- 2 days ago
Contraband: Seized at the Border - Season 8 - Episode 03: Trifecta of Trouble
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00:07hi how's it going come on almost every day unofficial couriers called
00:14pacateros carry goods across the southern border they can earn anywhere
00:19from $1,500 to $100,000 in a single day but with a big paycheck comes a major
00:27risk because they rarely know what they're transporting in Eagle Pass yeah we'll just
00:34stick it up here man officers are carrying out a spot check on a couriers truck heading
00:39from the US into Mexico it's really weird dude oh is it because criminal gangs are
00:48known to hide money and guns in the cargo officers conduct an x-ray
00:59we tried to scan everything because we never know they might have something hiding in one
01:05of the boxes the x-ray has revealed something of interest yeah we got one
01:17so right now we're scanning the commodities from this guy's truck and there appears to
01:24be a rifle for the speaker box right here no no it's uh it came tens of thousands of assault
01:32rifles are trafficked from the US each year by Mexican drug cartels there's gonna be other
01:38stuff in there man the search is just getting started
01:45let's go check the last one
01:51what is this dude we always have to stay vigilant
02:02the bad guys lost today
02:28you're a citizen
02:32Over 3,000 pedestrians use the Progresso International Bridge every day.
02:42Customs and Border Protection officers are on constant alert for one-handed criminals attempting to cross the border.
02:50Today, a man traveling to Mercedes, Texas, has been flagged as having an active arrest warrant.
03:03He's immediately detained.
03:20Officers don't yet have any details of the man's alleged crime.
03:29I always get flagged because I'm on bail, but they've never done this.
03:35But I do have one.
03:37That's what I'm looking for.
03:39Okay.
03:40Do you mind putting an exam?
03:44Despite his claims of ignorance, it's soon confirmed the man's prints are a match.
03:56Public records reveal that he is wanted for stalking and harassment.
04:01You have a warrant for a fence stalking felony warrant, harassment communication.
04:07What's that?
04:08I don't know.
04:09Maybe you were contacting somebody you're not supposed to contact.
04:11Do you know anything about that?
04:13Do you have a protection order or anything like that?
04:15No.
04:15Well, that's what it's for.
04:17Mm-hmm.
04:18Can you get more information on that?
04:20It's what it is.
04:22I don't have any more information, okay?
04:23So just relax.
04:25There's a restroom right there.
04:27Let me know if you need anything, okay?
04:32Although the man claims to know nothing about any recent crime, Officer Peña isn't so sure.
04:39I believe he has probably been contacting somebody that has a protection order against him
04:44or somebody that doesn't want to be contacted by him.
04:47Since the man's already on bail for a separate offense, if the charges are confirmed by the
04:54issuing precinct, he could soon be going back to jail.
05:09Prevost!
05:11In Eagle Pass...
05:13Yeah, we got one.
05:16An x-ray of a courier's truck is revealed what looks like a weapon hidden inside a speaker
05:21cabinet.
05:23Let's check the last one.
05:25What is this, dude?
05:30This guy's got one, too.
05:33Hook him up, man.
05:37This pacatero, who might be unknowingly transporting illegal goods, is detained with his wife and son.
05:45This is the security security.
05:46We're going to carry it inside and we're going to explain what's going on.
05:48It's more safe.
05:50Every year, around 150,000 American-made guns are smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico,
05:58where they can sell for up to four times more on the Mexican black market.
06:09But this driver claims he had no idea what he was carrying, or who it was for.
06:18With the man in custody, officers check the speaker cabinets.
06:23We're going to open them to see what they have.
06:26And based on the images that we got, it seems like there's some weapons in there.
06:54The search reveals suspicious objects covered in tape in both speakers.
06:59There is what appears to be a weapon that is wrapped in duct tape.
07:05It's concealed within the commodity, but it's not secured, so it's bouncing around.
07:10So if we physically picked it up, we'd probably feel something moving around.
07:14So as terms of this, it's not a very good concealment method.
07:20And this is the same thing.
07:22And it's wrapped with duct tape and it's thrown in the speaker box.
