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(man speaking, played backwards)
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(man speaking, played backwards)
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MARIANA VAN ZELLER:
Before the assassinations,
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before the hitmen,
the fire bombings,
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the torture chamber,
and the underground pills,
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there was this email
from my son's middle school,
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warning parents
about ecstasy pills
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that kids had ordered online
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in a transaction that
had seemed all too easy.
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I've done stories
about most illegal drugs,
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but I hadn't paid
much attention to MDMA.
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It was a party drug
and had seemed too soft,
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or too tame, to warrant
that kind of deep dive,
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at least until I came
to understand the forces
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lurking beneath the surface.
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♪ ♪
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♪ I don't care ♪
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♪ if the room's spinnin' ♪
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♪ Will you talk to me? ♪
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♪ I don't live alone
this time ♪
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♪ I don't live alone ♪
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MARIANA: How many people
do you think you've killed?
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I don't know.
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For me it's no problem.
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♪ ♪
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♪ Woo! ♪ (echoing)
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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MARIANA: Okay.
He's there. I see him.
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Yeah, that's him.
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Cigarette in mouth.
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I'm in downtown L.A.
at 1:00 A.M.
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to meet with an underground
party promoter named Ziggy.
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I'm Mariana.
ZIGGY: How are you?
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MARIANA: Nice to meet you.
ZIGGY: Nice to meet you.
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MARIANA: So, you guys
keep the gate closed and...
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ZIGGY: We have to, you know?
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MARIANA: What do you call
a party like this?
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ZIGGY: Well, this is
the true underground.
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MARIANA: And what
makes it underground?
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What, what is it?
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ZIGGY: Obviously
the sales of alcohol.
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MARIANA: Mm-hmm.
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ZIGGY: Ecstasy,
everything you can imagine.
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MARIANA: It's the ecstasy scene
that I've come to check out.
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The letter from
my son's middle school
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had been a warning
to parents about three teens
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who had just overdosed
on a bad batch of ecstasy
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that they had bought online
and received through the mail.
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Is ecstasy a big part of it?
Do people...
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MARIANA: Would you say that
it's, is it popular right now?
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♪ ♪
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MARIANA: Inside,
partygoers are rolling,
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a term used to describe
the whirlwind of energy,
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pleasure, and abandon
fueled by ecstasy pills,
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pills sold by this man
who goes by the name of Pito.
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What do you have
in your hand, by the way?
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MARIANA: Holy moly! Wow!
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Oh, so the liquid
is only up here?
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This is ecstasy?
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MARIANA: What kind are these?
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MARIANA: And they're
good quality?
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MARIANA: How do you know
they're good quality?
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MARIANA: How much do you buy it
and how much do you sell it for?
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MARIANA: $2,000? Okay.
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MARIANA: So you have
about 20 here.
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How much do you sell
per, per pill?
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MARIANA: That's a markup
of over 1,000 percent
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from wholesale to retail.
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MARIANA: Indeed,
it's a drop in the ocean.
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In the year prior
to the pandemic,
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the business of electronic
dance music was soaring.
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160 million festival tickets
were sold worldwide.
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And the consumption
of ecstasy by attendees
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is a very open secret.
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How do you get your stuff?
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MARIANA: Here in the U.S.?
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MARIANA: And do you know
how he gets it?
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How it's shipped or...
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You don't ask him
any questions?
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MARIANA: Pito wouldn't
connect me to his supplier,
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so I had to do some digging.
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Eventually, I found
someone willing to talk.
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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Up in the Bay Area,
I've made contact with a crew
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that is pressing
their own ecstasy pills.
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Their leader is a man named Sai,
who has agreed to meet me
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with the condition that we
not reveal his actual voice
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or the location
where we're filming.
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♪ ♪
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Sai? Is that how
you want to be called?
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SAI: Yes, please.
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MARIANA: So, what
do you do here, Sai?
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SAI: We make ecstasy.
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MARIANA: Is this
the end product?
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SAI: That is the end product.
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They're Blue Buddhas,
200 milligrams of MDMA.
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MARIANA: So,
what's the difference
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between Molly,
ecstasy, and MDMA?
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SAI: MDMA is just
the raw ingredient
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in its pure crystal form.
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Molly is usually referring
to this in a capsule form.
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And then ecstasy
is a pressed pill.
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MARIANA:
Oh, so that's pure MDMA?
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SAI: Yep.
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MARIANA: Can I see,
can I touch it?
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SAI: Go for it.
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MARIANA: Can I smell it, or is--
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SAI: Go for it.
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MARIANA: What happens?
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SAI: Just don't sniff too hard.
You'll be fine.
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MARIANA: That's,
yeah, it smells.
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SAI: A little flowery.
A little sweet.
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MARIANA: Yeah, definitely sweet.
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MDMA is the chemical signature
of the molecule first created
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in a lab in 1912 by the Merck
pharmaceutical company,
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where scientists
were attempting, but failed,
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to create
a blood clotting agent.
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In the 1950s, the U.S.
government experimented
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with MDMA
and other psychedelics,
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hoping they could be used
as a truth serum,
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but they, too,
abandoned the effort.
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Later, in the 1970s,
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psychedelic chemist
Sasha Shulgin
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saw a different path for MDMA.
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Recreating the molecule
in his lab,
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he experimented on himself,
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then gave the drug
to therapists
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to treat patients struggling
with emotional trauma,
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work that is again
picking up steam today.
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But in the 1980s, when word got
out of MDMA's euphoric highs,
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the drug jumped to the streets.
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Clubs in cities across America
began openly selling MDMA pills,
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now branded
with a new name--ecstasy.
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MARIANA: Does it
have to be exactly 20?
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SAI: Yeah.
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We want to crush it up
so there's no hot spots
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and the pills are evenly dosed.
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MARIANA: How many pills
can you press
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with that amount of...
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SAI: This is an extra 100 pills.
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MARIANA: 100 pills?
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SAI: Yeah.
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MARIANA: How much
do they sell for?
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SAI: Uh, retail
on these are $20.
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MARIANA: So, you can make
$2,000 from just today
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from the pills
you're pressing today?
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SAI: Yeah.
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MARIANA: How much did buying
the actual MDMA cost,
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just the raw materials?
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SAI: Uh, I'd rather not say.
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MARIANA: That means
you're probably making
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good money from this.
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SAI: Yeah, it's mostly profit,
let's be real.
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MARIANA: Right.
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SAI: And now it's time
to really mix it.
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MARIANA: Oh, so now
it's all just mixing.
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SAI: Now it's just mixing.
Now we wait.
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MARIANA: What kind of people
buy and use MDMA,
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you would say,
compared to other drugs?
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SAI: Uh, I mean, ravers,
obviously, a lot of ravers,
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but people of all sorts, like
older people, professionals.
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I've been at parties where
there's grandparents there
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who are rolling
and they're just, like,
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a cute, little old couple
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in love with each other,
having a great time.
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It's nice to see.
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MARIANA: Do you ever worry
that this might land
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into the wrong hands?
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Like a person
who's too young to try it
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or who's not in the right place,
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and things can
go wrong real fast?
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SAI: For sure.
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I mean, the kid thing
I kind of feel okay about,
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because it's pretty bitter.
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It's very bitter.
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And, I mean, like, there's only
so much I can do about that.
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Wrong person? I don't know.
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No, I guess it's just their
own personal responsibility
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to not do that, because
what can I do about that?
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MARIANA: So, when was the first
time you ever tried MDMA?
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SAI: Almost five years ago,
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and it was just me
and my friend by ourselves,
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and we were just overwhelmed.
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We were just so, like,
sensitive to everything.
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We just turned off the lights,
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sat there in darkness
for a second,
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and then just ended up, like,
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walking around the park
all night and talking
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and, like, really
connecting as people.
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MARIANA: Did you like it then?
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SAI: I loved it, yeah.
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I felt like it opened
this emotional window
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that's been closed
my whole life.
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I just didn't know it.
And it was blasted wide open.
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And then when the drug was off,
like when I came down,
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it closed, but it never
closed all the way.
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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MARIANA: Wow. Now, totally blue.
202
00:09:03,668 --> 00:09:05,795
So, this is the actual
pill-pressing machine?
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00:09:05,795 --> 00:09:08,173
SAI: Yep. This is a TDP 5.
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00:09:08,173 --> 00:09:10,133
MARIANA: And how many
pills can you do?
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00:09:10,133 --> 00:09:12,093
SAI: So, when it's
plugged in and automated,
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00:09:12,093 --> 00:09:14,471
it's 3,500 an hour, I believe.
