Original subtitles

[♪ ambient music]

[Mariana van Zeller] So I got a message on Instagram

a little over a year ago from somebody saying that her dad

was a victim of a scam,

and explaining everything that happened,

and asking if there was anything I could do to help.

The message said, "Finding your show is the first glimpse

of hope I've had in two years.

Google 'Rodney Baldus'.

He's my father,

and he will die in prison if I can't figure out

how to bring him home."

She said she was the daughter of a 70-year-old grandfather

from Minnesota, she claimed is wrongfully imprisoned on

drug trafficking charges 9,000 miles away,

in Mozambique, Africa.

When I responded, I had no idea I'd be pulled into a

global search for answers.

Climbing the ladder of a sophisticated African Mafia

I never knew existed.

[Mariana van Zeller] My mission, to go undercover and

come face-to-face with Rodney's scammers.

[Mariana van Zeller] Whose goal is to transform ordinary

citizens into criminals.

[camera shutter]

[♪ theme music plays]

You know I get a lot of messages from people who think

they're being scammed,

but yours particularly resonated with me,

because it's actually a scam that I've never heard about,

but also because I'm very close with my own father.

So Nicole, tell me what happened to your dad.

Should I start way back at the beginning?

Mm-hmm.

Okay, so after my mom died...

[Mariana van Zeller] Nicole tells me her father, Rodney,

was a down-on-his-luck, out of work truck driver,

when he started receiving a series of emails.

It seemed to be an unbelievable stroke of good fortune,

a previously unknown relative in Italy had

left Rodney an inheritance of $10.5 million.

And they said it was sort of a distant family member?

[Nicole Baldus] Mm-hmm.

Yeah, and they had said that they reached out to other

family members and received no response from them,

and that he was the next in line to be contacted.

[Mariana van Zeller] The emails asked Rodney to pay a

processing fee to release his inheritance,

but Rodney was broke.

No problem, they said, and then they offered a solution.

If Rodney agreed to travel to Maputo, Mozambique,

everything would be paid for.

He would sign some documents there, they would then take

them to Europe to claim his $10.5 million.

[Nicole Baldus] And when he came to my house and told me,

the first thing I thought of was, like, okay you're going

to get kidnapped and put into a diamond mine.

So, you were skeptical right from the beginning?

[Nicole Baldus] I was. I was.

But, I think once they said that they would pay for it

all, that's what got him.

Why are they going to fly me halfway across the world

if this isn't real?

[Mariana van Zeller] So, this is the email that started it all?

[Nicole Baldus] Mm-hmm.

- Is that right? - Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] And it comes from Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

Which is interesting, because Goodluck Jonathan was actually

the president of Nigeria.

Rodney also received emails from someone impersonating

the governor of Nigeria's Central Bank.

"Our payment officials that you will meet will give you

some gift items, capable of enticing our other officials

at the payment transfer centers in other countries."

So, basically, they were already immediately telling him

that they were gonna give him a bag with something

that he was going to have to transport.

And did you go through these emails, by the way,

before he left?

[Nicole Baldus] No. Uh-uh.

So you only had access to these emails...

- After, yep. - Okay.

[Mariana van Zeller] According to Nicole, when Rodney arrived

in Mozambique, he was met at his hotel by someone

who handed him a suitcase.

On July 26th, 2019,

while attempting to board his next flight,

airport security pulled him aside and discovered

that hidden inside the suitcase was heroin.

A lot of heroin.

[Mariana van Zeller] The story exploded into

a national news scandal.

[Mariana van Zeller] An American drug-trafficker

caught red-handed.

A few months after his arrest, Rodney Baldus was tried,

convicted, and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Knowing her father is likely to die behind bars,

Nicole has spent the past four years

desperately trying to prove his innocence.

[Nicole Baldus] I understand where people perceive it as,

"Well, he should have known."

But my dad was going through a lot of... emotional stuff.

He was really lonely.

[Mariana van Zeller] Rodney's wife had passed away, and

Nicole believes her father was desperate

to save the family farm.

This financial windfall would allow him to do it.

[Nicole Baldus] My dad knew how much I wanted that.

And uh, he thought that,

you know, maybe if I can actually make this work,

then I can buy the farm.

That was his motivation, was trying to save the farm.

A once in a lifetime thing.

What if it were actually true?