07:31Picture, Mike.
07:42So...
07:42And this package contains ammunition.
07:45This is two fully loaded 30-round magazines, a 7.60.
07:51Which is used for an AK-47.
07:597.62 by 39.
08:18In Progresso, officers have detained a man who was wanted in Texas for stalking and harassment.
08:31Over 13 million people are stalked in the U.S. every year, most of them women.
08:42The man claims he knows nothing about his warrant.
08:47But Officer Pena isn't convinced.
08:51You don't remember anything?
08:52No.
08:53You didn't get into an argument with somebody?
08:54Yeah, my wife just separated from me.
08:57Like, I caught my wife cheating.
08:58Okay.
08:59And like, she moved out.
09:01Like, I kicked her out.
09:02You never, like, hit her?
09:04You never me?
09:05That's why.
09:06Have you been calling her nonstop or anything like that?
09:09You wouldn't be mad?
09:10Mm-hmm.
09:11You wouldn't be mad if you wasted...
09:12I wasted 7 and a half.
09:15I trip out.
09:17I have a problem.
09:19I do.
09:19I don't want to eat her ass.
09:21The man admits calling his ex-wife, but claims he's the victim, not her.
09:27I came out of prison with nothing.
09:29I'm on the bridge of being homeless.
09:31I don't got my mom.
09:32I don't got my dad.
09:32It's just me.
09:33Okay.
09:34That's all I got.
09:35Okay.
09:38He's stating that it could be a retaliation from his wife since she does have a new boyfriend
09:43and everything.
09:44But I think it could be a little bit more than that, that he's not telling us.
09:52Officer Pena calls state police to get more details about the warrant.
09:58Okay.
09:58Perfect.
09:59Have a good day.
10:02They confirmed that the man's wife has filed a complaint that he's been aggressively stalking
10:07her for the past six weeks.
10:21Mercedes police arrive to take the man into custody.
10:27So, as of right now, that I'm aware of is going to be for stalking, okay?
10:33Stalking?
10:33Stalking.
10:34That is the warrant.
10:36Stalking?
10:37Yes.
10:38What the?
10:39So, take a seat?
10:40So, as of right now, that's what I'm aware of.
10:42You're going to speak with the judge later on, and they'll give you more information.
10:48What is that, what is that, a felony, Mr. Manning?
10:51Stalking.
10:51Stalking is classified as a pattern of repeated and unwanted harassment.
10:56Stalking how?
10:57Where?
10:58That's crazy.
10:59After what I told you.
11:01Just go through the motions, sir.
11:03That's...
11:03Just have to do it and see what happens, okay?
11:06Try to calm down.
11:07Try to relax.
11:08There's no point in getting upset, okay?
11:14The man is taken to county jail and will appear before a state judge in the morning.
11:20If the stalking and harassment offenses are proven, he could be returning to prison for
11:26up to five years.
11:38In Eagle Pass, a rifle and ammunition have been found hidden in speaker boxes driven by a
11:47Pocatero.
11:48This is two fully loaded 30-round magazines, a 760, which is used for an AK-47.
12:01760 by 39.
12:07The smugglers have made an extra effort to conceal the assault weapon itself.
12:12So as I'm opening this web tape, there's a slimy texture.
12:17I'm not quite sure yet what it is, but it's...
12:20It's going to be something that's used to conceal the odor to the canine.
12:26Um, it didn't work.
12:32As suspected, the gun is an AK-47 assault rifle.
12:37In the wrong case, this is a bad tool.
12:41Just make sure it's not loaded.
12:44AK-47s are the weapon of choice for Mexican drug cartels, who use them to facilitate their
12:51deadly trade, resulting in hundreds of murders every year.
12:55It's a 16-inch barrel with a buttstock, which is considered to be a short barrel rifle.
13:00A high-power rifle that's concealable.
13:11With the firearm and ammo seized, the rest of the driver's family is allowed to continue their journey.
13:18Meanwhile, the driver will be handed over to a Homeland Security Investigations agent for further questioning.