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00:09:14,471 --> 00:09:15,513
MARIANA: Wow!
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00:09:15,513 --> 00:09:16,890
SAI: It's very quick.
209
00:09:16,890 --> 00:09:20,643
So, it's been filled,
and now the press comes down.
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00:09:20,643 --> 00:09:22,187
Pressure's applied.
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00:09:22,187 --> 00:09:23,813
(pill drops)
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MARIANA: Oh, wow!
So, here it is.
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00:09:28,943 --> 00:09:30,904
So, this is worth $20, yeah?
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00:09:30,904 --> 00:09:32,447
SAI: Yep.
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00:09:32,447 --> 00:09:36,576
MARIANA: Why not make this stuff
yourself, the actual pure MDMA?
216
00:09:36,576 --> 00:09:38,745
SAI: The chemicals are
just too closely watched.
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00:09:38,745 --> 00:09:40,997
It's pretty hard
to source the ingredients
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00:09:40,997 --> 00:09:43,082
and get away with it.
219
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MARIANA: MDMA
must be synthesized
220
00:09:45,460 --> 00:09:48,213
using a substance
known as a precursor.
221
00:09:48,213 --> 00:09:51,257
It was originally oil
from the sassafras tree,
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00:09:51,257 --> 00:09:53,885
but today the labs
that make the drug
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00:09:53,885 --> 00:09:58,181
do it largely by working
with synthetic compounds.
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And where does this come from?
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SAI: Usually Amsterdam.
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00:10:01,351 --> 00:10:03,269
MARIANA: That's right--
Amsterdam.
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00:10:03,269 --> 00:10:06,314
The famously tolerant
capital of the Netherlands
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00:10:06,314 --> 00:10:10,068
is also the world's
epicenter of MDMA.
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The reason goes back to 1985...
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MAN: The Drug Enforcement
Administration is announcing
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00:10:15,114 --> 00:10:19,077
its intention to place
the drug known as MDMA,
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00:10:19,077 --> 00:10:21,955
or by the street name ecstasy,
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00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:25,500
under emergency controls
in Schedule I.
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00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:27,710
MARIANA: ...when the
U.S. government named MDMA
235
00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:30,255
as a Schedule I drug.
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00:10:30,255 --> 00:10:34,592
At the time, nations around
the world quickly followed suit.
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00:10:34,592 --> 00:10:36,678
But the Netherlands
didn't institute a ban
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00:10:36,678 --> 00:10:41,266
for three more years, and
criminal groups took notice,
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00:10:41,266 --> 00:10:44,519
using it as a hub
to legally produce MDMA
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00:10:44,519 --> 00:10:48,231
and then illegally distribute it
around the world.
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00:10:49,691 --> 00:10:52,694
It's 30 years later,
and the industry in Holland
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00:10:52,694 --> 00:10:54,779
is still flying high.
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♪ ♪
244
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♪ ♪
245
00:11:03,371 --> 00:11:08,418
I'm here to find out how Dutch
MDMA reaches American shores.
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00:11:08,418 --> 00:11:10,336
And there's
a charismatic trafficker
247
00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:13,298
with American ties
who has agreed to meet me.
248
00:11:13,298 --> 00:11:17,218
♪ ♪
249
00:11:20,763 --> 00:11:25,101
♪ ♪
250
00:11:25,101 --> 00:11:31,441
♪ ♪
251
00:11:31,441 --> 00:11:33,985
MARIANA: I've been looking for
a route into the underground,
252
00:11:33,985 --> 00:11:37,030
and I'm hoping
Steve Brown can help me.
253
00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:38,406
(ding)
254
00:11:38,406 --> 00:11:43,202
He's agreed to a meeting,
right on the Amstel River.
255
00:11:43,202 --> 00:11:44,621
And you were born
in the United States, right?
256
00:11:44,621 --> 00:11:46,956
STEVE BROWN:
I'm born in the United States.
257
00:11:46,956 --> 00:11:50,501
Came here with my father
and mother back to Holland.
258
00:11:50,501 --> 00:11:53,171
My father was a GI,
so that's how he met my mother.
259
00:11:53,171 --> 00:11:54,547
MARIANA: Mm-hmm.
260
00:11:54,547 --> 00:11:57,508
STEVE: And when I was
growing up with my own family,
261
00:11:57,508 --> 00:12:01,596
I have lived about ten years
in the States.
262
00:12:01,596 --> 00:12:03,139
MARIANA: By the time he retired,
263
00:12:03,139 --> 00:12:05,141
Dutch-American
trafficker Steve Brown
264
00:12:05,141 --> 00:12:08,603
had moved ecstasy
across the globe.
265
00:12:08,603 --> 00:12:10,188
And I'm hoping
he can introduce me
266
00:12:10,188 --> 00:12:15,360
to current players
sending pills to the U.S.
267
00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,196
How did you get started
in the, in the drug business?
268
00:12:18,196 --> 00:12:20,907
STEVE: We started out
with a youth community center
269
00:12:20,907 --> 00:12:24,702
called the Happy Family, and
we only were selling hashish.
270
00:12:24,702 --> 00:12:27,872
I'm talking seventies
and eighties here.
271
00:12:27,872 --> 00:12:30,083
MARIANA: Like Amsterdam's
red-light district,
272
00:12:30,083 --> 00:12:32,043
the Happy Family
and other coffee shops
273
00:12:32,043 --> 00:12:33,753
that sold weed and hash
274
00:12:33,753 --> 00:12:38,216
revealed the boundaries of Dutch
tolerance and profitability.
275
00:12:38,216 --> 00:12:39,592
According to Steve,
276
00:12:39,592 --> 00:12:43,471
he was raking in $20 million
a year at the time,
277
00:12:43,471 --> 00:12:46,224
mostly from illegal drug sales.
278
00:12:46,224 --> 00:12:49,227
And when did MDMA
sort of enter the scene?
279
00:12:49,227 --> 00:12:50,687
STEVE: The eighties.
280
00:12:50,687 --> 00:12:55,525
The ecstasy pill is introduced
here by the Israeli Mafia,
281
00:12:55,525 --> 00:12:58,194
and so they asked me,
because I had
282
00:12:58,194 --> 00:13:00,113
at the Happy Family
a lot of customers,
283
00:13:00,113 --> 00:13:03,408
if I wanted to sell
that pill on behalf of them.
284
00:13:03,408 --> 00:13:05,284
MARIANA: So you were one
of the first people ever here
285
00:13:05,284 --> 00:13:06,536
to sell ecstasy?
286
00:13:06,536 --> 00:13:08,663
STEVE: I was the first
on the record.
287
00:13:08,663 --> 00:13:10,081
MARIANA: Are you still involved
in the drug business?
288
00:13:10,081 --> 00:13:15,545
STEVE: No. I went with pension,
already 15 years ago.
289
00:13:15,545 --> 00:13:16,963
MARIANA: But you
still have contacts?
290
00:13:16,963 --> 00:13:18,131
STEVE: Yes.
291
00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:20,216
MARIANA: So if we
wanted to gain access
292
00:13:20,216 --> 00:13:22,677
into this drug underworld
here in Holland,
293
00:13:22,677 --> 00:13:24,095
would you be able to help us?
294
00:13:24,095 --> 00:13:29,392
STEVE: I will do really my best,
but it's very dangerous.
295
00:13:29,392 --> 00:13:33,354
♪ ♪
296
00:13:33,354 --> 00:13:35,606
MARIANA: Steve says that
competing criminal groups
297
00:13:35,606 --> 00:13:37,734
and widespread access to weapons
298
00:13:37,734 --> 00:13:41,446
created an "anything goes"
atmosphere here.
299
00:13:41,446 --> 00:13:42,822
He begins by putting me in touch
300
00:13:42,822 --> 00:13:45,658
with people connected
with European distribution.
301
00:13:52,248 --> 00:13:53,082
MARIANA: Oh, can I see that?
302
00:13:56,461 --> 00:13:57,754
MARIANA: Is it because
it's high quality?
303
00:13:59,839 --> 00:14:00,965
MARIANA: And where is this made?
304
00:14:08,473 --> 00:14:10,683
MARIANA: For how much
time of work?
305
00:14:12,310 --> 00:14:13,686
MARIANA: Oh, wow.
306
00:14:13,686 --> 00:14:15,480
But what I'm really
in search of
307
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,732
is connections
to the U.S. market.
308
00:14:17,732 --> 00:14:19,776
What other countries
are you guys selling MDMA to?