70 years old, widowed, broke,

living in the middle of nowhere.

I mean, he was a perfect target.

[Mariana van Zeller] I've reported on scamming operations

from West Africa to the West Indies,

and the Middle East.

But I've never seen anything like Rodney's case.

Most scams take place inside the internet.

Scammers and their victims never physically interact.

But Rodney met his contacts face-to-face.

Which leads me to my biggest question,

was Rodney a willing drug trafficker?

Or did someone else turn him into a mule?

And if so, who?

[whirring]

[cawing]

To answer these questions,

I need to get closer to the scene of the crime.

[Mariana van Zeller] Hilario Sabonete is the

defense attorney who represented Rodney Baldus at his trial.

[Mariana van Zeller] When I ask Hilario if the hotel had

security camera footage

that could have verified Rodney's claims,

he said he requested this from the court,

but only the court could have subpoenaed this evidence.

Hilario emailed Nicole and

repeatedly asked her to wire him $5,000,

for a very particular reason.

"For your father to get out of jail,

you have to buy the judge, bribe the judge,

and this is done by talking to him once or twice."

[Mariana van Zeller] Hilario Sabonete, Nicole Baldus.

[speaking English] This is normal.

A bribery to a judge is very normal in Mozambique.

I wasn't able to independently verify whether Hilario offered

this money to the judge.

[speaking Portuguese].

[Mariana van Zeller] He tries to convince me it was for

his services, not a bribe.

[speaking Portuguese]

[Mariana van Zeller] But the only thing he proves

is that this whole case stinks,

from the lack of evidence presented by the defense,

to what I learn next.

[Mariana van Zeller] It's hard for me to believe that

Rodney was sentenced to 18 years in prison in just a single day.

And no further investigation

was conducted by the local authorities.

The public prosecutor never responded to my request

for an interview.

And the United States embassy officially declined.

I was unable to reach the judge who handled

Rodney's case for comment.

I'm 10,000 miles away from home,

and no closer to the truth.

Which means there's only one person left for me to talk to

and one place left to go.

Okay, so I think this is it.

Yeah, this is it.

The gates of the prison.

[chatter]

[Rodney Baldus] I admit, I'm naive. I'm stupid.

That's what I'm guilty of.

I am not guilty of being a drug trafficker.

[♪ classical music]

[♪ classical music]

[Rodney Baldus] I did not expect to end up in this situation.

But here I am.

[Mariana van Zeller] Machava prison was built to house

800 inmates,

but today, it's packed with three times that number.

And 70-year-old American, Rodney Baldus, is one of them.

So when they first started contacting you and they told you

you had gotten this inheritance.

[notification tone]

Were you suspicious at all?

After my wife died, every year they kept saying,

"Well, we need you to send X number of dollars to us

to pay for the lawyers."

You know, I could never afford to do anything that they asked.

[Mariana van Zeller] Uh-hmm.

And that was to be able to release this inheritance

that you thought.

To pay the lawyers to get it through the courts.

[Mariana van Zeller] Right.

How much was the total inheritance they told you?

[Rodney Baldus] 10 million five.

10.5 million.

It was also 10.5 million, the same.

- Same amount? - Same amount.

[Mariana van Zeller] Rodney isn't the only foreigner

incarcerated here for drug trafficking.

Dennis Hawkins is a Canadian citizen who received

a similar series of emails.

[Dennis Hawkins] I never got an inheritance from anybody before.

I was just overjoyed.

I was, this is once in a lifetime right now.

I really believed the whole thing.

I was like hook, line, and sinker.

[Mariana van Zeller] Dennis was also arrested at the

Maputo airport carrying a suitcase full of heroin,

just 12 hours before Rodney.

It is crazy to me to think that there are two of you guys here,

American, Canadian, here, for the exact same reason.

[Rodney Baldus] Well, there were actually three of us.

[Mariana van Zeller] There were three of you?

An 85-year-old Californian named William Vito Rubino

was caught carrying cocaine and heroin,

two months before Dennis and Rodney.

[Rodney Baldus] The courts were the ones that branded us

as three drug runners working all together.

But we had never met before, until we got here.

[Mariana van Zeller] Three older men, each sent to the

same city on the far side of the world.

This cannot be a coincidence.

When Rodney landed in Maputo,

he didn't even have enough money to pay for his visa.