13:25He will be the one who decides if the subject is released or going to be prosecuted for the weapon
13:32smuggling.
13:34If it's determined the driver knew more about his cargo than he's letting on, he could be looking at 20
13:40years in jail.
13:42Any weapon that we take off the streets is a good weapon, but the weapon that we found today is
13:48an extremely dangerous weapon.
14:0950,000 vehicles a day cross the Detroit River, which separates the United States and Canada.
14:22Officers must check each one.
14:25Good afternoon. Citizenship?
14:27United States.
14:28All right. Why were you in Canada, sir?
14:29At my brother's wedding last night.
14:31You didn't try to talk him out of it?
14:33Part of this job is just being able to think on the fly and being able to adapt.
14:37And everything's always changing. You never know what you're going to get.
14:40Every person that comes to this port, it's a mystery until you can kind of figure it out, you know?
14:45So, you kind of just got to prep yourself. I mean, I think every officer here knows what they signed
14:50up for,
14:51and you just got to be able to adjust on the fly like that when you need to.
14:56This morning, officers have detained a van at secondary inspection.
15:01The driver claims he took a wrong turn after picking up his ex-wife at a Detroit bus station
15:07and accidentally ended up at the border.
15:11I've come and picked her up at the bus station.
15:14That's my ex-wife.
15:15She's coming up here to see her grandchildren.
15:18They didn't intend to come here.
15:20But once they enter onto our property, they are now on federal property,
15:23and all federal rules apply to them.
15:26Put your hands on the wall, be it?
15:28A search has revealed the man is carrying a handgun and ammunition,
15:33which is illegal to transport over the border without the correct paperwork
15:37and can be punishable by a five-year prison sentence.
15:41That's one of my good shooting guns.
15:43Yes, he's he's.
15:46Concerned there may be other prohibited items,
15:49officers begin a check of his vehicle.
15:54Sometimes you see vents that are partially pried.
15:58This one's been either pried or opened previously,
16:01but the rivets, you can tell, have been definitely broken.
16:04So we're going to take a look and turn in there,
16:05make sure there's nothing else in there.
16:09The vents are empty.
16:14But the search is far from over.
16:16People try to disguise things they know they're not supposed to have
16:19or they think they're not supposed to have.
16:22It's just a standard part of human nature.
16:28Pull these out and take a quick look,
16:29make sure the stitching looks good.
16:36Center console.
16:42Marijuana rolling papers.
16:47Well, that's a pistol magazine, Sig Sauer.
16:54And
16:57marijuana.
16:59Tubes that say that it is infused
17:02with THC or marijuana
17:04and then marijuana labeled
17:07little packages.
17:10Although legal in both Michigan and Canada,
17:13possessing any type of cannabis product
17:16at a federal border
17:17could mean a fine of up to $25,000.
17:21Marijuana still is considered
17:23a Schedule I narcotic federally,
17:25which means it cannot be on this property.
17:27It is a zero-tolerance policy.
17:29The gun, ammo, and marijuana
17:32are a trifecta of trouble for the driver.
17:58In San Diego.
17:59Any fruits, plants, seeds, vegetables?
18:01No, that's fine.
18:04It's the job of Customs and Border Protection
18:06to stop endangered wildlife or products
18:09from being smuggled into the U.S.
18:16Today, agriculture specialist Ortega Fuentes
18:19is checking a driver who is returning from a fishing trip.
18:23They said they're coming from Mexico
18:25and they're heading to California.
18:28They declare me yellowtail and some fish
18:32that they fish on the shore of the beach.
18:34How much fish are you bringing, sir?
18:36Which fish?
18:37Yeah, about...
18:3820 or 30 fish.
18:39How many kilos or pounds?
18:41I don't know.
18:42A lot?
18:43Can we...
18:44I didn't weigh that.
18:45Okay, no worries.
18:46Can we place it on the floor?
18:49Are you using me as the goat here?
18:53No, sir.
18:54I'm doing my inspection.
18:59Okay.
19:01Can you step out of the table, please?
19:04The man doesn't seem happy
19:05about his fish being inspected.
19:08My time is very important.