309
00:14:24,030 --> 00:14:24,906
MARIANA: And to the U.S.?
310
00:14:26,532 --> 00:14:27,408
MARIANA: Why not?
311
00:14:34,207 --> 00:14:35,083
MARIANA: Wow.
312
00:14:43,174 --> 00:14:44,759
MARIANA: Because we know
that Dutch pills
313
00:14:44,759 --> 00:14:45,802
are going to the U.S.
314
00:14:45,802 --> 00:14:47,512
Who's--how are they
getting there?
315
00:14:53,768 --> 00:15:00,733
♪ ♪
316
00:15:00,733 --> 00:15:02,360
MARIANA: So far,
I've come up short
317
00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,237
with connections to the States,
318
00:15:04,237 --> 00:15:07,115
but an American source
has sent me here,
319
00:15:07,115 --> 00:15:10,910
to a warehouse in a town
one hour outside of Amsterdam.
320
00:15:10,910 --> 00:15:16,749
♪ ♪
321
00:15:16,749 --> 00:15:22,171
♪ ♪
322
00:15:22,964 --> 00:15:24,590
MARIANA: Can I come in?
323
00:15:24,590 --> 00:15:26,384
How are you?
324
00:15:26,384 --> 00:15:27,260
MARIANA: Notorious...
325
00:15:28,136 --> 00:15:28,970
MARIANA: P-I-G for pig?
326
00:15:30,388 --> 00:15:31,305
MARIANA: Why that name?
327
00:15:36,269 --> 00:15:37,395
MARIANA: (chuckles)
This is ecstasy?
328
00:15:37,395 --> 00:15:38,604
NOTORIOUS P-I-G: Yeah.
329
00:15:38,604 --> 00:15:39,814
MARIANA: And what is this?
What is it?
330
00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:43,401
MARIANA: Salvador Dali,
the Spanish painter?
331
00:15:43,401 --> 00:15:44,777
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
332
00:15:44,777 --> 00:15:46,320
MARIANA: He was actually
my favorite painter growing up.
333
00:15:48,156 --> 00:15:49,991
MARIANA: (laughs)
Is it really your favorite pill?
334
00:15:49,991 --> 00:15:51,534
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
MARIANA: What is this?
335
00:15:53,244 --> 00:15:54,745
MARIANA: Oh, yeah, they have the
Maserati symbol and everything.
336
00:15:54,745 --> 00:15:55,872
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
337
00:15:55,872 --> 00:15:57,331
MARIANA: Where are
all of these going to?
338
00:15:58,666 --> 00:16:00,501
MARIANA: You're shipping
them all to the U.S.?
339
00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:09,594
MARIANA: So you're not afraid
of American authorities?
340
00:16:09,594 --> 00:16:10,428
NOTORIOUS P-I-G: No.
341
00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:14,473
MARIANA: For three years?
NOTORIOUS P-I-G: Yeah.
342
00:16:19,228 --> 00:16:20,563
MARIANA: How do you ship
all this stuff?
343
00:16:20,563 --> 00:16:22,023
How do you ship it to the U.S.?
344
00:16:26,235 --> 00:16:27,153
MARIANA: Oh, so you're
hiding the address, right?
345
00:16:28,446 --> 00:16:29,572
MARIANA: I'm not gonna
say the whole name,
346
00:16:29,572 --> 00:16:31,199
but it's Ryan something
347
00:16:31,199 --> 00:16:34,327
and going to Michigan,
United States.
348
00:16:34,327 --> 00:16:37,580
And this one is Christian,
going to Colorado.
349
00:16:37,580 --> 00:16:39,540
This one is going to Florida.
Ecstasy pills.
350
00:16:47,715 --> 00:16:49,884
MARIANA: Oh, wow.
So, it's tons of packages.
351
00:16:50,885 --> 00:16:51,928
MARIANA: So this guy received...
352
00:16:54,639 --> 00:16:56,265
MARIANA: Wow! How do
these American people,
353
00:16:56,265 --> 00:16:58,601
how do they even know,
how do they contact you?
354
00:16:58,601 --> 00:17:00,478
How do they know,
where do you sell?
355
00:17:04,315 --> 00:17:05,191
MARIANA: Yeah.
356
00:17:08,110 --> 00:17:08,986
MARIANA: That you've posted?
357
00:17:08,986 --> 00:17:10,988
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
358
00:17:10,988 --> 00:17:12,990
♪ Beat, beat, rock,
to the rock beat, beat ♪
359
00:17:12,990 --> 00:17:15,326
♪ ♪
360
00:17:15,326 --> 00:17:16,869
MARIANA: What strikes me
as remarkable
361
00:17:16,869 --> 00:17:18,663
about Piggy's Telegram channel,
362
00:17:18,663 --> 00:17:20,998
which he has branded
"Dope Discovery,"
363
00:17:20,998 --> 00:17:24,252
isn't just the hundreds
of videos plugging his wares;
364
00:17:24,252 --> 00:17:26,671
it's the unbridled joy he takes
365
00:17:26,671 --> 00:17:29,840
in thumbing his nose
at the police.
366
00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:31,342
So, you have fun doing this?
This is like...
367
00:17:31,342 --> 00:17:32,802
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah. (laughs)
MARIANA: ...fun for you?
368
00:17:35,179 --> 00:17:37,765
MARIANA: Why is the Netherlands
such a center for production
369
00:17:37,765 --> 00:17:39,225
of MDMA and ecstasy?
370
00:17:41,727 --> 00:17:45,523
MARIANA: Okay. But if they were
able to get into this, this room
371
00:17:45,523 --> 00:17:46,524
and see all this
and arrest you...
372
00:17:46,524 --> 00:17:48,025
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
373
00:17:48,025 --> 00:17:49,485
MARIANA: ...with all this stuff,
or in your car, wherever...
374
00:17:49,485 --> 00:17:50,486
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
375
00:17:50,486 --> 00:17:52,363
MARIANA: What
would happen to you?
376
00:17:54,615 --> 00:17:55,866
MARIANA: Yeah. You did?
377
00:18:05,001 --> 00:18:05,876
MARIANA: For how long?
378
00:18:09,547 --> 00:18:11,340
MARIANA: 150 hours of
community service, that's it?
379
00:18:11,340 --> 00:18:13,551
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
380
00:18:13,551 --> 00:18:15,136
MARIANA: Given
the lenient sentencing laws
381
00:18:15,136 --> 00:18:16,679
in the Netherlands,
382
00:18:16,679 --> 00:18:19,056
it makes sense that
so many criminal groups
383
00:18:19,056 --> 00:18:22,310
have set up production here.
384
00:18:22,310 --> 00:18:26,230
Back in the States,
large ecstasy busts are rare,
385
00:18:26,230 --> 00:18:28,691
but they do draw
serious jail time.
386
00:18:28,691 --> 00:18:32,111
15,000 pills would result
in federal charges,
387
00:18:32,111 --> 00:18:37,241
a minimum sentence of ten years
and a fine of $4 million.
388
00:18:37,241 --> 00:18:38,784
What about overdoses?
389
00:18:38,784 --> 00:18:40,161
Do you get scared
about, I don't know,
390
00:18:40,161 --> 00:18:42,079
people receiving this
and taking it all?
391
00:18:48,669 --> 00:18:50,296
MARIANA: Wow.
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
392
00:18:50,296 --> 00:18:51,589
MARIANA: And how
did you feel about that?
393
00:19:03,893 --> 00:19:07,063
MARIANA: Oh, did you
worry about, I mean,
394
00:19:07,063 --> 00:19:09,190
didn't the police investigate
then, who sold him...
395
00:19:10,816 --> 00:19:13,861
MARIANA: Death is bad
for business, so Piggy says
396
00:19:13,861 --> 00:19:16,947
he tests the purity
of his products regularly,
397
00:19:16,947 --> 00:19:19,325
a preventative step
meant to guard against
398
00:19:19,325 --> 00:19:21,952
the kind of overdose
that I was informed about
399
00:19:21,952 --> 00:19:23,371
from my son's school.
400
00:19:23,371 --> 00:19:24,622
What supposed to happen?
401
00:19:29,168 --> 00:19:30,920
MARIANA:
So it's definitely MDMA.
402
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:32,129
NOTORIOUS P.I.G.: Yeah.
403
00:19:32,129 --> 00:19:34,131
MARIANA: How do you get
your pills, by the way?
