Dark Web & Liquid Drugs (Full Episode) | To Catch a Smuggler | National Geographic

Key Concepts

• Drug Smuggling: Concealing and transporting illegal narcotics across borders.
• Ketamine: A DEA Schedule III drug, often used as an anesthetic for veterinary purposes, but also abused illicitly. Referred to as "Special K."
• 2CB: A synthetic drug, often pink in color, sometimes combined with ketamine and ecstasy.
• Dark Web: A criminal online marketplace where illegal goods and services, including drugs, can be purchased.
• Controlled Delivery: A law enforcement tactic where seized drugs are delivered to their intended recipient under surveillance, leading to an arrest.
• Indicators of Suspicion: Nervous behavior, inconsistencies in stories, and other signs that a traveler may be smuggling drugs.
• Internal Carrier: A person who swallows or inserts drugs into their body to smuggle them.
• HSI (Homeland Security Investigations): A federal law enforcement agency that investigates cross-border crime.

Drug Interdiction at Airports

Initial Screening and Indicators

• Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at airports are the first line of defense against drug smuggling.
• Officers look for indicators of nervousness, such as avoiding eye contact, fidgeting, and inconsistent stories.
• Example: Passengers arriving from Bogotá, Colombia, were flagged due to their nervous behavior.
• Cover stories are common, such as claiming to visit a friend or having an online business.

Secondary Inspection

• If initial screening raises suspicion, passengers are taken for secondary inspection.
• This involves a more thorough search of luggage and questioning.
• Officers may ask about the purpose of the trip, who purchased the ticket, and the contents of the luggage.
• Example: A passenger from Jamaica was taken for secondary inspection due to his nervousness and inconsistent answers.

Drug Detection Methods

• Physical Search: Officers search luggage for concealed drugs.
• X-ray: Luggage and packages are x-rayed to identify anomalies.
  • Example: Sprinkles for ice cream were flagged due to anomalies on the x-ray.
• Field Testing: Liquids and powders are tested using field test kits to identify drugs.
  • Example: A liquid found in contact lens solution tested positive for ketamine.
  • A test kit for MDMA and ecstasy should turn very dark blue to black for positive results.
• Ion Scanner: A machine that presumptively identifies chemical samples.
  • Example: Used to confirm that a substance found in weight-gainer tubs was ketamine.
• Pat-Down: A physical search of a person's body for concealed drugs.
• X-ray (Internal Carriers): If officers suspect someone is an internal carrier, they may request an x-ray to check for foreign objects in the body.
  • This is a serious step and requires reasonable suspicion.

Common Concealment Methods

• Liquids: Drugs are dissolved in liquids like eye solutions, lotions, and contact lens solution.
• False Compartments: Drugs are hidden in false compartments in luggage or other items.
• Disguised as Everyday Items: Drugs are concealed within everyday items like sprinkles for ice cream or weight-gainer tubs.
• Internal Concealment: Swallowing or inserting drugs into the body.

Types of Drugs Encountered

• Ketamine: Often found in liquid form.
  • Worth around $10,000 per .275 kilograms.
• Ecstasy (MDMA): Often shipped in pill form.
  • 600 grams of ecstasy were linked to 14 other packages seized on Monday.
• Cocaine:
• 2CB: A new kind of drug popular in the club scene.
  • Often pink in color.

Dark Web Drug Trafficking

The Dark Web as a Marketplace

• The dark web is a criminal flea market accessible to anyone with the Internet.
• Drugs, weapons, stolen credit card numbers, and other illegal items can be purchased.
• Silk Road was a well-known dark web marketplace that was taken down, but other versions exist.

Dangers of Dark Web Purchases

• Drugs purchased on the dark web are potentially the most dangerous.
• Buyers may think they are buying one drug but receive fentanyl instead.
• It is difficult to track the origin of drugs purchased on the dark web.
• Buyers use fake IP addresses to conceal their identity.

Law Enforcement Challenges

• Dark web transactions are difficult to track due to IP masking and overseas origins.
• Money transactions are also difficult to trace.

Controlled Deliveries

Process

1. Seized drugs are repackaged and delivered to their intended recipient under surveillance.
2. The delivery is monitored by law enforcement.
3. Once the recipient takes possession of the package, they are arrested.

Challenges

• The recipient may be spooked and not pick up the package.
• Uniformed police officers may interfere with the operation.
• It is difficult to identify the recipient, especially if they are using fictitious identification.

Example

• A controlled delivery of 600 grams of ecstasy was planned in New York City.
• The recipient did not pick up the package, possibly because they were spooked.

Case Studies

Ketamine in Liquid Form

• Two men arriving from Colombia were found to be carrying ketamine in liquid form, disguised as eye solutions and lotions.
• The ketamine was detected through field testing.

Ecstasy Shipped from Spain

• Packages of ecstasy were shipped from Spain to multiple locations in the United States, including New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Tampa.
• The packages were believed to be related to dark web purchases.

Passenger from Dominican Republic

• An older man arriving from the Dominican Republic was suspected of being an internal carrier.
• He had no contacts or information about who was picking him up.
• An x-ray was requested, but it came back negative.

Passenger from Colombia Under the Influence

• A young man arriving from Colombia was incoherent and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
• He tested positive for ketamine.
• He also had pink powder on his shoes and sweater, which tested positive for 2CB.

Conclusion

CBP officers play a crucial role in preventing drug smuggling at airports. They use a variety of methods to detect concealed drugs, including physical searches, x-rays, and field testing. The dark web poses a significant challenge to law enforcement, as it allows people to purchase drugs anonymously and from overseas. Controlled deliveries are a valuable tactic for arresting drug traffickers, but they can be complex and require careful planning. Despite the challenges, CBP officers are committed to keeping drugs off the streets and protecting the public.