So he reached out to one of the email contacts he believed

represented the bank.

[Rodney Baldus] I sent him a text that I have no money

to pay for my visa.

And he said, is there a security guard there?

And I go, yeah.

Those two had a conversation.

[notification tone]

That guard paid my visa.

[Mariana van Zeller] Had you ever left

the United States before?

[Rodney Baldus] Just on a cruise.

[♪ singing foreign language]

[Mariana van Zeller] And do you remember the name of

the hotel you stayed at?

Do you remember.

[Rodney Baldus] Palm Apartments.

[Mariana van Zeller] It was the Palm Aparthotel?

- Yeah. - That's where you stayed?

Rodney was instructed to wait for a bank representative.

[notification tone]

So that's what he did.

He waited.

[camera shutter]

[Rodney Baldus] I didn't go out.

I didn't know the area.

I was scared.

So, I just stayed in the hotel room.

[Mariana van Zeller] Four or five days passed,

according to Rodney.

[Rodney Baldus] There was a guy that came that Thursday night.

He showed up at midnight.

[knocking]

He apologized profusely for not getting there.

He says, I was stuck in South Africa.

[Mariana van Zeller] Is it possible he was South African?

[Rodney Baldus] Uh, the identification he showed me

was South African.

[Mariana van Zeller] Did you see the name or anything?

[Rodney Baldus] I don't remember what it was.

And, you know, he dug out this binder of papers.

And we signed all the papers.

[Mariana van Zeller] Then Rodney claims he was handed

a suitcase to hold these bank documents.

But the case also contained gifts, including two bags of

"candy" for him to take to his next destination.

[camera shutter]

[camera shutter]

Before he left the country, he was arrested.

Those bags of "candy" are what did him in.

[Rodney Baldus] They said, "You're a drug smuggler.

You're a drug runner."

I said, "No, I'm not."

But nobody believed a word I said.

[Mariana van Zeller] As a former Marine,

Rodney hoped that the U.S. Government

would get involved in his case.

But, so far, they haven't.

[Rodney Baldus] I will die here.

I have no doubt about that.

[camera shutter]

[Mariana van Zeller] Nicole.

You know she's been trying

everything she can to get you out.

[sighing]

[Rodney Baldus] Nicole is my anchor.

She's my baby.

[sniffing]

Sorry.

[Mariana van Zeller] I'm sorry.

For Rodney, Machava may feel like the end of the line.

But my investigation is just getting started.

Rodney said the man who handed him the drug filled suitcase

was from South Africa.

[camera shutters]

So that's where I head next.

[Nicky Troll] I looked at the stuff that you guys had sent me.

And, I must say, initially,

I thought it's just a scam, an online scam.

Until you figure out who paid for the flight.

[Mariana van Zeller] I know Rodney didn't pay for his

flights or his hotel room.

Because I have the receipts.

Which I share with Nicky Troll,

one of South Africa's top investigative journalists.

[Nicky Troll] So I called the airline and I got information

about who paid for it.

They're based in Nigeria.

[Mariana van Zeller] No way!

[Nicky Troll] Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Nicky tells me that Rodney's tickets

were paid for in cash

at a travel agency 2,500 miles from Mozambique.

Dennis Hawkins' flight was booked two days before Rodney's,

also in Nigeria, and also paid for in cash.

[Nicky Troll] Mariana, you're on to something really big here.

This is a global network.

You've got players in South Africa, in Nigeria,

in Mozambique, all connected.

[Mariana van Zeller] So we've come to the right place.

[Nicky Troll] This is a bigger network than just

a Mozambican drug syndicate.

It is much bigger than just one man.

[Mariana van Zeller] I now know that Rodney's trip was

booked and paid for by Nigerians.

And that may be the most important clue

I've uncovered so far.

[Mariana van Zeller] There's no doubt in your mind that

they're Nigerians, the people who did this.

[Mariana van Zeller] To help me understand this

Nigerian connection,

Nicky Troll puts me in touch with this man,

who I'll call "Mark."

He's a special agent with the United States Secret Service,

part of an American-led, international task force

that combats cybercrimes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Black Axe is a group that's bigger than

the Sinaloa Cartel, than...

[Mariana van Zeller] The, the mafia, than any of the other

criminal groups that exist.

