money stolen.

It's empty right now, right?

Can I, can I see it?

Check it out?

So, you guys actually
take AR-15s with you guys?

How do
you feel about the fact that

somebody can
actually get killed?

Maybe not you guys,
but one of them.

There were 49 C-I-T,

or cash-in-transit,
robberies in America in 2023,

the last year the
FBI published data.

And overseas...

In Brazil, Australia, the UK,

and Mexico, news
reports and clips shared on

social media tell
a similar story.

But what's happening in a
different corner of the world

is something else altogether.

In 2023,

there were 234 cash-in-transit
attacks in a single country...

South Africa.

Where heist crews are
locked in a deadly arms race

with security companies,

a conflict centered
in the city of Johannesburg.

This is the cash
processing facility,

where most of the cash
that we pick up during a

daily operational
system comes to be

processed and
then to be banked.

Morne du Toit heads up

investigations and operations
for Fidelity Security,

the largest cash-in-transit
company in South Africa.

To enter this facility, I've
been fingerprinted, frisked,

and had my face
biometrically scanned,

then stepped through seven
double-locked security doors.

So obviously, this is a
very, very secure facility,

understanding the type of work

we do here and the cash
volumes that we carry.

So, we've never allowed
anybody from the media into

our cash centers before.

Wow, so we're
the first ones here?

- You're the first ones.
- Definitely.

And is this what
goes into the CIT,

the locks, the safes?

So these are your little cash
boxes that are utilized for

cash-in-transit.

How much cash does each
of these containers hold?

It depends on the
configuration of the notes.

If it's 200 rand notes,

it can go up
to 250,000 rand.

That's roughly $14,000 per box,

to be put on the road as part
of the $50 million transported

by CIT trucks every day.

While in Western countries,
payments have gone digital,

in South Africa,
cash is still king.

Here, 15% of adults are
without bank accounts,

and so the circulation
of cash is critical to

the country's economy.

Everything is
controlled through processes

and secured bags
and sealed bags.

It's brought to
the counting-house.

It goes into a
secure cage where it gets

unbroken under surveillance.

It gets processed and counted,
it gets resealed again,

placed in secure vaults,
and then moved to the banks.

It seems that the money
is very secure inside.

The problem happens once
the money is out of the center.

Yes.

There's been nearly one

cash-in-transit attack per
day in South Africa in 2024.

Most of them connected to the

country's highly
organized crime groups.

Last year, while reporting on

South Africa's assassins.

And how many people do
you think you've killed?

I made
contacts in the underworld,

contacts I've leaned on
to gain access to an active

team of robbers.

Mariana.
Shall we follow you?

But this is the
outskirts of Johannesburg,

sort of an
impoverished neighborhood.

The roads are so bad here
that our windshield just cracked

on the way here.

We're following the guy
that we're gonna meet.

He's taking us to a safe place.

How many cash-in-transit
robberies have you done so far,

you think?

So
You want me to call you...?

Buster? Buster.

I was told before I got here
that you are sort of the boss.

You're the one who gets, gets
the other guys to work with you.

In South Africa,

every member of a heist crew
has a specific role to play.

And as a general in this world,
it is Buster's job to assemble

a team and put a plan in motion.

How many people in your group?

Seventeen?

Is that normal?

How many cash-in-transit
robberies have you done so far,

you think?

Like, more than 10, 20?

That's
a lot of cash-in-transits.

How much money on average,
do you make per robbery?

Is it safe to say that
you've made over two million?

Over five million?

Careful, guys. Get away.

- Yes.
- Over five million rand?

That's
nearly a quarter million dollars

in a country where the
average salary is under

$20,000 per year.

Such high stakes have set
up an escalating war between

security companies
and heist groups.

With seemingly endless
resources, firepower,

and legal authority,
security forces should

have the advantage.

But over the course of years,

heist crews here
have developed a playbook

to tilt the odds in their favor.

Is it hard to do
cash-in-transit robberies?

They work at the company
that does the transportation?

And they tell you,"

This car is gonna leave
here with this amount of money?"

- The car you're driving?
- Yes.

The
surveillance team consists of

two to three men who study
the route of an armored car,

count the number of vehicles
and guards that accompany it,

and pinpoints a location
where it can be ambushed.

