- 15 hours ago
Contraband: Seized at the Border - Season 8 - Episode 04: Semi-Pro
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TVTranscript
00:07Every year, over 200,000 tons of drugs are seized at the U.S.-Mexico border.
00:14The sheer number of travelers we get, we have to always be vigilant.
00:20Cartels rely on a network of couriers to smuggle in their narcotics.
00:31Today, at the Equal Pass International Bridge...
00:34Bravo 18, Bravo 18, Tango Hotel, Lane 3.
00:39Officers have received a tip-off that a driver returning from Mexico may be smuggling cartel drugs in her vehicle.
00:47This vehicle was referred for an enforcement inspection.
00:50She was nervous. She was avoiding high contact.
00:56The car is sent to the Z portal for x-ray.
01:02I notice anomalies on the floor and under the seat on the passenger side.
01:07And also, I can see some dense areas under the driver.
01:13And usually, it should be able to see through.
01:16Let's put out the floor on both sides.
01:19Officer Guzman suspects the dark shadows could be hidden contraband.
01:24Right now, this subject is going to be detained.
01:27I'm just going to be placed in a cell.
01:30We're going to tear the vehicle apart to find out what it is.
01:33If drugs are found, she could be facing a long stretch behind bars.
01:38Let's go.
01:47We found something.
01:49Mike, Mike.
01:50We found it.
01:52Are we going to be placed in jail?
01:53We have to do what we have to do.
02:16The Gateway International Bridge separates Brownsville, Texas.
02:24From the city of Matamoros, Mexico.
02:28What did you go to Mexico for?
02:30Each day, thousands of day-trippers cross back and forth.
02:35Hello.
02:35How are you, sir?
02:37Very good.
02:37And everyone coming into the U.S. is checked against the National Crime Database.
02:42You're from Fista, Mexico?
02:44Is that on Medicare and Paticure?
02:45Yes.
02:46Yes.
02:47Next?
02:48Yes.
02:50Today, a young man returning to the U.S. after going to Mexico for a haircut has been detained.
02:56There's a subject who has a warrant for his arrest.
03:03He was patted down by the officers.
03:06You mean anything to knock the door?
03:07Okay.
03:07Yes, sir.
03:08Yeah.
03:09With the pat down clear, he's held in an interview room.
03:18And you said you were getting a haircut in Mexico?
03:20Yes, ma'am.
03:22You stated you've never been arrested?
03:24Never been arrested in my life.
03:25Never, never.
03:25Never gotten in trouble with the police?
03:28I got tickets, but never been arrested.
03:30Okay.
03:30When's the last time you got a ticket that you know of?
03:32No problem.
03:34Approximately the time?
03:36I think at least more than a year.
03:38More than a year?
03:38Okay.
03:39Do you know who it was, what county, what police officer that you know of?
03:45No?
03:45Okay.
03:47Okay.
03:48The man claims to know nothing about the warrant.
03:56Usually when they come in and we know they have a warrant, we usually ask them,
04:01hey, have you ever been arrested?
04:03Have you ever had trouble with police lately?
04:05Some of them say yes, others say no, or they forget.
04:10Public record information on the warrant comes through to Officer Anaya.
04:15He gets wanted for evading arrest.
04:18Evading arrest is a serious crime, which can result in significant prison time.
04:24Usually that's either they're trying to arrest you and not complying,
04:28or just try to run away or try to hit them.
04:29Yeah, I think he's here right here, sir, please.
04:31Okay.
04:33In order to determine that his details match those on the warrant,
04:38his fingerprints are taken.
04:47If he is the wanted man, he will be taken to jail.
04:55Nothing's actually showing on the prints.
04:57Nothing came up.
04:58Nothing, nothing.
04:59With the man's fingerprints not showing up in the system,
05:03officers need to find another way to confirm if he really is the wanted man.
05:16In Eagle Pass, officers have stopped a driver returning to the U.S. from Mexico
05:22after a tip-off revealed she may be a cartel drug courier.
05:26Let's get out the floor on both sides.
