Kingdom of Shadows Page #3

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not knowing that we were

probably in close vicinity

to the top levels of the cartel.

- I guess what we heard

is what ended up being true,

that this guy was going to be

the biggest drug baron.

He went on to become one

of the biggest in the history,

if not the biggest.

He brought the Mexican cartels

and the Mexican drug lords

into the forefront.

Before they were just used

as mules

from the cocaine that

was coming in from Colombia,

when the Colombians were really

the strong cartels

in the world.

It's really hard to smuggle

anything from South America

if it doesn't go through Mexico.

He established

that no Colombian cocaine

was gonna pass through Mexico

for a certain amount of time,

and instead of just being mules,

they actually

became the gatekeepers.

They became the powerful cartel.

There was a famous saying

that he would say,

it was that,

"Todos estamos comiendo."

Everybody's eating.

There's no sense in us

warring against each other.

We're all making money.

We're all being stable.

So there was no need

for fighting.

The community knew

who the plaza boss was.

They knew that

their government was corrupt,

but they were willing

to put up with that

because everything was peaceful.

I really feel that

the Mexican community,

they long for the days when

there was one strong cartel.

- When my parents

first arrived in El Paso,

I can't even imagine

just the sacrifice

that they went through.

They had left their ranch

where they had been working

in the family ranch in Sonora,

and they wanted to make

a better life

for their children.

- My dad crossed the river.

He folded up his pants,

took off

his shoes and his socks,

holding them in his hand,

and he crossed the river,

got into the United States,

and as he's sitting down

putting on his-

his pants and shoes

to-to wait for somebody

to pick him up,

you know, outcomes

a Border Patrol agent.

In that split second,

he made a decision that

ultimately changed our lives,

because he said, "If I allow

this guy to arrest me,

"I'm gonna be detained,

I'm not gonna have a job,

my children aren't gonna

be able to immigrate."

So he took off running.

Male announcer:

In the twilight hours

when most of the country

is sleeping,

we're out there,

guarding our borders,

protecting the homeland.

[indistinct radio chatter]

- 10-4, air support and

ground units are on the way.

Announcer The Border Patrol,

we protect America.

Are you up to the challenge?

[applause]

- It took a lot for me to decide

to really join

the Border Patrol.

It took a lot

for me to tell my dad.

Quite frankly, I had rehearsed

my speech over and over,

saying this is how

I'm gonna convince him.

You know, "Dad, you know, it's

a good opportunity for me, Dad."

To my astonishment,

he sat back for a few seconds,

and then he just told me,

"You know what?

"They need people like you.

"The people that are coming

here just to make a living,

"just like we did,

the only thing I can tell you

is treat them with respect,

and I know you will."

Now, you know,

and this is his words, like,

"Now the drug dealers

and, yeah, those guys,

go after them 110%."

[gentle music]

What really kicked off

my undercover career

in federal law enforcement

was picking up phones

from loads that we had

intercepted at the border.

Rather than just let

the phone sit there, you know,

they would start calling

and say, "Hey, did you make it?

And I would actually talk

to the individual

we had just arrested,

and I would just talk to him

to see how he would talk,

and I would try to mimic

how he would talk.

I would ask him like,

"Hey, you know, where you from?

Where you going? What-"

And this is all within,

you know, five minutes of us

taking-taking-

you know, taking the load down.

The guy would call.

I'd be like, "Dnde ests?"

And they'd be like,

"Well, where are you?"

And I'd hit him back like,

"Well, you know, I got nervous.

"You know, the Border Patrol

was behind me,

but I was able to get away.

But where are you guys at?"

So I would show up,

and then I would start calling,

and I'd see who was the ones

that are answering the phone,

and we would arrest that load,

and then we would play

with those phones.

At that time, Border Patrol

had what they called

the anti-smuggling unit.

It was special agents

within the Border Patrol.

After, like,

six or seven successful cases

where they said, "Hey,

it was this guy that started

getting on the phone

that led us to"-

They were like, "You know, hey,

you wanna come on a detail

and work with us?"

And I was like, "Of course."

I was still a trainee,

and that was unheard of

at that time.

From that point on, that's

basically what my career was,

just working undercover.

[whistle blowing,

soldiers chanting]

- [speaking Spanish]

[speaking Spanish]

[gunfire]

- [speaking Spanish] [gunfire]

- [speaking Spanish] [gunfire]

-[speaking Spanish]

-[speaking Spanish]

- It's very common in Mexico

for elected officials

to make a major part

of their platform

overhauling their police force,

and with good reason,

because the police forces

that they inherit are corrupt.

The missing piece is that

you can train police force

and give them all

the resources that they need

and look for the best people,

but if you don't

hold them accountable

when they commit crimes

or they're corrupt

or they commit abuses,

you're never gonna build

a trustworthy police force.

There are many cases where

we have been able to document

very strong evidence that

shows that these disappearances

were carried out by security

forces, by soldiers and police.

Even in those cases,

they don't do anything.

The most that will happen to you

is that you might lose your job,

you know?

If you disappear someone

or you kill someone,

you're not gonna be prosecuted.

[elevator bell dings]

[all chanting in Spanish]

[chanting continues]

- The drug business can't be

looked at through a microscope.

You need to look at it as

a picture of a larger puzzle.

The real underlying cause

is poverty.

Fact is, you can't make money

subsistence farming in Mexico.

They're born

into a certain station in life,

and they can't get out of it.

And if they're born poor,

they're gonna die poor.

That's just the way it is.

Oscar Cabello

was the guy in charge,

but in all honesty,

everybody was involved.

The whole town

derived an income from him

and from the business.

They helped him.

- There was a sense of pride

that I heard, you know.

"Your father was this,"

"Your father was that."

And naturally, I wanted

to follow in his footsteps.

I started at the age of 15.

You know of the dangers,

the risks,

but it's not something

that you're constantly

thinking about.

- There wasn't such a thing

as quitting from my station.

It was very, very difficult

to get out of it.

Dead or prison.

That was

the only two exits for me.

- The airplane

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