And
then you assemble your team?

When was the last time you
did one of these robberies?

Are you planning another...

Of these robberies?
You are?

Do you think there's a
chance I could meet some of

the other
people in your crew?

Could you try?

While
Buster checks with his people,

I'm heading to see what's
happening on the other side.

Wow.

This place is like a fortress.

One thing is clear, if this
is a cat-and-mouse game,

neither side sees
itself as the mouse.

One!

One, two, three, one!

At
Fidelity's training center

outside of Johannesburg,

a group akin to a private
army is preparing for battle.

Here, drivers pass
through boot camp.

One!

Pilots flying through drills...

...and fast reaction teams
engage in exercises.

Training to repel the exact type

of attack Buster's team
is preparing to execute.

We're going to simulate
a cash-in-transit heist for

people that's in distress.

And, you know, one guy's
gonna get shot in the leg and

then we got two
vehicles that's going to

come and extract them from...

So it's a simulation of an,
a heist?

It's a simulation,
of an attack.

- And live rounds?
- Live ammunition.

All right.

I'm nervous about this.

Next one, next one!

In this drill,

a CIT truck has already
come under fire,

and the driver has
been shot in the leg.

Enter Fidelity's rapid
reaction team on a mission to

outgun the robbers,
extract their colleague,

and safeguard the cash.

Let's go! Yes! Yes!

Holy! That was intense.

- Amazing?
- That's incredible, wow.

How many shots were fired?

About 500 rounds.

And how often do you
do the simulation?

Every second week.

In many ways,

this training can be
seen as a response to the

violent crime that runs
rampant throughout South Africa.

And as this social
media footage captured...

...the inability of
the country's police force

to stop it.

Police here are underfunded,

overwhelmed, and
riddled with corruption,

so security companies
have filled the vacuum with

2.7 million private
licensed officers,

a number that has nearly
doubled in the last 10 years.

So life in South Africa from a
criminal side is not worth much.

You won't think twice to
take a life to get to what you

have to get to.

How do you feel about that?

The fact that
you're losing lives?

So it infuriates me.

And you've got a
criminal element out there

that can take a
life at any moment.

For them it's a job,

they do it every single day.

Just like we try to
counter it every day with

all our technology,

our control rooms,
our helicopters, our everything.

This fleet of helicopters

has been an expensive,

yet necessary
addition for Fidelity,

allowing the company to
locate and pursue robbers

when they flee the scene.

But the primary line of
defense is on the ground.

All outside!

Drivers begin their career with

six weeks of coursework
and militarized training.

- Attention!
- One!

Hardening
them to become the first line

of defense against an attack.

One!

If these
recruits make it past training,

they can expect to earn
about $1,000 a month,

a respectable wage for a
blue collar job in South Africa.

But there's a catch.

13 cash-in-transit
robberies in the past few days,

22 security officers killed,
over 120 officers injured.

In the
face of overwhelming power,

most CIT drivers put
their hands up and comply

with their attackers.

According to Fidelity, this
is what they're trained to do,

but some decide to fight back.

For the past 32 years,

Dolf has been
driving a CIT truck,

making him a moving
target for highwaymen.

Were you ever attacked?

- 14 times.
- 14 times?

14 times.
Last year was the 14th time.

When they were here
next to this window,

they would start shooting.

They shoot from the front.

They shoot from the side.

Footage
of that attack was captured by

mounted cameras on the truck.

So they shoot right
through this window.

They shoot me in the head.

I just feel it's bleeding
and it was burning.

And I press my finger
in like this and then I

realized they shot me.

It was going through
my mind, maybe,

maybe I can saw
some of them,

I can shoot some of them.

So I open the shooting hole,
put the gun there.

I shoot him.

So when I shoot him,
he's down.

You killed him?

I'm sorry you had
to go through that.

The gunmen took off,
leaving the money behind.

Dolf was rescued by a
team of security officers and

airlifted to a hospital.

It's, it's hard to believe that
it's been eight months only and

that you're back to
such a dangerous job.

Why do you do it?

Because for
the last 32 years,

it's the only job I know.

There's no other work.

Especially in South Africa,
there's no other work.