05:36Officers begin their search.
05:38Let's take off the center console.
05:44The trap door should be in the center console, bro.
05:48There you go.
05:49It's all loose, right?
05:51When drugs are concealed in hard-to-reach places,
05:55cartels have typically constructed a trap door for access.
05:59There's no only trap door, is it?
06:01No?
06:02Bueno, let's go ahead and take off the seats.
06:06But so far, no such door can be found.
06:10Officers begin the painstaking process of removing the seats to continue their hunt.
06:19There's a door here.
06:21Do you want this one?
06:28You have to find a compartment.
06:42They put a lot of work into trying to hide it.
06:44It takes a lot of ingenuity to put them in like that, especially in the floor.
06:49With loads this big, cartels often hide a tracker to keep tabs on their couriers and product.
07:05Before officers continue their search, they need to make sure no one else is listening in.
07:13This is the tracker.
07:15You're usually put under the steering wheel on this area.
07:20It's the communication.
07:21You see the driver and whoever is sitting in the vehicle, and also there might be mics inside.
07:26So that cuts off the opinion of whatever we're talking.
07:34Officer Caronco has broken the signal.
07:38The team can now resume the inspection, knowing the cartel isn't monitoring their conversations.
07:48There you go.
07:50And it's not long before another trapdoor is found.
08:00There it is.
08:01It's not going to be the whole thing?
08:03The whole thing?
08:03Open the door?
08:05Yeah, it's going to be a lot.
08:07It looks like it's going to be the entire floor from both sides.
08:11For the officers, this could be a major seizure.
08:28At the Gateway International Bridge, a young man returning from getting a haircut in Mexico has been detained.
08:34You stated you've never been arrested.
08:37Despite his denials, he's wanted for evading arrest.
08:41Nothing's actually showing on the prints.
08:44Nothing came up.
08:46But right now, his fingerprints don't match anyone on file.
08:50The subject is still wanted.
08:52It doesn't mean the warrant is not there.
08:54Sometimes they don't get fingerprinted.
08:57To confirm whether or not he is the wanted man.
09:00Nothing's showing up in his prints.
09:02We can't verify the prints?
09:03Call a secretary?
09:04Oh, over there.
09:04The biggest thing is a mugshot.
09:06Yeah, let me verify his social.
09:07Okay.
09:09Officer Anaya needs to dig deeper into his background.
09:16As well as confirming his social security details, he reveals he's a semi-professional boxer with an upcoming fight.
09:23He said he has a fight pro-boxing.
09:26That's his fight.
09:28And this is him right here.
09:33He may be known in the ring, but Officer Anaya still needs to confirm his ID.
09:40I'm going to call Sector, see if they have a photo of the subject, just to verify if it's a
09:46match.
09:50Yes, I was calling because we have a wanted person here.
09:56I already fingerprinted him, but nothing came up.
10:00Local law enforcement in Brownsville runs his details through their system.
10:06Thank you so much.
10:08It was a match for the name and the date of birth.
10:12So, it was a match.
10:15The man will be picked up by local police.
10:19So, when are you fighting?
10:21Saturday.
10:22Saturday.
10:23Okay.
10:24Despite facing criminal charges, the man is more worried that he may miss his fight in two days.
10:33I know as a boxer, you do have to train every day.
10:36So, you will have to be training for that fight on Saturday.
10:40It's looking unlikely he'll be on the ticket.
10:54He's being taken to the Brownsville precinct, where he'll finally learn more about his alleged crime.
10:59You are going to go to the county that's looking for you, that you're wanted from.
11:06I wouldn't know when he would be seeing the judge, maybe a couple of days.
11:10I don't know if he's going to be able to get out for that fight Saturday.
11:14The man may have been unaware of his warrant, but since he is the wanted man, he will now have
11:20to face his charge.
11:21If you've ever gotten into trouble, ever been arrested, ever had any warrants, and you're planning to cross to the
11:28U.S., don't be surprised if you get stopped by us.
11:42In Eagle Pass, officers have found suspected narcotics hidden in the floor of a vehicle.