19:09I didn't break it off.
19:11I have crossed this border
19:13over a thousand times since 1965.
19:19But, you know, as a U.S. citizen,
19:21I feel like a criminal
19:22coming back into my own country.
19:25But there's good reason for officers
19:27to take an interest in the containers.
19:29We're gonna see what they have here.
19:33There's more than 25 kilos.
19:36Then they assume it's a commercial quantity,
19:39and they can return them for that.
20:01So they have the Dewey dogs.
20:07They are allowed to bring at least, um...
20:11I believe, eight million dollars
20:12eight pieces per passenger.
20:14I don't know if these are still alive or not.
20:17Large saltwater clams called geoducks
20:21are found in the waters off Baja, California,
20:24and are a valuable delicacy.
20:36They only declare fish.
20:38They didn't declare the Dewey dogs.
20:41Although undeclared,
20:42the clams aren't a protected species.
20:46But another discovery is a major red flag.
21:00The team must check the bladder
21:02isn't from a protected species,
21:04such as the totowaba fish.
21:07These are highly prized in Eastern medicine
21:10and bring in thousands of dollars
21:12on the black market.
21:13I'm gonna contact NOAA and let them see this.
21:17Maybe I can take some pictures for them.
21:21If the find is confirmed a protected species
21:24by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency,
21:27the fishermen could face up to 20 years in prison
21:31and a $250,000 find.
21:47Every weekend, 20,000 U.S. citizens
21:51cross the border from Progreso, Texas, into Mexico.
21:54Yeah!
21:55Bottles, liquor, tobacco?
21:57Nope.
21:58Many head there to party,
22:00meaning officers frequently have to deal with travelers
22:03who are excessively intoxicated.
22:06For the most part, I would say 80% of the time,
22:09we get great people.
22:10We get great travelers.
22:11They're usually pretty nice.
22:12They're pretty compliant.
22:13And, you know, it's just another day for us.
22:17Obviously, that's not always gonna be, you know,
22:20the happy story every single day,
22:22every once in a while.
22:22We do get our situations here and there,
22:26and we have to treat it accordingly.
22:37The bone's sticking out.
22:40This evening, an American
22:42Mexican who spent the day drinking across the border,
22:44has arrived in a Mexican ambulance.
22:46He was fighting in Mexico, apparently, and he fell and the...
22:51He landed really bad, and now the...
22:55So he's trying to go home,
22:57and our EMT's telling him that he needs to go to a hospital.
23:01We contact the U.S. ambulance to come over here,
23:06pick up the subject, and then this ambulance would just return to Mexico.
23:11The emergency medical technicians have determined the man has broken his leg,
23:15and are taking him for further evaluation.
23:19We get people with blood on their head, puncture wounds, a little bit of everything.
23:27Or people who just, they're too drunk to walk.
23:30We get that a lot, too.
23:35He seems to not be in pain.
23:36I think the pain will hit once the alcohol is off.
23:50Meanwhile, over at pedestrian inspections,
23:54another man heading home after an afternoon of partying has arrived with a friend.
23:59Ex!
24:06Hello.
24:08That's her declaration, not mine.
24:10What's that?
24:11That's her declaration, not mine.
24:14By law, it's the traveler's responsibility
24:17to declare any baggage they are personally carrying.
24:20What's in the bag?
24:22That's her declaration, not mine.
24:23Well, you brought it, so you got to...
24:25No, no, no, I'm not claiming it.
24:27It's her...
24:27She can claim it.
24:28Okay, you had it.
24:30So, you had it, so what's in the bags?
24:37All right, just put them here.
24:40It's not mine.
24:42You put it there, so you're responsible for it.
24:48Go ahead and put the bags here.
24:50If there's anything in that bag that's not supposed to be there,
24:52you're the one that brought him here, so you're responsible.
24:54I'm not putting it there.
24:55The man's refusal to comply with Officer Rodriguez is a red flag.
25:01Okay.
25:02And begs the question of what's in the bags.
25:05All right.
25:06Turn it on.
25:07Turn it on.
25:07Turn it on.