Do you think that the,
the robbers are getting better

at what they do?

They are.

Because they're using, nowadays,
they use military weapons.

And the weapon also, they
shoot through this glass,

it must be military,
military weapon.

Military weapons have become

plentiful and cheap on the
black market in South Africa.

And so as robbers have
upgraded their arsenals,

security companies have
fought back with technology,

betting the lives of their
drivers on two inches of glass.

Brilliant.
Finger off the trigger.

At a cost
of nearly $1,000 per panel,

CIT companies are investing
heavily in technology like

bullet block windows made
of glass, polycarbonate,

and adhesive film.

So you can see now obviously
the glass is still intact.

It is.
That's incredible.

How many rounds did you shoot?

35.

35 rounds
and it's still totally intact.

This glass is the latest in
a long line of specialized

products deployed globally
by security companies,

including exploding dye-packs
that stain money,

nozzles that spray glue,

turning cash
stacks into bricks,

and this, a specialized
foam that quickly expands and

hardens when activated,
effectively freezing

money in place.

Despite these advances,
often the most effective tool

to combat these attacks is
not technology at all

but information.

You have informants
on the criminal side?

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

We've created a network
to try and stay ahead with

regards to
information of robberies.

And how important
has that been, effective?

It's been very, very effective.

On this one point,

even criminals agree.

What is the biggest
threat for you guys?

Impimpi?

That's what they
call informants here?

How do you deal with it?

You mean kill him?

You've killed people who've
tipped off the police?

For obvious reasons,

finding an informant
who will talk to us has

proven almost impossible.

Almost.

Here, in an isolated location
outside of Johannesburg,

it's about to happen.

Peter, thank you so much
for meeting us here tonight.

I know you've come from afar.

So, tell me, what crime
are you informing on right now?

Is it hard to
infiltrate those groups?

So if you know, if you're
on the inside and you,

you have information of
heists that's going down,

at what point do you tell?

So you only trust one person
to give that information to?

What would happen
to you if they found out that

you were informing?

They'll just shoot you.

Well, if it is that risky
that you could end up dead,

why do you do what you do?

I am doing it for my living.

So how, how much,
more or less, do you make?

So $1,000.

That's not a lot of money
for somebody who's risking

their lives like you.

And, so how does
police corruption play

into these heists?

Wow.

So even if somebody
is inside the CIT vehicle

and saying that
they're being shot at,

they're being killed and
begging the police to come,

they will delay it?

So Buster,
the heist boss,

has made some introductions
to some of the people

in his own team,

and one of them has
actually agreed to talk to us.

He's the gunman.

He's the guy that
carries the weapons.

And this is really
incredible access,

really rare access.

But on the other hand,

this is a very
unsafe world, you know?

These guys operate very
much by their own rules,

so we're not sure what
we're walking into right now.

The meeting has been
set up at a safe house,

where I've been
joined by J.J.,

a local producer,
who has agreed to translate.

- Five minutes.
- You just got notice?

Five minutes.

Pepper?

It's Pepper?

- It is Pepper.
- So what do you do?

What's your job in
the heist business?

If
This was a Hollywood film,

Pepper would be known as
the muscle of the operation.

In South Africa,
he's simply the gunman.

There's no bullets inside?

So this is an AK-47?

Is that the one you use
when you go on the heists?

Where, where is the
R5 that you usually use?

Do you have it at home?

No, it's not...

No, it's not mine.

I go and hire it if there
is a need for a job.

You rent it?

How much does it
cost to rent it?

So it's about $1,000, $150?

How many weapons do you
need for each of your heists?

Handguns?

Up to
eight vehicles will typically

be stolen for a single heist,

including a
heavy German car,

pickup trucks to block
traffic and move gunmen,

and sports cars
for a quick getaway.

- So this is a ram car?
- Correct.

Why a Mercedes-Benz?

So
You're on each side of the

truck with your guns
pointed towards them.

And if the driver has
a gun too, what happens?

You're gonna shoot the driver?

Then these ones come and
wait for this thing to open

at the back.

'Cause usually there
are security guards in the

back of the truck too.

And they come out.

So does that mean that
every time they don't surrender,

it means that you're
shooting at them?