404
00:19:41,972 --> 00:19:43,682
MARIANA: So, you don't
think it's worth it,
405
00:19:43,682 --> 00:19:46,477
me asking you to talk to
the guy that doesn't like you?
406
00:19:50,981 --> 00:19:52,608
MARIANA: Why do you
have a shotgun here?
407
00:19:57,613 --> 00:20:01,033
MARIANA: It's tempting to think
of Piggy as an anomaly,
408
00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:03,494
but after my conversations
with Steve Brown,
409
00:20:03,494 --> 00:20:06,205
I realize that would be naive.
410
00:20:06,205 --> 00:20:08,833
How much has it changed,
the drug underworld,
411
00:20:08,833 --> 00:20:11,001
from back then to these days?
412
00:20:11,001 --> 00:20:12,420
STEVE: So the business
in the beginning
413
00:20:12,420 --> 00:20:16,173
was actually not
really violent at all.
414
00:20:16,173 --> 00:20:17,425
MARIANA: And nowadays?
415
00:20:17,425 --> 00:20:19,969
STEVE: Well, if you
compare with that time,
416
00:20:19,969 --> 00:20:22,596
it's a difference
between day and night.
417
00:20:22,596 --> 00:20:27,059
Step by step, the violence
get worse, worse, and worse,
418
00:20:27,059 --> 00:20:28,060
up to today.
419
00:20:28,060 --> 00:20:29,186
MARIANA: Mm-hmm. And now?
420
00:20:29,186 --> 00:20:31,730
STEVE: And now, 30 years later,
421
00:20:31,730 --> 00:20:35,317
it's a commercial
billion-dollar business,
422
00:20:35,317 --> 00:20:40,489
and in every billion-dollar
business, people will kill.
423
00:20:40,489 --> 00:20:42,908
Killing is normal now.
424
00:20:42,908 --> 00:20:45,369
I myself have been shot.
425
00:20:45,369 --> 00:20:50,332
I have one bullet in my liver
and one through my arm.
426
00:20:50,332 --> 00:20:51,834
MARIANA: You know,
I grew up in Europe.
427
00:20:51,834 --> 00:20:55,754
Holland is the last place where
you'd expect this violence.
428
00:20:58,591 --> 00:20:59,508
You know, they give--
429
00:21:08,851 --> 00:21:09,602
You know?
430
00:21:21,614 --> 00:21:28,871
♪ ♪
431
00:21:28,871 --> 00:21:31,790
MARIANA: By definition,
black markets operate
432
00:21:31,790 --> 00:21:34,084
with their own set of rules.
433
00:21:34,084 --> 00:21:37,046
When times are good,
money and market share
434
00:21:37,046 --> 00:21:38,798
are low-hanging fruit.
435
00:21:38,798 --> 00:21:40,758
But increasingly
in the Netherlands,
436
00:21:40,758 --> 00:21:44,303
when a deal goes south
or a player feels threatened,
437
00:21:44,303 --> 00:21:46,096
the kind of justice handed out
438
00:21:46,096 --> 00:21:49,183
has nothing to do
with courtrooms.
439
00:21:49,183 --> 00:21:50,434
(explosion)
440
00:21:50,434 --> 00:21:51,435
MAN: Politie!
441
00:21:51,435 --> 00:21:55,397
♪ ♪
442
00:21:55,397 --> 00:21:59,068
MARIANA: In 2020, at a Dutch
harbor, police officers found
443
00:21:59,068 --> 00:22:03,280
seven shipping containers
converted into prison cells,
444
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,659
a trove of
stolen police uniforms,
445
00:22:06,659 --> 00:22:08,244
automatic weapons,
446
00:22:08,244 --> 00:22:12,373
and this, a fully soundproofed
torture chamber,
447
00:22:12,373 --> 00:22:14,625
complete with dentist chair,
448
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:19,046
hedge cutters, pliers,
and scalpels.
449
00:22:19,046 --> 00:22:22,550
That raid showed everyone
that a new level of violence,
450
00:22:22,550 --> 00:22:25,386
the kind usually seen
in narco states,
451
00:22:25,386 --> 00:22:28,055
has arrived
in the heart of Europe.
452
00:22:31,308 --> 00:22:32,768
I want to connect with someone
453
00:22:32,768 --> 00:22:34,812
close to the violence
and mayhem
454
00:22:34,812 --> 00:22:37,690
to find out why things
are falling apart.
455
00:22:37,690 --> 00:22:40,943
And Steve Brown says he knows
someone I should talk to.
456
00:22:40,943 --> 00:22:42,361
Have to go right?
457
00:22:42,361 --> 00:22:45,239
But there's little else
he's ready to reveal,
458
00:22:45,239 --> 00:22:47,783
until we're all
in the same room.
459
00:22:47,783 --> 00:22:50,494
STEVE: This is a very,
very old friend of mine.
460
00:22:50,494 --> 00:22:55,374
We will call him not his real
name, you must understand that,
461
00:22:55,374 --> 00:22:58,794
because he's still
an active killer and hitman.
462
00:22:58,794 --> 00:23:01,213
♪ ♪
463
00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:06,135
♪ ♪
464
00:23:10,055 --> 00:23:16,437
♪ ♪
465
00:23:16,437 --> 00:23:19,523
MARIANA: How did you first
become a killer, and why?
466
00:23:30,117 --> 00:23:31,285
MARIANA: So, how old were you?
467
00:23:34,580 --> 00:23:36,707
MARIANA: Were you involved in
the drug business at the time?
468
00:23:36,707 --> 00:23:38,167
MAN: Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
469
00:23:38,167 --> 00:23:39,668
MARIANA: And how many people
do you think you've killed?
470
00:23:40,753 --> 00:23:41,670
MARIANA: But is it--
471
00:23:43,672 --> 00:23:45,633
MARIANA: And who are
these people? And why--
472
00:23:48,761 --> 00:23:50,304
MARIANA: So all people involved
in the drug business?
473
00:23:51,555 --> 00:23:52,556
MARIANA:
What's the process like?
474
00:23:52,556 --> 00:23:54,433
How does it work?
How do you...
475
00:24:04,151 --> 00:24:05,653
MARIANA: So, you spend
two to three weeks
476
00:24:05,653 --> 00:24:06,987
doing surveillance
on the person before?
477
00:24:15,287 --> 00:24:17,623
MARIANA: What guns do you
usually carry with you?
478
00:24:23,087 --> 00:24:24,922
MARIANA: Do you
have AK-47s here, as well?
479
00:24:24,922 --> 00:24:26,924
STEVE: They sell them
here for 1,000.
480
00:24:26,924 --> 00:24:29,593
They're very cheap.
They come from the East Bloc.
481
00:24:29,593 --> 00:24:30,928
MARIANA: I understand
that you don't think
482
00:24:30,928 --> 00:24:33,889
these people are innocent,
but at least, I mean,
483
00:24:33,889 --> 00:24:35,557
you at least have thought
of their mothers
484
00:24:35,557 --> 00:24:37,142
and their children?
485
00:24:45,818 --> 00:24:47,945
MARIANA: There's
a casual air to all of this
486
00:24:47,945 --> 00:24:50,072
that I find quite unsettling,
487
00:24:50,072 --> 00:24:52,700
because if there's a perception
amongst traffickers
488
00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:56,662
that violence and killing
carry no consequences,
489
00:24:56,662 --> 00:25:01,291
then it's open season on anyone
perceived as an enemy.
490
00:25:01,291 --> 00:25:04,420
If myself
or a journalist coming here
491
00:25:04,420 --> 00:25:07,881
and doing some sort of reporting
that you wouldn't like,
492
00:25:07,881 --> 00:25:11,010
would that be a reason
to kill a journalist?
493
00:25:27,484 --> 00:25:28,902
MARIANA: Oh, so you've
had situations in which
494
00:25:28,902 --> 00:25:30,779
you've gone to journalists
and warned them,
495
00:25:30,779 --> 00:25:33,282
do not mention my name
or my family name.
496
00:25:35,409 --> 00:25:36,285
MARIANA:
If they had done it again--
497
00:25:37,786 --> 00:25:38,829
MARIANA: Then you
would have killed them?
498
00:25:41,498 --> 00:25:43,500
MARIANA: Every crime journalist
walks with a target
499
00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:45,753
on his, or her, back.
500
00:25:45,753 --> 00:25:47,629
In the last decade alone,
501
00:25:47,629 --> 00:25:52,301
136 journalists have been
killed around the world.