[Mariana van Zeller] Mark believes the people who paid for

Rodney's trip are almost certainly members of Black Axe

or another one of Nigeria's sophisticated mafias,

whose activities are well documented on social media.

These criminal organizations rake in billions of dollars

each year through internet-based fraud.

And due to South Africa's advanced infrastructure

and fast internet,

they've established a massive presence here,

which is why Mark suspects that Rodney's scammers are close by.

My question is, why use Rodney as a drug mule?

[news anchor] Elder fraud.

The number of scams targeting Americans over the age of 60

exploded during the pandemic.

[reporter] Criminals are conning elderly people into

trafficking drugs.

[Mariana van Zeller] These scams are becoming so widespread,

they're increasingly covered by mainstream news.

[news anchor] Found seven pounds of meth.

[reporter] Drug laden suitcases being carried by the elderly.

[Mariana van Zeller] Law enforcement has a name for

the victims: "blind mules."

If I'm going to find the architects behind Rodney's scam,

Mark tells me I'll need a well-connected Nigerian source,

one with a clear view of the scammers' world.

So I got connected to you

through a contact that we both have.

- Yeah. - In the Secret Service.

You help them with information.

[Mariana van Zeller] He tells me to call him "Ben."

[camera shutter]

[Mariana van Zeller] Black Axe started among the country's

university students back in the 1970's,

as a kind of anti-colonial social justice movement.

But over time, it evolved into a cult-like secret society

that capitalized on crime.

[camera shutters]

Do you know anyone in that world that you think would

be willing to talk to us?

[Mariana] Nevertheless, a few nights later,

Ben finds a veteran Nigerian scammer, I'll call "Max,"

who's willing to break that oath.

[Mariana van Zeller] Is that the group you belong to?

[Mariana van Zeller] Oh, you, you are a member of Black Axe?

[Mariana van Zeller] Have you ever heard of a case of a

person who was told that

they had an inheritance waiting for them in Africa,

and then when they got that here,

they were used as, as a, a drug mule?

[Mariana van Zeller] Max and Ben tell me that most

inheritance scams begin with a form letter that's created by

the syndicate and emailed to thousands of potential victims

around the world.

Most people won't ever respond to these emails.

But eventually someone takes the bait,

someone like Rodney.

And Nigeria's scammers have a special name for these victims.

[Mariana van Zeller] Maga.

[Mariana van Zeller] And that comes from which language?

[Mariana van Zeller] So, basically, you never get rid

of a person that you're communicating with online.

The idea is that at some point, this person might,

might be valuable for you.

[Mariana van Zeller] Huh.

[Mariana van Zeller] My next stop to see if this brotherhood

can connect me with a Black Axe drug dealer,

one who can finally shine a light on how

a Maga was turned into a mule.

[♪ ominous music]

So you pay the person that gives you the contact...

[Mariana van Zeller] The scammer basically.

He tells me to call him 'Chris'.

He's a drug smuggler who works with the Nigerian syndicates.

And though he claims he didn't hand Rodney the suitcase

that sealed his fate,

he admits that "blind mules" are commonly used by Black Axe

and other criminal organizations.

So, the drugs that he was carrying,

he says unknowingly carrying,

it looked like it was candy.

It didn't look like it was drugs.

Chris knows exactly what I mean, because he's done this before.

So, it's drugs.

[Chris] Hmm.

[Mariana van Zeller] Wrapped in, as if they were candy.

[Mariana van Zeller] What kind?

[Mariana van Zeller] Crystal.

Is it all the candy or just some of them have...

- Just some of them? - Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] Have you ever reached out to scammers

telling them you were looking for a victim who was older?

To, to be the drug mules, to traffic the drugs.

[Mariana van Zeller] Because they're less, um.

- Suspicious? - Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] He says this particular strategy is

part of a 10,000 mile trafficking route both the

U.S. Secret Service and Max and Ben told me about.

And so, the corridor usually is,

that it comes through the east coast of Africa and

through Tanzania, Mozambique, down to South Africa?

[Mariana van Zeller] And that, is that mainly heroin?

[Mariana van Zeller] It's called "the Southern Route."

Heroin is produced in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

and then moved into Pakistan, where it's smuggled inside

shipping vessels that cross the Arabian Sea.

Arriving at African ports like the one in Maputo, Mozambique,

where the Nigerian syndicates take over.