11:51It looks like it's going to be the entire floor from both sides.
11:58The lone driver is detained, while officers strip down the car to gain access to the drugs.
12:05Over.
12:12All right, I guess now we can drive this one fire up.
12:17And even more packages are found.
12:20It never gets old.
12:21It's just as exciting as the first one.
12:25You love what you do.
12:31Almost every inch of the car's floor has been used to conceal narcotics.
12:37Could be close. We're not sure.
12:40But it's unclear what type.
12:42We've got to get everything out to the seizure rule so we can test it to see what we're dealing
12:47with.
12:48And we'll take it from there.
13:11We counted 74 packages in total.
13:13At this point, since we don't know what it is, we're going to have to test it and just verify
13:19what kind of thing is.
13:20What kind of drug they are.
13:27The load is taken to the seizure room for testing.
13:31Delivery.
13:34All right, moment of truth.
13:50The laser detector can penetrate the layers of packaging and identify the type of drug.
14:00Methamphetamine.
14:02It came positive for methamphetamine.
14:05First packet.
14:07Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that caused an estimated 30,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2024.
14:16But it's one of the most profitable for cartels because it could be manufactured cheaply from easily sourced chemical ingredients.
14:25If I had to take a wild guess on why the narcotics come from Mexico, I would say price?
14:32I guess they can get the chemicals easier in Mexico.
14:35Right?
14:39It takes three officers two hours to examine all the drugs.
14:45Each packet is full of crystals.
14:49And every one tests positive for methamphetamine.
14:54We're going to take all of the packages and the boxes to bridge two so we can have them wait.
15:01The drugs are taken to the nearby Camino Real Bridge to be weighed on a commercial scale.
15:11Every time we have to use this scale means we did good.
15:20162 pounds and if we translate that into kilograms it's 73.48 keys of crystal meth.
15:27Today's bust has taken drugs with a street value of 3.3 million dollars out of the hands of dealers.
15:34We do this job because we care.
15:36We save lives whenever we catch drugs.
15:40Whenever we take it off the streets it gives us a sense of accomplishment.
15:49So
16:13that's what we are going to do.
16:13apprehend 2.5 million people attempting to cross illegally from mexico to the u.s
16:20a lot of drug trafficking weapon smuggling narcotics human smuggling many are youngsters
16:28whose parents are already in america illegally they pay people smugglers to escort their children
16:34safely across the border often pretending to be a close relative it happens a lot it happens more
16:41often than you would think today at the juarez lincoln bridge three children heading to texas
16:49with their grandmother have been stopped after their story raised concerns the three girls have
16:55american birth certificates but no picture ids they're traveling with their supposed grandmother
17:01so i'm going to interview all four of them and we'll see what their story is how they know each
17:05other that they're not trying to come in under a different name and trying to come into the
17:10country illegally officer cova rubius is concerned the girls aren't really the woman's grandchildren
17:17and the birth certificates aren't theirs anybody can claim that i'm this person this is my birth
17:23certificate let me in but at the end of the day they have to be able to prove that that's
17:27really who
17:28they are
17:34okay
17:34Yo también.
17:35Tú también.
17:37¿Usted tiene permiso de la mamá o papá?
17:39De la mamá.
17:40OK.
17:41Este.
17:42Andale.
17:45¿Y tu mamá dónde está ahorita?
17:47En México.
17:48¿Ella puede cruzar?
17:49No.
17:50¿Ella no tiene visa?
17:51No.
17:51OK.
17:52¿Usted sí?
17:53Yo tengo visa.
17:54Sí, claro.
17:56¿Para dónde van ustedes?
17:57Para Texas.
17:59Para Texas.
18:01¿Dónde mero?
18:04Mejía.
18:05¿Mejía?
18:05Sí.
18:06¿Dónde se encuentra eso?
18:10¿Cómo que no saben?
18:11¿No saben dónde van a ir?
18:12Se llama Mejía.
18:14The grandmother has a visa to visit the U.S.