You have to shoot at them?

And do they, do,
have you killed anyone?

You have killed somebody?

He understands
what I'm asking, right?

How many times have
you actually killed people?

Three times?
Three people?

Do you have a family?
Do you have children?

How many?

When you killed
those security drivers,

did you feel bad knowing that,

that they might have
children as well?

But
they were just doing their jobs,

right, they were just
driving their car, that car.

They were just doing their job.

How, when was the
last one you did?

Four weeks ago?

How much money did you make,
did you personally make?

So, so you
made 90,000 rand?

So $5,000?

Is that, is that good money?

Our aim is not to
take all the money.

So we just take some,
which is enough for us.

Then the other, we,

we leave and we
throw it around the truck,

so that on our way out,
the community can come and

get money to confuse
and slow down the police.

It's a clever tactic,

one that sells a Robin Hood
narrative to the community.

Taking away from the rich
and giving it to the poor?

While
effectively shutting down roads

to wade an escape.

To counter this,

security companies have
invested in air support.

And what have the robbers
done to counter air support?

Do you guys have
a strategy for when

there is a helicopter?

I have the rifle.
I have to fire at the chopper.

Because when I do that,
then it goes away.

Does it reach the helicopter?

Is it strong enough?

But
that kind of chaos is a drop

in the bucket compared
to the latest innovation

by heist crews.

Fifteen years ago,

in response to a rash
of armed truck robberies,

many South African money
trucks began to be fitted

with onboard safes that
had to be remotely opened

from a control center.

But as these clips
on social media show,

they inadvertently ushered
in an age of carnage.

When crime syndicates
found themselves unable

to force drivers to
open the safes,

they came up with a new
method to get the cash.

High-powered explosives.

The communities are terrorized.

Holy!

Hey, hey, hey!

Like
San Francisco back in the 1800s,

the city of Johannesburg
began as a gold rush town.

Now, as the number of
gold mines proliferated,

so too did the
need for dynamite.

Today,
with plenty of mining

operations still nearby,

it's not hard to source
black market explosives.

But getting an underground
demolition man to talk

hasn't been easy.

What about the explosives guy?

Do you think we could
meet the explosives guy?

Probably not?
Why is bomb guy difficult?

- He will think that.
- They will think it's a setup.

In the end,

both Buster and Pepper
vouched for me,

which is what led me here,

for a face-to-face meeting
with the most elusive

and rare member
of any heist crew.

The bomber.

Super?

That's what you
want me to call you?

Why Super?

You are the explosives guy?

You are the explosives guy?

So you are the one
who explodes the vans?

And how did you learn?

So when the team
arrives at the CIT heist,

at the heist.

Do you carry a gun?

Seven minutes?

So you time it to avoid the

helicopter seeing the cars?

So imagine this is the
back of the car, of the truck...

There's doors here, right?

Prior to the heist,

Super will have prepared up
to eight different explosives,

then, once he's
inside the truck,

he'll make a split
second decision about which

one is best for the job.

So once you place the
explosives, what happens?

You're trying to have enough
explosives to open it up,

but not too many that it
would damage the cash inside.

Is it getting harder
and harder to open up the safes

with the explosives?

You don't think they're getting
better at protecting the money?

When were you planning on
buying your next explosives?

Are you going to buy
them anytime soon that we

could see them?

So that might
mean that you're planning a

heist in the next two days.

Super wouldn't share
details on his upcoming job,

but he did agree to
meet up later in the day,

after buying the explosives.

So this is the guy
that sells it to you?

And he's the guy that
works at the mines?

Wow. So that's
the explosive right there?

Wait.
Is it that bag over there?

Can I see it?

Wow.

Wow.
So this is it?

Should I be afraid?

Is it

Are they going to explode?

Sure?

So this is it?

So this is packed with
explosives right there?

So you light this side here.

And then you have
the extent of this wire,

while it's burning,

that's the time that
you have to run away.

And all of this costs what?
How much?

So in total, you
spent about $30-$35,

and you get all the
explosives you need.

Can you open it?
Can I see what's inside?

It smells really strong,

it smells like petrol
almost, right?

So if the police
shows up now, for example,

or sees you in the car with
this, what would happen?