502
00:25:52,301 --> 00:25:54,511
But it's honestly shocking
to hear it described
503
00:25:54,511 --> 00:25:57,347
in such casual terms
by a person
504
00:25:57,347 --> 00:26:00,976
who actually accepts money
to pull the trigger.
505
00:26:00,976 --> 00:26:02,978
So you're saying that you have,
506
00:26:02,978 --> 00:26:04,605
many times in the past,
intimidated journalists?
507
00:26:04,605 --> 00:26:06,064
MAN: Yes.
508
00:26:06,064 --> 00:26:07,608
MARIANA: Threatened them
and told them that they can't
509
00:26:07,608 --> 00:26:08,776
report on you or your family,
or else you would kill them?
510
00:26:08,776 --> 00:26:09,860
MAN: Yeah. Yeah.
511
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:16,867
MARIANA: I'm trying to get
a sense of how much--
512
00:26:18,786 --> 00:26:19,787
MARIANA: Yeah.
How much back then
513
00:26:19,787 --> 00:26:21,246
and how much do people get now?
514
00:26:28,045 --> 00:26:31,799
MARIANA: But of course,
the price depends on the target.
515
00:26:31,799 --> 00:26:36,053
And some targets
are bigger than others.
516
00:26:36,053 --> 00:26:37,513
It was one year ago
517
00:26:37,513 --> 00:26:40,098
that the country's
most famous crime journalist,
518
00:26:40,098 --> 00:26:43,310
Peter R. de Vries, was
ambushed as he stepped out
519
00:26:43,310 --> 00:26:47,356
of a TV studio
in downtown Amsterdam.
520
00:26:47,356 --> 00:26:49,441
(gunshots)
521
00:26:49,441 --> 00:26:51,151
REPORTER: Celebrity
Dutch crime reporter
522
00:26:51,151 --> 00:26:54,947
Peter R. de Vries has died
after being shot in the street.
523
00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:57,699
De Vries, who was 64,
was a frequent commentator
524
00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:00,077
on television crime programs.
525
00:27:00,077 --> 00:27:02,204
MARIANA: I want to understand
what the killing meant
526
00:27:02,204 --> 00:27:04,748
to Dutch society.
527
00:27:04,748 --> 00:27:06,792
These men, who have arrived
for our interview
528
00:27:06,792 --> 00:27:08,252
in bulletproof cars
529
00:27:08,252 --> 00:27:11,130
and under the protection
of seven government agents,
530
00:27:11,130 --> 00:27:15,467
are friends of De Vries
whose own lives are now at risk.
531
00:27:15,467 --> 00:27:18,720
♪ ♪
532
00:27:22,558 --> 00:27:23,976
♪ ♪
533
00:27:23,976 --> 00:27:30,315
♪ ♪
534
00:27:30,315 --> 00:27:31,984
MARIANA: I started
looking into ecstasy
535
00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:35,070
after receiving an email
from my son's school.
536
00:27:35,070 --> 00:27:37,698
But following the trail
of this party drug
537
00:27:37,698 --> 00:27:41,285
has led me further
and further underground.
538
00:27:41,285 --> 00:27:43,537
And now, here
in the Netherlands,
539
00:27:43,537 --> 00:27:46,206
I've arrived
at a somber anniversary,
540
00:27:46,206 --> 00:27:50,210
the death of renowned crime
journalist Peter R. de Vries.
541
00:27:50,210 --> 00:27:52,963
These men are friends
of De Vries,
542
00:27:52,963 --> 00:27:56,550
lawyers Peter Schouten
and Onno de Jong.
543
00:27:56,550 --> 00:27:57,885
PETER SCHOUTEN: Well,
what actually happened
544
00:27:57,885 --> 00:28:02,514
was that Peter was shot,
executed from close range,
545
00:28:02,514 --> 00:28:05,225
in a very busy area
in the Netherlands,
546
00:28:05,225 --> 00:28:08,687
and without knowing,
he had been observed already
547
00:28:08,687 --> 00:28:11,148
for a long time.
548
00:28:11,148 --> 00:28:15,611
The killer walked up behind him
and shot him five times.
549
00:28:15,611 --> 00:28:18,030
MARIANA:
The story began in 2018,
550
00:28:18,030 --> 00:28:21,909
with a Dutch-Moroccan trafficker
named Ridouan Taghi.
551
00:28:21,909 --> 00:28:24,453
One of the people working
for his organization,
552
00:28:24,453 --> 00:28:27,539
named Nabil B., turned himself
into Dutch authorities
553
00:28:27,539 --> 00:28:31,126
and agreed to testify
against his former boss.
554
00:28:31,126 --> 00:28:33,962
ONNO DE JONG: When you are
becoming a crown witness,
555
00:28:33,962 --> 00:28:36,882
you go and talk with
the police in secrecy,
556
00:28:36,882 --> 00:28:40,093
in total secrecy,
and you make statements.
557
00:28:40,093 --> 00:28:41,345
PETER: And in this case,
558
00:28:41,345 --> 00:28:43,805
this protection agreement
was also made,
559
00:28:43,805 --> 00:28:49,019
and it means that Nabil
was in a secret location
560
00:28:49,019 --> 00:28:52,064
and that also his family
should be protected,
561
00:28:52,064 --> 00:28:55,108
and there it went wrong.
562
00:28:55,108 --> 00:28:57,736
MARIANA: Just a few days
after giving his statement,
563
00:28:57,736 --> 00:29:01,406
Nabil's brother, who was not
involved with organized crime,
564
00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:04,284
was murdered at his print shop.
565
00:29:04,284 --> 00:29:07,496
PETER: And more than a year
after the brother was killed,
566
00:29:07,496 --> 00:29:10,290
the lawyer who assisted Nabil
567
00:29:10,290 --> 00:29:13,126
was shot dead
in front of his house
568
00:29:13,126 --> 00:29:16,213
by people sent to him to,
yeah, basically liquidate him,
569
00:29:16,213 --> 00:29:18,173
to execute him.
570
00:29:18,173 --> 00:29:22,135
ONNO: And it sent a shockwave
throughout society.
571
00:29:22,135 --> 00:29:27,224
And I always experienced it
as very naive, because they say,
572
00:29:27,224 --> 00:29:30,560
"Well, this, this, this
is not happening here.
573
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,230
This shouldn't
happen in Holland.
574
00:29:33,230 --> 00:29:36,191
We're so nice, and we're
a lovely country."
575
00:29:36,191 --> 00:29:40,696
Well, we are not anymore.
576
00:29:40,696 --> 00:29:43,865
PETER: Yeah, that was a message
to put fear in society.
577
00:29:43,865 --> 00:29:47,703
You could see it as the start of
narco-terror in the Netherlands.
578
00:29:47,703 --> 00:29:50,706
MARIANA: Into that vacuum
stepped Peter R. de Vries,
579
00:29:50,706 --> 00:29:53,333
who recruited Peter and Onno
to take on the job
580
00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:55,919
of becoming Nabil's
new legal team,
581
00:29:55,919 --> 00:29:58,755
while himself becoming
a high-profile advisor
582
00:29:58,755 --> 00:30:00,424
for the witness.
583
00:30:00,424 --> 00:30:03,135
He's seen here reading the text
of his shoulder tattoo.
584
00:30:03,135 --> 00:30:04,136
PETER R. DE VRIES: All...
585
00:30:04,136 --> 00:30:05,554
(applause)
586
00:30:05,554 --> 00:30:09,266
...all that is necessary
for the triumph of evil
587
00:30:09,266 --> 00:30:11,351
is good men do nothing.
588
00:30:11,351 --> 00:30:12,602
(cheering)
589
00:30:12,602 --> 00:30:15,772
PETER: Peter had the
enormous sense for justice
590
00:30:15,772 --> 00:30:19,985
and an enormous sense
to fight injustice.
591
00:30:19,985 --> 00:30:22,279
And he was basically
the only journalist
592
00:30:22,279 --> 00:30:25,907
within the Netherlands who,
besides reporting on crime,
593
00:30:25,907 --> 00:30:29,244
really picked up a case
and then helped the victims.
594
00:30:31,371 --> 00:30:33,206
MARIANA: But not everybody
had warm feelings
595
00:30:33,206 --> 00:30:35,250
about Peter de Vries,
596
00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:39,379
especially those in the
underworld, like Steve Brown.
597
00:30:39,379 --> 00:30:41,715
STEVE: You want to know,
of course, about...
598
00:30:41,715 --> 00:30:42,716
MARIANA: Yup.
599
00:30:42,716 --> 00:30:45,594
STEVE: ...the
"crime journalist,"
600
00:30:45,594 --> 00:30:46,970
Peter R. de Vries.