18:17and says she's taking the girls to a city in Texas
18:20to see their father.
18:22He used to live in Mexico, but moved back to the U.S.
18:26¿Qué? ¿Cuánto tiempo?
18:27No, no más un mes.
18:31OK.
18:3115 días y un mes.
18:33¿Cómo?
18:35¿Ustedes ni saben cuánto tiempo se van a quedar aquí?
18:38No, yo sí.
18:39Uno dice 15 días y otro dice un mes.
18:41¿Pues cómo?
18:42No más nos vamos a estar como 15 días.
18:44Y luego de allí vamos para que emigren a su papá
18:47y ya los revisamos.
18:50Bueno, los voy a traer para adentro, ¿ok?
18:52Los voy a ir a entrevistar allá.
18:54Mi tote.
18:55¿Cómo?
18:55¿Qué tanto...?
18:57¿Qué tanto qué?
18:58Mi tote.
19:00Ok.
19:00Señora, mira.
19:01Estos son los documentos que me presentaste.
19:03¿Ellos tienen fotos?
19:06¿No?
19:06Pues yo no sé si estos son los que salen en los documentos.
19:11¿Tienen ID?
19:12No.
19:13Yo tengo que hacer mi trabajo para asegurar que estos son ellas.
19:16¿Ok?
19:17Si tienes problemas con eso, te puedo regresar a México
19:19y ahí se acaba.
19:21¿Qué vas a hacer?
19:27¿Qué más?
19:43El 고6
19:44El jazzo de Detroit es la enfocada en Occidente terrestriala internacional.
19:48Seguirme. ¿Cómo estás?
19:49Do you have any fruits and vegetables with you today?
19:5316 million vehicles pass through every year.
19:56Nothing for the perfect.
19:59CBP officers are always on alert for anything suspicious being smuggled in.
20:04Any fresh fruits, vegetables?
20:07That includes natural items.
20:10Well, no fruits or vegetables. There's like chips and stuff.
20:13But some are prohibited because they carry a serious risk to American agriculture and wildlife.
20:21Finding any insects that can be harmful to United States agriculture is as important as finding drugs and any shipment
20:28coming in.
20:30Today at the Ambassador Bridge, a car returning to the U.S. from Canada has been sent for inspection.
20:40The driver, who's traveling with his family, declared that he has no fresh produce.
20:46But since their car is loaded with groceries, Officer Castillo wants to take a closer look.
20:52We try to see if they bring in anything prohibited.
20:55Yeah, they just said no fruits, vegetables, just rice.
21:01All the bags need to be checked.
21:04If any prohibited items are found, the family could be in line for a hefty fine.
21:10All this stuff that we don't really look at.
21:15They declared rice, so I found the rice.
21:17This looks like it's balsamati rice.
21:20The rice is classified as a dry good, so it's allowed to be brought in.
21:26But fresh fruits are restricted to only certain ones grown in Canada.
21:31And yeah, I'm seeing that they do have some mangoes.
21:37These don't have a country of origin, but either way, mangoes from anywhere, they're prohibited.
21:42So some fruits and vegetables do carry diseases.
21:46Mangoes are sort of like avocados because of the pit inside.
21:50You could replant the pit and then you could grow more.
21:53We don't want it in because we can't control it.
21:57Mangoes can harbor fruit flies, which pose a significant threat to U.S. farmers,
22:02because they can destroy entire crops.
22:07Oranges, we regulate them.
22:09They don't have a country of origin, so we're going to be taking them again.
22:16Pears, these say Argentina.
22:18They didn't declare any of this stuff either.
22:21The man's claim to not be carrying any fresh produce is already unraveling.
22:26For transporting potentially hazardous goods, the driver could be facing a serious fine.
22:41At the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, a woman traveling with three girls she claims are her granddaughters is being questioned.
22:59The woman has presented U.S. birth certificates for all three girls, but with no photo ID to prove who
23:06they actually are,
23:08Officer Covarrubias needs to be sure she's not trafficking them.