You just give them money?

That's $500 to $800.

Do you get to keep
the explosives,

or they take it with them?

So you pay them a
little cash, and that's it?

From modest beginnings,

the escalation in this arms
race has gone sky high.

South Africa's security
forces created cash centers to

minimize bank robberies so
the robbers set their sights

on CIT trucks
instead of banks.

Security companies then
militarized to outgun robbers

and robbers militarized
to outgun security.

CIT companies recruited a
secretive network of informants,

heist crews did their best to
identify and assassinate.

Companies put
helicopters in the skies,

and robbers put crosshairs
on those helicopters to

chase them away.

And finally, hoping high tech
would give them a leg up,

security companies
installed remote locks on

the safes in armored cars.

And robbers put bombs
on those armored cars to

bypass the remote locks.

And so what comes next
for security companies?

The dream of a bombproof truck.

So inside that is
the safe, right?

- Correct.
- Yes.

What they do is they use
this emulsion cartridge.

So this is similar to the
explosives that the robbers use?

Exactly.
That's the one.

In three, two, one.

My God.

There are 3,000 of these
vehicles still in operation.

They used to take
cutting torches, but of course,

they got smart,

and now they're
using explosives.

Armored truck bombings have

created a financial
sinkhole for CIT companies,

which have to self-insure
much of the cash they carry,

as well as replace
destroyed trucks at a cost

of roughly 100-grand each.

On the flip side, they have
created a steady stream of

business for truck makers
like the company led by Nadine.

Twice a year,

her research department
bombs its own CIT trucks and

studies how best to
harden future models.

Now you see it...

...Now you don't.

My God.

That was insane.

Is this what it looks like
out on the streets, as well,

when they explode it?

It does.
Yes. Yes, it does. yes.

My God. Holy smokes.

Look at that.

You could feel the
explosion when we were

protected inside the bunker,
but you could really feel it.

You'd understand why the
people inside would want

to exit the
vehicle if they start

threatening it with explosives.

Wow and that's
the safe door right here.

Online footage shows
how for security officers

who survive a heist,

the chaos doesn't end with
the burning remains of a truck.

It can also devolve
into a scene like this,

guards fighting to
defend what's left of the

truck and its contents,
while locals come running.

It can get violent.

Very violent.

But what if it
could be prevented?

The carnage,
the financial loss,

the arms race with a new
kind of cash in transit truck?

One that borrows heavily from
vehicles deployed to war zones?

At Nadine's company,
which she prefers not to name,

those next
generation trucks are

rolling off the assembly line,

destined to carry
cash for Fidelity.

So we started with
the development in late 2022.

And last year, we
started with manufacturing.

Is the steel bulletproof?

So the
steel is armored steel.

So it's, obviously,
bulletproof and bombproof.

And the glass is
also armored glass.

So if the robbers
were to bomb this,

this vehicle,
what happens?

So armored steel,
if you construct it in the

right way, when it explodes,
it doesn't shatter.

So if that's the case,

what do you think,
because the bombing,

the explosive
use was an evolution

from the criminal side,
what do you think is going

to happen now in
terms of the evolution

on the criminal side?

Well, let's see,
anything's possible.

They're extremely creative.

For now,
that creativity has given the

robbers the advantage.

So who do you think is winning,
the robbers or the.

Do you think the robbers
will keep on winning?

So, what do you think needs
to happen for this to stop?

It's a common refrain.

So you said it's government
money, is that how you feel,

like this is government money?

Back in LA,
X, Spike, and Bone

blame economic
conditions, as well.

They say they are
moving forward with plans

for new robberies,

joining the ranks
of crews in Texas...

Police say
three suspects stole money

from an armored
Brinks truck.

...North Carolina...

More than a quarter
million in cash was taken.

...and Pennsylvania.

Making
off with hundreds of

thousands of dollars.

Maybe
we shouldn't be surprised.

A three-man
crew pulled this off in the

middle of the
day in a busy plaza.

People will steal just about

anything to make money.

They'll steal
cars to make money,

they'll steal jewelry,
they'll even steal identities.

So you better believe,
if they get the chance,

they'll steal money
to make money.

It's as simple and ugly as that.