25:08Turn it on.
25:09The man is detained for a secondary inspection.
25:13I'll put the bags there.
25:14You're not listening.
25:16Do you have any weapons on you?
25:17No, sir.
25:18All right.
25:18Come on.
25:18Come on.
25:18I'm bad.
25:23Come on.
25:23Come on.
25:24Come on.
25:28Come on.
25:29Come on.
25:29Come on.
25:30Come on.
25:30Come on.
25:30Right now, I'm going to go search through the bags, see if there's
25:32anything that maybe he didn't want to show me, and that's why he left them on the floor.
25:47The bags reveal a variety of household cleaning and beauty products.
25:53Since drugs like methamphetamine can be smuggled in liquid form, Officer Gonzalez must check
26:00each container.
26:15This looks like it's some sort of hair gel or skin gel.
26:18I'm just opening the stuff and leaving them open to see if there's any crystallization.
26:23If it's anything that's not supposed to be in there, it should crystallize if it's bad.
26:27If it's not bad, it will stay, retain its normal form.
26:32If officers find that the bags contain narcotics, this traveler could be facing decades in
26:38prison.
26:56In Detroit.
27:01The driver giving his ex-wife a ride to visit her grandkids has been stopped after taking
27:06a wrong turn towards the Canadian border.
27:09Put your hands on the wall over here.
27:10Officers have uncovered a handgun with ammo.
27:15That's one of my good shooting guns.
27:19And suspected cannabis products illegal at the international border.
27:25A chemical test will confirm if the recovered products contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient
27:32cannabis.
27:36Possession of THC products is federally illegal and could result in a fine or even jail time.
27:46So, we're making sure all the substrate is at the bottom.
27:49So it's easy.
27:50We're going to break these glass capsules inside.
27:54If it is any of the purple or the purple and white, it is an alert for a positive reaction
27:57for the narcotics present.
28:05You can see it definitely is a positive alert.
28:09The man doesn't deny being a regular cannabis user.
28:14I'm a dialysis patient.
28:15Okay.
28:16And I got to sit in a chair for four hours.
28:18Yeah.
28:18And you can't get up.
28:20It's a long time.
28:21And you can't roll over on your side.
28:23Those things that you got there that I forgot that were in there.
28:27Mm-hmm.
28:28That's the only thing that helps the pain.
28:29Right.
28:30Helps me in order that I can do the four hours sitting in that chair.
28:34Okay.
28:34So you use THC to, well, you prescribe it or is it just?
28:38That's, it helps.
28:39That's why.
28:40You just kind of buy it and use it?
28:41I have the dispensary.
28:42Yeah.
28:43Going in and buying the dispensary.
28:44Yeah.
28:45And that's it.
28:46Okay.
28:47Although the man has a legitimate medical reason for having marijuana products, it has
28:52no bearing at the border.
28:53So you, do you kind of understand what's going on though?
28:56Yeah.
28:56That federal property, it's still a schedule one narcotics.
29:00So no medical.
29:01Right.
29:01So we are seizing it today.
29:03Since they're prohibited on federal property, all the man's cannabis products are seized,
29:09along with his gun.
29:12You're going to have to petition for it.
29:13You may or may not do that.
29:15Yeah.
29:15Well, that's all right.
29:17I get it back.
29:19Can you get it back?
29:19I hope so.
29:20It seems the driver made an honest mistake, so has spared any further penalty.
29:27And he and his passenger are free to go.
29:30I'm having a hell of a day anytime.
29:32I'm having fun.
29:34Believe me, it's probably not the worst way it could have ended up.
29:37All right.
29:38If you're good, I'll walk you out.
29:41Well, it's been real, folks.
29:43Yeah, absolutely.
29:44It's out.
29:45Yeah, I'll be safe.
29:47Maybe I have to start my vacation now.
29:55Remember, see how this is?
29:56This is how come my door.
30:00So what's y'all stop, sir?
30:02Hopefully they have a good time with their kids, and they have a good rest of their vacation,
30:06and they're a little bit smarter about where they're turning here in Detroit.