601
00:30:46,970 --> 00:30:49,347
But I have to tell you honest,
602
00:30:49,347 --> 00:30:51,850
I might not be the right
person to ask about him
603
00:30:51,850 --> 00:30:57,647
because I'm sworn enemy
of him for over 30 years.
604
00:30:57,647 --> 00:31:00,067
♪ ♪
605
00:31:00,067 --> 00:31:01,109
MARIANA: From the beginning of
606
00:31:01,109 --> 00:31:02,944
his career, De Vries was known
607
00:31:02,944 --> 00:31:05,614
to seek out high-profile targets
608
00:31:05,614 --> 00:31:09,034
and had his crosshairs
on Steve Brown,
609
00:31:09,034 --> 00:31:12,662
leveling accusations
and launching sting operations
610
00:31:12,662 --> 00:31:16,249
that they broadcast on Dutch TV.
611
00:31:16,249 --> 00:31:18,627
This confrontation
was Steve Brown's response
612
00:31:18,627 --> 00:31:21,755
to a report that De Vries
had broadcast on TV.
613
00:31:21,755 --> 00:31:22,798
(speaking Dutch)
614
00:31:22,798 --> 00:31:29,096
(speaking Dutch)
615
00:31:29,096 --> 00:31:30,597
MARIANA: You didn't like
each other. But I mean--
616
00:31:30,597 --> 00:31:32,140
STEVE: That's an understatement.
617
00:31:32,140 --> 00:31:34,601
MARIANA: I understand, but
there's certainly a part of you
618
00:31:34,601 --> 00:31:35,811
that was shocked by the fact
619
00:31:35,811 --> 00:31:38,021
that a journalist
of his caliber was killed.
620
00:31:38,021 --> 00:31:40,023
STEVE: No. No, you know
what is shocking?
621
00:31:40,023 --> 00:31:41,942
Generally speaking,
I'm against murder.
622
00:31:41,942 --> 00:31:43,318
MARIANA: Mm-hmm.
623
00:31:43,318 --> 00:31:45,695
STEVE: It's always shocking
if somebody gets shot.
624
00:31:47,656 --> 00:31:49,491
MARIANA: Steve Brown
had nothing to do
625
00:31:49,491 --> 00:31:52,410
with the murder
of Peter R. de Vries,
626
00:31:52,410 --> 00:31:55,622
but it's easy to see how
reporters in this world
627
00:31:55,622 --> 00:31:57,749
can make lasting enemies.
628
00:31:57,749 --> 00:32:02,295
PETER: It was incredible, and
it was hard for Dutch society
629
00:32:02,295 --> 00:32:05,841
to see somebody
like that being shot.
630
00:32:05,841 --> 00:32:09,386
It was, actually nobody
feels safe anymore
631
00:32:09,386 --> 00:32:11,888
at a moment like that
in a country.
632
00:32:11,888 --> 00:32:14,349
MARIANA: And that,
perhaps, was the point.
633
00:32:14,349 --> 00:32:16,810
Currently, Taghi
and 16 associates
634
00:32:16,810 --> 00:32:18,687
are on trial in the Netherlands,
635
00:32:18,687 --> 00:32:22,232
with 700 army and
police officers mobilized
636
00:32:22,232 --> 00:32:24,234
to safeguard the courthouse.
637
00:32:26,319 --> 00:32:29,156
I came to the Netherlands
to track the major source
638
00:32:29,156 --> 00:32:32,117
of American MDMA,
but found a country
639
00:32:32,117 --> 00:32:35,620
starting to resemble
a narco state.
640
00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:38,623
A Dutch newspaper reporting
on drug traffickers
641
00:32:38,623 --> 00:32:42,085
was recently rammed
in a van attack.
642
00:32:42,085 --> 00:32:46,256
A news magazine was hit
with an anti-tank rocket.
643
00:32:46,256 --> 00:32:50,218
And 94 hand grenade incidents
were reported by police
644
00:32:50,218 --> 00:32:52,387
in a two-year span.
645
00:32:52,387 --> 00:32:55,557
It's a wave of violence that
has all of Europe wondering,
646
00:32:55,557 --> 00:32:57,851
what could possibly come next?
647
00:32:57,851 --> 00:33:02,272
♪ ♪
648
00:33:06,067 --> 00:33:07,819
MARIANA: Did you know
Peter de Vries?
649
00:33:07,819 --> 00:33:08,820
GABRIELLA ADER:
Yes. Yeah. Personally.
650
00:33:08,820 --> 00:33:09,821
MARIANA: Personally?
651
00:33:09,821 --> 00:33:10,822
GABRIELLA: Yeah, yeah.
652
00:33:10,822 --> 00:33:12,282
MARIANA: Like Peter de Vries,
653
00:33:12,282 --> 00:33:14,701
who was murdered for getting
too close to Dutch traffickers,
654
00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:17,204
Gabriella Ader
reports extensively
655
00:33:17,204 --> 00:33:18,872
on the Dutch underworld.
656
00:33:18,872 --> 00:33:20,957
When you found out,
what was your reaction?
657
00:33:20,957 --> 00:33:24,211
GABRIELLA: I was very startled
and, unfortunately,
658
00:33:24,211 --> 00:33:26,463
I cannot say
it was a huge surprise.
659
00:33:26,463 --> 00:33:27,797
MARIANA: Huh, really? Why not?
660
00:33:27,797 --> 00:33:30,091
GABRIELLA: Yeah.
My family's from Sicily,
661
00:33:30,091 --> 00:33:32,677
and I can't even tell you
662
00:33:32,677 --> 00:33:35,972
how much it now resembles
the situation there.
663
00:33:35,972 --> 00:33:37,432
MARIANA: With the Mafia?
With the Mob?
664
00:33:37,432 --> 00:33:40,268
GABRIELLA: Yeah. I even spoke
to lawyers, almost crying,
665
00:33:40,268 --> 00:33:42,729
who told me, "Yeah. I just
want to stop this job."
666
00:33:42,729 --> 00:33:45,649
Because, you know, they used
to have a lot of respect
667
00:33:45,649 --> 00:33:48,109
for attorneys,
journalists, et cetera,
668
00:33:48,109 --> 00:33:49,569
but that's just all gone.
669
00:33:49,569 --> 00:33:51,655
And you also see it now,
for instance,
670
00:33:51,655 --> 00:33:55,116
if you see the trial,
it is not normal.
671
00:33:55,116 --> 00:33:58,995
There's so many police cars,
so many army members are ready.
672
00:33:58,995 --> 00:34:02,165
And then everybody thinks the
Netherlands is so progressive
673
00:34:02,165 --> 00:34:04,251
and that we're
always in control.
674
00:34:04,251 --> 00:34:07,420
But now you can see,
I don't know. Do we?
675
00:34:07,420 --> 00:34:09,256
MARIANA: I'm European.
I was born in Portugal,
676
00:34:09,256 --> 00:34:11,132
lived most of my life
in Portugal,
677
00:34:11,132 --> 00:34:13,843
so the fact that this is
all happening right here
678
00:34:13,843 --> 00:34:16,137
in the Netherlands is
really mind-blowing to me.
679
00:34:16,137 --> 00:34:19,975
GABRIELLA: Yeah. It is. Because
there's so much money involved.
680
00:34:19,975 --> 00:34:21,476
So, the stakes
are just too high.
681
00:34:21,476 --> 00:34:22,978
MARIANA: Mm-hmm.
682
00:34:22,978 --> 00:34:26,064
GABRIELLA: And also, I think,
what I hear from colleagues,
683
00:34:26,064 --> 00:34:29,651
or from attorneys, is that
really the climate has changed.
684
00:34:29,651 --> 00:34:30,944
It became so much more violent.
685
00:34:30,944 --> 00:34:32,487
MARIANA: Mm-hmm.
686
00:34:32,487 --> 00:34:35,323
I'm assuming it also sort of had
a negative effect on journalism,
687
00:34:35,323 --> 00:34:38,159
anyone trying to investigate
the crime world here.
688
00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:39,828
Now people are
more scared, right?
689
00:34:39,828 --> 00:34:41,621
How's that affected your job?
690
00:34:41,621 --> 00:34:43,164
Are you more scared
to do what you do?
691
00:34:43,164 --> 00:34:44,666
GABRIELLA: I did
get myself unregistered
692
00:34:44,666 --> 00:34:45,959
when I bought an apartment
693
00:34:45,959 --> 00:34:47,419
because I didn't want
people to trace me.