From there, they send the drugs north into European markets

using "Magas," clueless drug mules like Rodney.

I think there's a, a misconception, in my opinion,

that the people that are victims of this are either

very naive or not very smart.

Do you think everybody can eventually become a Maga?

- Yes. - Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Everybody is scammable?

[Mariana van Zeller] Are you guys scammable?

[Mariana van Zeller] It's time for me to put this idea

to the test.

From the start of my investigation,

Nicole gave me all of the emails

that Rodney received from his scammers.

So I decided to write them back,

not as Mariana van Zeller, but as a Maga.

You see, to catch a scammer, I have to play the fool.

I use a fake name and say I'm a friend of Rodney's

following up on his inheritance,

a friend who's doing business in Johannesburg.

Perhaps we can meet.

After a few weeks of back and forth,

Rodney's scammers take the bait.

[phone ringing]

[Mariana van Zeller] Hello, is this Mr. Gilbert Wilson?

This is Zoey, we're supposed to meet today.

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay, I'm going to text you the name

of the hotel and we can meet there in about 30 minutes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Very good. I will talk to you in a bit.

[Mariana van Zeller] Thank you so much.

[♪ anticipatory music]

[Mariana van Zeller] Which is where, here?

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay.

[Mariana van Zeller] Uh-huh.

[Mariana van Zeller] Catfishing the Nigerian mafia is dangerous,

which is why I've called in Joe van der Walt and his team

to watch my back.

Joe's a former officer in the South African military,

who now specializes in private security throughout Africa.

[Joe van der Walt] Security is priority.

Loss of life is nonnegotiable.

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay, let's do it.

I'm scheduled to meet Rodney's scammer at a nearby hotel.

He calls himself "Mr. Gilbert Wilson."

[rustling]

Once I arrive, my team and I activate the hidden cameras

we're using to capture my meeting.

Now, I simply have to sit and wait for Mr. Gilbert Wilson.

[Mariana van Zeller] Huh.

Joe and his security team are also here,

strategically positioned for my safety.

After a 15-minute wait, my contact finally arrives.

[Mariana van Zeller] Zoey. Mr. Wilson, how are you doing?

[Mariana van Zeller] Mr. Wilson believes I'm a friend of

Rodney's named 'Zoey'.

Would you like to sit down?

Would you like something to drink?

[Gilbert Wilson] Okay. We'll sit outside.

[Mariana van Zeller] Sure, outside.

[Gilbert Wilson] Oh, yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] Sure. Is that better for you?

[Gilbert Wilson] Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] He immediately alters the plan,

and wants us to move to another table.

I'm worried that Joe won't be able to see me,

but I have no choice.

- How are you? - How are you doing?

Good, how are you?

- Good. - Tell me...

[Mariana van Zeller] I know. So I've been in touch.

You're here because of Mr. Godwin...

[Mariana van Zeller] Emefiele, right?

One of Rodney's scammers called himself Godwin Emefiele.

I've been emailing with him. I don't know him.

But I know Mr., uh, Rodney Baldus.

[Mariana van Zeller] Um, who you...

[Mariana van Zeller] Yes. That's correct.

But we're still talking about the $10.7 million, correct?

[Mariana van Zeller] We're still talking about the inheritance?

[Mariana van Zeller] And it's still 10.7 million.

[Mariana van Zeller] $10.6.

[Mariana van Zeller] I didn't bring anything with me,

but I can go get...

[Mariana van Zeller] My passport information.

It's up in my room.

Okay. You'll wait for me.

I step away from the table and pretend to go to my room.

But when I return, I'm ready to confront this man,

and I've brought back up.

Joe is with me, in case things go sideways.

So, Mr. Wilson, I'm actually going to come clean with you.

I'm a journalist.

[Gilbert Wilson] Okay.

[Mariana van Zeller] And I'm doing an investigation into

what happened to Mr. Rodney Baldus.

[Mariana van Zeller] Mr. Rodney Baldus, the person I just

told you about, and I would very much like to talk to you

or whoever you work with about the situation.

[Mariana van Zeller] You know who Rodney Baldus is

because that's the person that

we started by talking about, I just asked you.

[Mariana van Zeller] Rodney Baldus.

Mr. Wilson, or whoever this man really is,

pretends he doesn't know what I'm talking about.

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay. Mr. Wilson, Gilbert, right?