23:12And who are these young women? Who are they traveling with? Why are they together? How do they know each
23:17other?
23:19We have all these past cases where somebody gets greedy and they want to smuggle people in and say,
23:25Hey, this is my daughter, when it's not their daughter.
23:27And this is her birth certificate, but it's not them.
23:32Traffickers can be paid thousands of dollars to get a single child across the border to be reunited with family.
23:39Officer Covarrubias needs to make sure these girls are who they say they are.
23:44To prove they are all related, he needs to see photographs of all of the family together.
23:57But neither the sisters nor their grandmother have any on their person or on their phones.
24:04Look, really, really, I have to see a photo where you are together.
24:10It's not like it's three or four years ago.
24:14I have to know that you know them, that they are sisters.
24:18Yes? Well, go ahead.
24:22Do you have photos with your grandmother?
24:25No.
24:25No?
24:27Do you like taking photos?
24:28No.
24:30No.
24:33How many do you look at your children?
24:35Diary.
24:36Diary?
24:37Yeah.
24:37Every day?
24:38Yeah.
24:39Okay.
24:40And have you ever had the holidays with them?
24:46You took pictures with your family?
24:48No.
24:48I do not.
24:49Why?
24:51I do not like that.
24:54No.
24:54Okay.
24:55With the girls and their alleged grandmother unable to prove that they are related,
25:00Officer Kovarubias decides to call the girl's mother to help establish the facts.
25:31At the Canadian border, a family has been caught bringing in undeclared fresh fruit into the U.S.
25:38They're prohibited.
25:40Since crossing the border with undeclared agriculture can have a devastating impact on U.S. crops,
25:46They didn't declare any of this stuff.
25:48The family could be in line for a penalty.
25:50You had some, like, fresh fruits and vegetables in your vehicle.
25:54You had some mangoes, some oranges.
25:56You had quite a few of them.
26:00We technically asked both of you if you had any fresh fruits and vegetables,
26:04and because you said you didn't have any, and we found some.
26:08But you do have fruit.
26:10The fruits that you do have, some of them are prohibited.
26:13When you fail to declare it, we're going to have to give you a penalty of $300.
26:17How much?
26:19$300.
26:19$300.
26:20She didn't know.
26:22I don't know.
26:26We did ask both of you guys, and you both said no.
26:31Well, you did have fruit.
26:34So we're going to be actually done arguing.
26:36You did cross an international border, okay?
26:39Everything in that car belongs to you.
26:41You're supposed to know what's inside.
26:42The officers did ask if you had it.
26:45Both of you, not once, but twice, said no, okay?
26:49Now we found the stuff, so now a civil penalty is going to be issued.
26:52Do you have enough to cover the $300 today?
26:59Okay.
27:00Yeah, I'm going to pay.
27:01Just, yeah, I'm going to do some paperwork.
27:03I'll come back for you.
27:04Okay.
27:08We did specifically ask them what they had.
27:12The couple is issued a $300 penalty.
27:16Although this family has never been caught with undeclared produce before, next time they're
27:22unlikely to make this mistake.
27:24You're coming from one country to the other.
27:27I always think you would know what you pack.
27:33The driver pays the fine, and the family will be allowed to enter the U.S., but it's been
27:38a costly lesson.
27:40They're all usually pretty upset about paying $300 for some mangoes and oranges, but, I mean,
27:47at the end of the day, he did make a mistake.
27:49He did have to pay for it.
28:07At the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, officers suspect three miners could be in the process of being
28:12trafficked into the U.S.
28:19Unable to prove the girls are related and that this is their grandmother, Officer Covarrubias
28:25has decided to call the girl's mother.
28:50The woman confirms all three of her children traveling with their grandmother.
28:54There's a way to send us photos of your children and photos of your mother.
29:00Uh-huh.
29:01Okay, check it out, please.
29:03If I don't let her go.
29:08Okay.
29:10If she doesn't find and send a photo of all four, they'll be sent back to Mexico.
29:22This is pretty much their last chance, guys.
29:25I mean...