30:26In San Diego...
30:28It came from the yellow tail.
30:30There's nothing illegal about it.
30:32Okay.
30:34Agriculture specialist Ortega Fuentes is concerned a man may be smuggling rare fish bladders
30:40worth up to $80,000 a piece on the black market.
30:45As a U.S. citizen, I feel like a criminal coming back into my own country.
30:49My only concern is with something that I found that we suspect is a fish bladder.
30:55I'm going to take a picture.
30:56No problem.
30:57I didn't smuggle that here.
30:58No, no.
30:59We understand.
31:00We understand.
31:01You're good.
31:02The illegal trade of endangered species is estimated to be worth up to $10 billion a year.
31:11A call to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should confirm if these bladders
31:17are from the protected totowaba fish.
31:20So there are about six inches, I think, or more.
31:24I don't know.
31:25I'm not sure.
31:26That's what I'm calling you.
31:27It's good.
31:28If confirmed positive, the man could face a $25,000 fine and up to two decades in prison.
31:35I didn't break the law.
31:38I didn't break the law.
31:38This is the first time I've been put through this.
31:40I have a house in Baja.
31:42I come twice a month.
31:45Okay.
31:46Okay.
31:46Thank you so much.
31:49Bye.
31:50She's good with it.
31:53They can keep it.
31:55It's good with it.
31:56It's good news for the man.
31:57His claim that the bladders come from the yellowtail fish checks out and there will be no action
32:03taken for the undeclared clams.
32:06Okay.
32:08Okay.
32:08You can't get out of here.
32:09No, that's all.
32:11Be careful with the dog, okay?
32:12I'm very happy.
32:12That's all I can say.
32:13Okay.
32:14Can you help me put everything back in the truck?
32:19And your name is Ortega Fuentes?
32:22Yes, sir.
32:24The man may be upset, but these types of inspections are crucial to protecting endangered species
32:31and stopping the black market trade.
32:34What an experience.
32:36Yes, sir.
32:37Thank you so much.
32:38I think it was a good inspection.
32:41Yeah, I'm looking out for my country, for the agriculture, for all the vegetation, the animals,
32:48everything.
32:49We are doing our part.
33:08Inprogreso.
33:09All right, just put them here.
33:11It's not mine.
33:13Well, you put it there, so you're responsible for it.
33:16I'm not telling you what you want to lose for it.
33:18A man has been detained after refusing to declare the bags he was carrying, claiming they belong to his friend.
33:28He was trying to say she was the one responsible for the bags, but to me, he's the one carrying
33:32the bags, so he was the one responsible for it.
33:35The man seems to be drunk, and although the bags appear to contain just cleaning products, officers want to be
33:43sure the couple isn't trying to distract them.
33:46We have a lot of people who do come in, they do come in inebriated and do come in, you
33:52know, in not their full senses.
33:54And we've seen where people take advantage of that to hinder the inspection or to try to get the officer
34:00to not pay attention to exactly what he's doing.
34:05Smugglers commonly hide methamphetamine inside everyday cleaning products, so Officer Gonzalez checks the containers.
34:16This is embarrassing, huh?
34:19No claim to you.
34:20You want to do your job?
34:22I walked off.
34:23No, sir.
34:25Yes, sir.
34:25Yes, sir.
34:26Yes, sir.
34:26No problem.
34:27No incident.
34:28No problem.
34:29He still insists the bags aren't his.
34:32What happened, I'm helping her carry her bags.
34:36She told us.
34:36She told us.
34:37What?
34:37She claimed her full responsibility.
34:39Right, but again, remember, if you're coming in with the bags, tell her, you know.
34:43The officer asked me to put them on the counter.
34:45I said, I'm not putting them, I'm not cleaning them.
34:47I'm not cleaning them.
34:48But you were carrying them.
34:54Secure, anything in the bags, guys?
34:56It was negative.
34:57Negative?
34:58I opened the containers, it was nothing crystallized, nothing turned bad.
35:01It was nonsense.
35:03He's cleaning, uh, for someone else, right?
35:07Yeah.