694
00:34:47,419 --> 00:34:48,753
MARIANA: Wow!
695
00:34:48,753 --> 00:34:51,339
So, basically, you didn't
put your name on the...
696
00:34:51,339 --> 00:34:52,382
GABRIELLA: Yeah.
You can't find me.
697
00:34:52,382 --> 00:34:53,425
MARIANA: You can't find you.
698
00:34:53,425 --> 00:34:55,927
GABRIELLA: Yeah.
So, I'm not scared,
699
00:34:55,927 --> 00:34:58,680
but I do take care of things.
700
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,266
And I just think twice
before I do something.
701
00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:05,770
MARIANA: The people I'm meeting
next are also taking precautions
702
00:35:05,770 --> 00:35:07,897
to keep a low profile.
703
00:35:07,897 --> 00:35:11,234
But in this case, they're not
worried about the police,
704
00:35:11,234 --> 00:35:12,902
they are the police
705
00:35:12,902 --> 00:35:15,614
and are so concerned
about counter-surveillance
706
00:35:15,614 --> 00:35:19,409
that they've asked us
to keep their location hidden.
707
00:35:19,409 --> 00:35:20,452
(door opens)
708
00:35:20,452 --> 00:35:21,453
Thank you.
709
00:35:21,453 --> 00:35:22,454
ANDY KRAAG: Go ahead.
710
00:35:22,454 --> 00:35:24,289
So, this is
our mock-up facility.
711
00:35:24,289 --> 00:35:25,957
This is where you have
all the hardware
712
00:35:25,957 --> 00:35:27,626
that's been used in labs.
713
00:35:27,626 --> 00:35:30,837
You have the boiler systems,
the ventilation systems,
714
00:35:30,837 --> 00:35:32,589
and the tableting machines.
715
00:35:32,589 --> 00:35:34,924
MARIANA: So, this is
what's used to make MDMA.
716
00:35:34,924 --> 00:35:39,304
ANDY: This is actually what
was confiscated during raids.
717
00:35:39,304 --> 00:35:42,015
MARIANA: Andy Kraag is
a former special forces officer
718
00:35:42,015 --> 00:35:44,851
in the Dutch Marines who
now leads the Netherlands'
719
00:35:44,851 --> 00:35:48,563
National Criminal
Investigations Division.
720
00:35:48,563 --> 00:35:51,566
What can you do, as
a police agency, to stop this?
721
00:35:51,566 --> 00:35:53,610
To try to stop the violence
722
00:35:53,610 --> 00:35:55,570
in the drug business
from happening?
723
00:35:55,570 --> 00:35:56,863
ANDY: Yeah.
Well, in recent years,
724
00:35:56,863 --> 00:35:59,074
we've had pretty good
successes internationally.
725
00:35:59,074 --> 00:36:00,742
We were able to get
into the communications
726
00:36:00,742 --> 00:36:02,744
of those drug criminals.
727
00:36:02,744 --> 00:36:05,622
We could actually
real-time monitor
728
00:36:05,622 --> 00:36:07,040
what those criminals were doing.
729
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:09,709
It was as if we were sitting
next to them at the table
730
00:36:09,709 --> 00:36:11,878
and we could constantly
anticipate what they were doing,
731
00:36:11,878 --> 00:36:15,048
and then we could
act accordingly.
732
00:36:15,048 --> 00:36:16,216
(shouting)
733
00:36:16,216 --> 00:36:18,051
MARIANA: The operation
he's referring to
734
00:36:18,051 --> 00:36:20,387
involved a company
called EncroChat,
735
00:36:20,387 --> 00:36:22,347
whose encrypted phones
were widely used
736
00:36:22,347 --> 00:36:24,891
by criminals across Europe.
737
00:36:24,891 --> 00:36:28,478
In 2019, Dutch, French,
and British authorities
738
00:36:28,478 --> 00:36:30,397
hacked the phone system,
739
00:36:30,397 --> 00:36:33,817
giving them direct insight
into criminal networks,
740
00:36:33,817 --> 00:36:38,488
which resulted in thousands
of arrests across the world.
741
00:36:38,488 --> 00:36:41,491
It's a sting that
had a profound impact
742
00:36:41,491 --> 00:36:44,285
on the drug underground
of Europe.
743
00:36:44,285 --> 00:36:48,832
Even Notorious P.I.G.
had mentioned it when we spoke.
744
00:36:54,921 --> 00:36:56,965
MARIANA: Oh, yeah,
the encrypted chat,
745
00:36:56,965 --> 00:36:58,550
where they could read
encrypted chats. Yeah.
746
00:37:08,143 --> 00:37:09,227
MARIANA: And what
does that mean for you?
747
00:37:09,227 --> 00:37:10,687
For your business?
748
00:37:13,857 --> 00:37:17,277
♪ ♪
749
00:37:17,277 --> 00:37:19,696
MARIANA: What was the most
surprising thing you found
750
00:37:19,696 --> 00:37:21,823
through the EncroChat
investigation?
751
00:37:21,823 --> 00:37:24,367
ANDY: It is as if you have
one big wiretap
752
00:37:24,367 --> 00:37:26,244
on the complete
criminal underworld.
753
00:37:26,244 --> 00:37:29,956
We knew that the drug business
was intense, that it was high,
754
00:37:29,956 --> 00:37:32,292
but we didn't knew
that it was that big.
755
00:37:32,292 --> 00:37:35,795
The revenues worldwide,
of Dutch MDMA worldwide,
756
00:37:35,795 --> 00:37:38,089
was almost up
to 19 billion euros.
757
00:37:38,089 --> 00:37:39,090
MARIANA: Wow.
758
00:37:39,090 --> 00:37:40,508
ANDY: Yeah.
759
00:37:40,508 --> 00:37:42,552
MARIANA: Are you seeing
international groups coming in,
760
00:37:42,552 --> 00:37:44,429
or foreign groups coming
into the Netherlands?
761
00:37:44,429 --> 00:37:46,097
ANDY: Our Dutch criminals,
you see them working
762
00:37:46,097 --> 00:37:48,099
closely together
with Mexican criminals.
763
00:37:48,099 --> 00:37:49,517
They just switch products.
764
00:37:49,517 --> 00:37:51,102
MARIANA: They bring cocaine in
and they take MDMA out?
765
00:37:51,102 --> 00:37:54,230
ANDY: So it's, it's cocaine
for MDMA, it's MDMA for cocaine.
766
00:37:56,191 --> 00:37:58,109
MARIANA: You know, I've
reported extensively in Mexico
767
00:37:58,109 --> 00:37:59,444
on the drug business there,
768
00:37:59,444 --> 00:38:01,863
and when we talk
about torture chambers
769
00:38:01,863 --> 00:38:03,406
and intimidation of journalists
770
00:38:03,406 --> 00:38:05,366
and even the killing
of journalists,
771
00:38:05,366 --> 00:38:08,077
there's enormous similarities
to what's happening
772
00:38:08,077 --> 00:38:09,829
in Mexico with the drug war.
773
00:38:09,829 --> 00:38:12,332
ANDY: If you look at Mexico, if
you see what's going on there,
774
00:38:12,332 --> 00:38:14,584
of course that scares us,
so we're very alert
775
00:38:14,584 --> 00:38:17,921
of more symptoms of that
moving into Holland.
776
00:38:17,921 --> 00:38:18,963
MARIANA: And are you
seeing more violence
777
00:38:18,963 --> 00:38:20,340
in the Netherlands right now?
778
00:38:20,340 --> 00:38:22,675
ANDY: It's becoming
more violent, yeah.
779
00:38:22,675 --> 00:38:25,136
Demand worldwide is growing,
and that means there are
780
00:38:25,136 --> 00:38:28,056
more drug criminals,
more competition.
781
00:38:28,056 --> 00:38:30,850
And with competition comes
violence by definition.
782
00:38:30,850 --> 00:38:36,481
♪ ♪
783
00:38:36,481 --> 00:38:39,442
MARIANA: The global
MDMA business is a wheel,
784
00:38:39,442 --> 00:38:42,612
and it is now
turning full circle,
785
00:38:42,612 --> 00:38:44,656
taking me back to America,
786
00:38:44,656 --> 00:38:47,617
to a mailbox
in central New Jersey
787
00:38:47,617 --> 00:38:50,203
where clients
of the Notorious P.I.G.
788
00:38:50,203 --> 00:38:51,663
await their product.