29:33Finally, a photo was sent through, which shows them all together.
29:56Satisfied they are related, the family is free to travel into Texas.
30:01Mira, los voy a dar consejo, sacan un ID ustedes, si pueden un pasaporte, para asegurar que no
30:06pasa esto en el futuro.
30:07Okay, si se viera más fácil o por menos, tómense fotos juntos juntos, ¿verdad?
30:14Si?
30:15Sí.
30:16Aunque no te gusta, está más fácil así.
30:19Gracias.
30:22They were admitted as a U.S. citizen.
30:26Really, really comfortable once we got the photographic evidence.
30:29Just seemed a little odd at the beginning where none of them have photos of each other.
30:32It's very strange, but we see strange things here, so...
30:54At the southern border, wait times to cross into the U.S. can be long.
31:00Do you have a fast card?
31:01But a small percentage of travelers can enter more quickly if they are fast pass holders.
31:06This allows them to use the sentry lane, where lines are significantly reduced.
31:11They can use that dedicated lane.
31:14They can cross to Mexico and come back in a matter of minutes.
31:18Versus the regular traffic, which can sometimes be, like, three or four hours long.
31:23But qualifying for this status is a difficult process.
31:26And only those who have gone through rigorous checks are granted access.
31:31Gracias.
31:36This morning, a car entering from Mexico using the sentry lane has been sent for inspection.
31:43You're going to park it over there on the first one to your right, okay?
31:48Yes.
31:49Checks reveal the vehicle hasn't been registered to the driver's fast pass card.
31:55He says he's borrowing his dad's car while his own is being repaired.
32:01My dad has sentry on his other vehicle, and I was reading online that you can add, like,
32:06so I added the vehicle today.
32:10Yeah, but you still have to wait until you get it approved.
32:14It's not just about adding it, but it's for you.
32:16It's added, and then have to wait until they approve it.
32:19You can't cross that vehicle until you get it approved in the system first.
32:27If he's found with anything illegal in his car, he'll risk losing both his and his father's sentry pass.
32:34Okay, so we have a little package here, and it's got what seems to be a joint or a blunt.
33:10Marijuana is illegal in Texas, and crossing the U.S. border with any amount is forbidden.
33:16After putting it in the testing kit, it did test positive for cannabis.
33:22Unfortunately, it's not enough to do a seizure or a penalty.
33:26It was just stored in testing.
33:30His sentry card, he's supposed to be a trusted traveler, so he's supposed to not have anything that's prohibited.
33:36He's held at a higher standard, in other words.
33:38The young man is let off with a warning, but both he and his father's fast pass will be revoked.
33:45This particular vehicle doesn't belong to him, so the owner would be deactivated,
33:51because now they're lending it to somebody else who was found with narcotics.
33:55We will lift up his sentry card, and he will no longer be able to travel as a trusted traveler.
34:03It could take years before their cards are reinstated.
34:08I think his dad's going to be very f***ed once he finds that out, that his sentry card was revoked.
34:22In the Mexican border town of Nuevo Progreso, there are over 100 pharmacies in one square mile.
34:30Everybody with this?
34:31Yes, sir.
34:32With prices up to 70% cheaper than in the U.S., it's become a magnet for medical tourism.
34:40Any medication?
34:43But there are strict controls on how much can be brought back to the U.S.
34:48And officers are highly trained to spot any irregularities.
34:55We handle hundreds of bottles of medication every day, so every time we feel it,
35:00if it's different, then we know that there's something wrong with it.
35:05This afternoon, Officer Theriot has stopped a female traveler.
35:15She suspects the woman is smuggling pain medication.
35:19This lady had a bottle of Tramadol, and it just felt a little heavy,
35:23and when I opened it, I noticed that the pills were halfway up the bottle
35:25instead of typically about a quarter of the way up.
35:28I'm just thinking it was double stuffed.
35:31Anything in your pockets today, your phone, everything right up here, please.
35:35Double stuffing, or concealing extra pills in one bottle,
35:39is a well-known trick to get illicit drugs across the border.