35:08With nothing suspicious found in the bags,
35:13If you want to follow me this way, we'll get you the stuff out of here.
35:16This time, the man will face no further action.
35:20Do you want to grab your bag, sir?
35:23And I'll give you this outside.
35:24They're not my bags, they're their bags.
35:26I never cleaned them.
35:34Still defiant, the man is free to head home, leaving his friend to carry the bags.
35:42I don't know anyone who travels with bags that are not theirs.
35:45Um, and even if you're helping them out.
35:46At this point, when you come in, you're supposed to declare everything you have with you.
35:51I think he is going to do it.
35:57Two drop-loads now.
36:07Three, two, one.
36:08Our now neighbor's name.
36:09Two, three.
36:09At the Juarez Lincoln Bridge in Laredo,
36:13How many people today?
36:15Three.
36:15Three people.
36:16Does the window go down in the back?
36:18Following a recent smuggling trend,
36:21officers are carrying out a special operation,
36:24targeting lone travelers.
36:27Follow this officer right here.
36:30One vehicle has been sent to secondary inspection
36:33after the driver appeared nervous.
36:37He was too talkative.
36:39He started shaking and moving around a lot.
36:42It just didn't fit.
36:44It didn't seem right.
36:47Officers carry out a thorough search of the vehicle.
36:50Hey, what's up, 7 or what?
36:52Yeah, I'm just going to need the...
36:55Everything's right.
36:55I just need the hood.
36:57The hood area?
36:58Okay.
37:00So all this...
37:05So all this is dirty.
37:06I mean, nothing here has been touched.
37:11Let me get it.
37:14649 Delta.
37:17This right here.
37:19This is way more cleaner than the rest.
37:24Clean areas can suggest the vehicle
37:26has been recently altered to hide something.
37:29You see that area over there?
37:31It's dirty.
37:33The whole truck is full of dirt.
37:35Except that area right there.
37:37093 Delta.
37:43Suspecting there could be a secret compartment
37:45behind the dashboard,
37:48the team wants to take a closer look.
38:06Look at that.
38:07It's been taped shut before.
38:13Oh, look at that.
38:14There it is.
38:27In Laredo.
38:28Look at that.
38:29It's been taped shut before.
38:34Oh, look at that.
38:37Officers have found a secret compartment
38:39behind the dashboard of an SUV.
38:41There it is.
38:43It looks like steroids.
38:51Yeah.
38:52Steroids.
38:53Testosterone.
38:55It's a controlled substance.
38:56An estimated 3 to 4 million U.S. citizens
38:59use steroids.
39:01But since they are a controlled substance,
39:03they must be purchased with a prescription.
39:08While the driver is detained for questioning,
39:12officers begin the extraction.
39:17It looked like steroids.
39:19This one, it's been a lot.
39:23These steroids are artificial testosterone
39:25used to boost muscle mass.
39:28Since their misuse can cause heart attacks or strokes,
39:31they're heavily regulated,
39:33meaning a black market has emerged.
39:42Other prohibited meds are also found.
39:45These are diet pills that are not allowed to come in.
39:48They're not FDA approved.
39:51That's why it's, um, it's so important to get it stopped here,
39:55because we don't know what they're mixing
39:57or what they're saying it is.
40:01If convicted, the man could be facing up to five years in jail.
40:05Some of these things are dangerous.
40:07There's some of these things that, uh,
40:09can cause permanent liver damage,
40:11kidney damage, kidney failure.
40:15Today's haul of over 1,500 illegal steroids and diet pills
40:19has a street value of at least $50,000.
40:23Somebody might actually get hurt,
40:25or, um, or even, like, die from this.
40:29So, I mean, I feel pretty good taking it off the street.
40:32It's a good day.
40:33The steroid industry is worth billions of dollars,
40:37but their misuse is rising among young men and women.
40:41These drugs will be tested,
40:44and the driver handed over to Homeland Security Investigations.
41:04Alright, let's go.
41:06I feelmaker.
41:12We got a question about that one.
41:13Well, the当然 please enjoy being a part of that too.
41:28You said we do not want,
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