789
00:38:51,663 --> 00:38:54,999
♪ ♪
790
00:38:58,586 --> 00:39:01,881
♪ ♪
791
00:39:01,881 --> 00:39:03,883
MARIANA: I've left
the Netherlands behind,
792
00:39:03,883 --> 00:39:07,637
but I'm here to see
some pills created there.
793
00:39:07,637 --> 00:39:09,472
I think this is it.
794
00:39:11,766 --> 00:39:14,310
I think they're expecting us.
795
00:39:14,310 --> 00:39:16,938
(clears throat) Yeah.
796
00:39:16,938 --> 00:39:18,398
MAC: Hi, Mariana?
MARIANA: Yes, it is.
797
00:39:18,398 --> 00:39:19,816
How are you, Mac?
Nice to see you.
798
00:39:19,816 --> 00:39:20,984
MAC: Nice to meet you.
MARIANA: You, too, finally.
799
00:39:20,984 --> 00:39:22,151
MAC: Yes.
800
00:39:22,151 --> 00:39:23,236
MARIANA: So I heard
you got the package?
801
00:39:23,236 --> 00:39:25,822
MAC: I did.
802
00:39:25,822 --> 00:39:27,991
MARIANA: How are you?
I'm Mariana.
803
00:39:27,991 --> 00:39:29,325
ADRIAN: I'm Adrian, how are you?
804
00:39:29,325 --> 00:39:31,119
MARIANA: Good, nice to meet you.
805
00:39:31,119 --> 00:39:34,289
Notorious P.I.G.
asked two of his customers,
806
00:39:34,289 --> 00:39:36,374
whom we'll call Mac and Adrian,
807
00:39:36,374 --> 00:39:39,085
to let us know when
his next shipment arrived.
808
00:39:39,085 --> 00:39:40,837
So these are the packages?
809
00:39:40,837 --> 00:39:42,547
MARIANA: No, I don't, actually.
810
00:39:42,547 --> 00:39:43,381
Can I just see them
before you open it?
811
00:39:46,259 --> 00:39:48,303
MARIANA: So is it usually
in packages like this?
812
00:39:48,303 --> 00:39:49,304
MAC: Yes.
813
00:39:49,304 --> 00:39:50,388
ADRIAN: Yes.
And it came ripped, too,
814
00:39:50,388 --> 00:39:52,015
so I just, kind of,
like, taped it up.
815
00:39:52,015 --> 00:39:54,309
MARIANA: It came ripped?
816
00:39:54,309 --> 00:39:55,310
ADRIAN: A little bit.
817
00:39:55,310 --> 00:39:56,644
MARIANA: Oh, wow.
818
00:39:56,644 --> 00:39:59,188
ADRIAN: So, here's the crystal.
819
00:39:59,188 --> 00:40:00,356
MAC: That's pure MDMA.
820
00:40:00,356 --> 00:40:01,983
ADRIAN: Yeah, it's pure MDMA.
821
00:40:01,983 --> 00:40:05,612
Same presses he uses to make
these Maserati pills.
822
00:40:05,612 --> 00:40:06,613
MARIANA: Oh,
these are Maseratis?
823
00:40:06,613 --> 00:40:07,989
ADRIAN: Yes.
824
00:40:07,989 --> 00:40:10,825
MARIANA:
We saw these in Holland.
825
00:40:10,825 --> 00:40:13,286
These two are
small-time dealers.
826
00:40:13,286 --> 00:40:17,040
They'll repackage and sell
Piggy's MDMA and ecstasy,
827
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,001
tripling their $500 investment.
828
00:40:20,001 --> 00:40:22,086
So, how many of these
packages do you get?
829
00:40:22,086 --> 00:40:23,755
MAC: Maybe five a month?
Once a week.
830
00:40:23,755 --> 00:40:25,048
MARIANA: So every week,
831
00:40:25,048 --> 00:40:27,258
you're receiving packages
from Notorious P.I.G.?
832
00:40:27,258 --> 00:40:28,676
MAC: Correct, correct.
833
00:40:28,676 --> 00:40:30,595
MARIANA: Can I talk about
the elephant in the room,
834
00:40:30,595 --> 00:40:31,596
which I haven't yet?
835
00:40:31,596 --> 00:40:33,097
MAC: Sure.
836
00:40:33,097 --> 00:40:34,599
MARIANA: That's sitting right
there, which is a 9-millimeter?
837
00:40:34,599 --> 00:40:36,809
MAC: That is a 9-millimeter,
but it's actually a ghost gun.
838
00:40:36,809 --> 00:40:37,977
MARIANA: It's a ghost gun?
839
00:40:37,977 --> 00:40:40,188
So you use this mainly
here for protection
840
00:40:40,188 --> 00:40:42,440
because you're operating a drug
business out of your house?
841
00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:43,858
MAC: Correct.
842
00:40:43,858 --> 00:40:46,611
MARIANA: Notably, even
on this side of the Atlantic,
843
00:40:46,611 --> 00:40:50,323
the top concern of dealers
is not law enforcement,
844
00:40:50,323 --> 00:40:52,950
nor is it protecting
innocents abroad.
845
00:40:52,950 --> 00:40:54,911
Have you heard how the drug
trade in the Netherlands
846
00:40:54,911 --> 00:40:56,037
is fueling the violence there?
847
00:40:56,037 --> 00:40:57,246
MAC: No, I--
848
00:40:57,246 --> 00:40:58,748
MARIANA: Including
the death of journalists.
849
00:40:58,748 --> 00:41:02,669
Priority number one
is safeguarding profits.
850
00:41:02,669 --> 00:41:05,338
MAC: I guess, to answer
your question directly,
851
00:41:05,338 --> 00:41:06,756
no, I haven't.
852
00:41:06,756 --> 00:41:10,343
I guess it does concern me,
but it doesn't concern me
853
00:41:10,343 --> 00:41:13,846
to the amount that I would
let it affect my business.
854
00:41:13,846 --> 00:41:16,391
MARIANA: Apathy is a luxury
that's not available
855
00:41:16,391 --> 00:41:19,185
to Tahmina Akefi,
a Dutch journalist
856
00:41:19,185 --> 00:41:22,897
who was engaged to
Peter R. de Vries in 2021,
857
00:41:22,897 --> 00:41:25,024
at the time he was murdered.
858
00:41:25,024 --> 00:41:27,402
I'm so, so sorry for your loss.
859
00:41:37,537 --> 00:41:38,996
MARIANA: Did you ever think
that something like this
860
00:41:38,996 --> 00:41:41,874
would happen in your country?
861
00:41:41,874 --> 00:41:43,334
This was possible?
862
00:41:43,334 --> 00:41:48,464
That a murder like this, out
in the open, would be possible?
863
00:42:07,817 --> 00:42:10,319
MARIANA: Do you feel
like the Netherlands
864
00:42:10,319 --> 00:42:11,988
is becoming a narco state?
865
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:41,768
MARIANA: Do you think
that the users, you know,
866
00:42:41,768 --> 00:42:44,395
the casual drug users
that are, you know,
867
00:42:44,395 --> 00:42:46,439
at parties using MDMA,
868
00:42:46,439 --> 00:42:49,317
which the, the Netherlands
is such a center for,
869
00:42:49,317 --> 00:42:54,113
do you think that they're
aware that their drug use
870
00:42:54,113 --> 00:42:55,448
and them buying drugs
871
00:42:55,448 --> 00:42:58,034
is actually funding these
criminal organizations?
872
00:43:34,112 --> 00:43:38,991
♪ ♪
873
00:43:38,991 --> 00:43:41,285
MARIANA: In every drug story
I've ever done,
874
00:43:41,285 --> 00:43:42,995
I encounter this disconnect
875
00:43:42,995 --> 00:43:45,081
between the violence
of the trade
876
00:43:45,081 --> 00:43:47,708
and the ignorance
of the end user.
877
00:43:47,708 --> 00:43:51,170
Maybe it's unreasonable
for a club kid in downtown L.A.
878
00:43:51,170 --> 00:43:55,633
to consider Peter's death, and
the deaths of so many others,
879
00:43:55,633 --> 00:43:58,261
before getting their fix.
880
00:43:58,261 --> 00:44:00,429
But the complicity is real.
881
00:44:00,429 --> 00:44:03,683
Without that demand,
there's no supply chain,
882
00:44:03,683 --> 00:44:07,353
no billions in profits,
and no blood.
883
00:44:07,353 --> 00:44:10,523
♪ ♪
884
00:44:10,523 --> 00:44:12,400
Captioned by
Side Door Media Services