35:45All right, yeah, there's a whole bunch in here.
35:48How many bottles are in here, two or three?
35:50No, there's only one.
35:56The medication is Tramadol, a controlled substance in the U.S.
36:00due to its addictive nature.
36:03So you've got two bottles in here, right?
36:15Who said that you could do that?
36:18But the pharmacist doesn't work over here, do they?
36:22Travelers can only bring in 50 pills at one time without a prescription.
36:26The woman has over 100.
36:29Since she didn't declare them,
36:31she could be facing a heavy penalty or even jail time.
36:35Tramadol is an narcotic.
36:36It's an opioid pain medication.
36:38So this is the same thing as if you were to have heroin.
36:41So this is transportation of a controlled substance.
36:44You're a drug smuggling.
36:45No, the guy said I quit.
36:47That's exactly what he said.
36:49Have you done this before?
36:50Uh, to put them in two bottles, no.
36:54Have you been in trouble with us before?
36:55Yes, ma'am.
36:56What for?
36:57For my niece had that and they pulled me in, you know, with a car.
37:02And you didn't learn from that?
37:03Huh?
37:04You didn't learn from that?
37:04No, I didn't have it.
37:05Let me talk to my supervisor and see what he wants to do.
37:07Okay?
37:12Somebody's been told the laws before.
37:14They've had the seizures with us before.
37:16We've taken payment for a penalty for them before.
37:19They already know what the regulation is.
37:21They already know what the laws are.
37:22And she's still trying to circumvent them.
37:24Have a seat on the bench.
37:27I'm going to hand-stoke you for officer safety, okay?
37:36To help determine her punishment, Officer Peña wants to find out more about the woman's intentions.
37:43Have you ever smuggled medicine before?
37:46Yes.
37:47Two years ago, but it wasn't me.
37:49It was my niece.
37:50But you were the one that was charged with it.
37:52Yeah, I was with it.
37:54Okay, you don't learn your lesson, ma'am.
37:56They only give you one chance.
37:57So you might go to jail today.
38:15Improgressive.
38:16So you got two bottles in here, right?
38:18A 61-year-old woman could be facing jail time after being caught smuggling excessive amounts of pain medication.
38:25I'm going to handcuff you for officer safety, okay?
38:28Two years ago, she was fined for the same offense.
38:32It was my niece.
38:33You were the one that was charged with it.
38:38What do you use it for?
38:39My leg was torn off, and they shouldn't have that gun.
38:44And the doctor prescribes that for me for a ring for my pain.
38:48Why would you get it in the U.S.?
38:50Because I don't have insurance.
38:52Well, you can bring it in, but there's only a certain amount.
38:54They only give you one chance.
38:58Ma'am, you've been in this predicament before.
39:03Last time, we just finally, remember?
39:06Count 119, and the one for testing.
39:0841.373.
39:16A call is made to the state prosecutor, who confirms that they will be pressing charges.
39:23Yes, ma'am.
39:28You're the supervisor.
39:29Yes, ma'am.
39:31Am I going to go to jail?
39:33What do you like me for?
39:35Can I please?
39:37Please, just...
39:38All I need from you is to relax.
39:51I'm not the one that you bring the camera on me.
39:55No, but you guys don't care.
39:56You guys don't care about anybody.
40:00I'm not the one that you're trying to do.
40:02Hey.
40:04A local law enforcement officer arrives to take the woman into custody.
40:10You all right?
40:11No, I'm scared.
40:12If I go to jail, I'm going to get fired from my job.
40:16If you go to jail, they fire you.
40:19And I've been working there for seven years.
40:22Unfortunately, the subject is very upset,
40:24obviously, because of the situation.
40:30The woman is handcuffed and led away.
40:32She'll be taken to the local Hidalgo precinct.
40:35We can't be lenient just because she's having a harder time with this
40:39than other people might be.
40:42You broke the law, you broke the law,
40:44and you already knew what the consequences could be.
40:48It will now be up to state prosecutors to determine her sentence.
41:26You're welcome.
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