Wilson Gilbert.

[Mariana van Zeller] Your name. What's your name?

[Mariana van Zeller] Charles.

No. You got here, you asked me if I was Zoey.

[Mariana van Zeller] Do you know Mr. Godwin, do you know

Mr. Godwin Emefiele?

[Mariana van Zeller] So I know that you are not telling me

the truth because we just had this conversation.

[Gilbert Wilson] I have...

[Mariana van Zeller] And it was recorded.

And I would very much like...

- I am. I am. - All right.

Do you know the problem, what it is with what you do,

is that you're putting innocent men in prison, right?

[Mariana van Zeller] He excuses himself and leaves the scene.

[Mariana van Zeller] But Joe warns me that we also need

to leave, and quickly.

We've exposed a very profitable criminal organization,

and we've captured one of its members on camera,

if we're not careful, they could come after us.

[Joe van der Walt] The concern is, is that once we exited,

is somebody tailing us?

[Mariana van Zeller] We drive until we're sure

we've lost any tail.

Then find a safe place to regroup.

Up until this point, they were ghosts.

[Joe van der Walt] Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] These people didn't exist,

apart from an email address,

and now we actually have a face

and a person that we've met with.

We know they're real.

And we know that these are the people that were involved

in what happened to Rodney.

As a journalist, I'm usually more of an observer,

but in this case, it's become very personal.

That's because I have proof that Rodney was scammed,

and he's stuck in prison

while his scammers are still out there,

fishing for their next victims.

I know exactly where I need to go next,

to share this evidence with the one person

who believed in Rodney's innocence from the start.

His daughter.

[cawing]

[Mariana van Zeller] Did you ever think that you'd be coming

to Mozambique?

That you'd actually be here one day?

[Nicole Baldus] Absolutely not.

It's still not real.

[Mariana van Zeller] Nicole Baldus has made the

9,000 mile journey from small town Minnesota

to Maputo, Mozambique.

What has he said about you coming here?

[Nicole Baldus] He has told me, "Do not come here," many times.

But I told him that it's not up to him anymore.

I just want to hug him, you know?

Feel him.

He's still on this planet, you know?

It's been so long.

Four years is a long time to go without seeing a parent

that you're used to seeing almost every day.

[♪ emotional music]

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay.

[inaudible chatter]

[♪ emotional music]

[♪ emotional music]

[crying]

[♪ emotional music]

[♪ emotional music]

[♪ emotional music]

[Mariana van Zeller] Separated by thousands of miles, this is

the first time that Nicole has embraced her father since the

morning he boarded that fateful flight to Mozambique.

[Nicole Baldus] No matter how knowledgeable you think your

elder parents are,

always be asking questions.

Because you never know.

He was so depressed at that time.

And a lot of times, going on a trip and

seeing other parts of the world

is what really brings you out of that,

because you realize how big the world is.

And you're just this little thing.

[Mariana van Zeller] "This little thing,"

in Rodney's case, it meant realizing

that he's an unwitting drug mule

in a global, multibillion dollar business.

The happy ending Rodney imagined was a windfall

to help his family.

For his scammers, the real windfall was selling drugs

to high paying customers in Europe.

[camera shutters]

But at its heart,

this wasn't really a story about drug smuggling or scamming.

It's a human trafficking story.

The product is the person.

[camera shutter]

[Nicole Baldus] Dad, I'm not going to argue with you on this.

You will go to therapy when you come home.

[Mariana van Zeller] Home.

Rodney's fellow inmate, William Rubino,

was sent there early on compassionate release.

I think Nicole knows that if the U.S. Government

doesn't intercede on her father's behalf,

he may not be so lucky.

There was no attempt whatsoever in Mozambique,

or from anyone, to try to clear his name.

To try to prove it was all

part of this bigger criminal syndicate.

Why isn't more being done to combat that?

[Mariana van Zeller] Organizations like Black Axe

commit crimes across borders.

Precisely because it turns these cases into a

multijurisdictional mess,

one that requires international cooperation

to catch and convict the perpetrators.

[Nicole Baldus] When you see that nothing can be done,

it's just, it's heartbreaking and it's almost infuriating.

But it's going to get out there.

And hopefully, eventually, they're going to see that

they got the wrong person.

[♪ dramatic music]

Captioned by Cotter Media Group.