Stuff

I know this is going to seem like I must watch TV constantly, I don't, really, I just remember a lot of what I do watch. I was watching the FBI Files yesterday, and it was about an undercover DEA agent who was trying to infiltrate & bring down the Medallin drug cartel. There were things brought up that he had to do to establish undercover character that I had really never thought about. I guess I just thought that you went in with this character & hoped that they believed you, you know?

He started out by meeting a low-level person in the cartel, and making a deal to buy a bunch of unlocked cell phones to use in his "mob business." He had to do this so he could kind of build up to asking about drugs & even told his connection that he was hesitant to even mention drugs at that point, because he didn't know if the cartel person was a cop or an informant or what. That was brilliant thinking to me, it really made him a lot more believable. After a few more transactions he started meeting higher level contacts, until they brought in an interrogator to make sure he wasn't undercover. They were having this interview, and the questions started to get pretty difficult for the agent & he pulled it out by acting the way he believed a true member of the mob would & the guy bought it & accepted that he was what he said he was.

It ended up with him ordering a bunch of cocaine & them screwing him over by bringing 9 tons of marijuana instead, so he told them he'd store that for them, but they weren't getting it back until he got his shipment, and they were able to get enough evidence against them to arrest all of them. It was a pretty fascinating episode & it definitely made me think.