1 00:00:01,190 --> 00:00:02,525 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:02,525 --> 00:00:05,069 (beating) 3 00:00:05,069 --> 00:00:09,907 (beating) 4 00:00:09,907 --> 00:00:12,326 MARIANA VAN ZELLER: Thrash, 5 00:00:12,326 --> 00:00:14,287 stash, 6 00:00:14,287 --> 00:00:17,248 dash, and cash. 7 00:00:17,248 --> 00:00:20,710 This is how you smuggle hash. 8 00:00:20,710 --> 00:00:24,130 ♪ ♪ 9 00:00:24,130 --> 00:00:25,006 (thump) 10 00:00:25,006 --> 00:00:27,091 In 2020, European authorities 11 00:00:27,091 --> 00:00:30,303 made over 90,000 seizures of hashish, 12 00:00:30,303 --> 00:00:33,389 the concentrated resin made from marijuana plants. 13 00:00:33,389 --> 00:00:35,224 That number may seem high, 14 00:00:35,224 --> 00:00:39,895 but in this world, it's a drop in the ocean. 15 00:00:39,895 --> 00:00:43,441 The business of hash smuggling, once a sleepy pastime, 16 00:00:43,441 --> 00:00:46,444 has gone full throttle. 17 00:00:46,444 --> 00:00:50,531 It's a black market generating billions of dollars each year, 18 00:00:50,531 --> 00:00:52,908 and one that is increasingly concentrated 19 00:00:52,908 --> 00:00:57,455 in the hands of just a few organized crime families. 20 00:00:57,455 --> 00:00:59,749 I want to know how they corner the market 21 00:00:59,749 --> 00:01:02,209 and scale smuggling to new heights. 22 00:01:02,209 --> 00:01:05,087 And for that, I'm looking for a barón, 23 00:01:05,087 --> 00:01:07,298 a king of the hash trade. 24 00:01:07,298 --> 00:01:08,507 It's right here, it's right here! 25 00:01:08,507 --> 00:01:09,717 (man shouts) 26 00:01:09,717 --> 00:01:11,886 (siren) 27 00:01:11,886 --> 00:01:13,179 (gunshot) 28 00:01:13,179 --> 00:01:18,642 (beating) 29 00:01:20,061 --> 00:01:24,815 ♪ ♪ 30 00:01:24,815 --> 00:01:29,028 (woman singing in Portuguese) 31 00:01:29,028 --> 00:01:30,863 (bell ringing) 32 00:01:30,863 --> 00:01:32,323 Portugal. 33 00:01:33,908 --> 00:01:36,035 This is where I was born and raised, 34 00:01:36,035 --> 00:01:38,829 and where, even after all these years away, 35 00:01:38,829 --> 00:01:41,457 I still feel most at home. 36 00:01:41,457 --> 00:01:44,585 (woman singing) 37 00:01:48,297 --> 00:01:52,051 My hometown of Cascais is just outside of Lisbon. 38 00:01:52,051 --> 00:01:56,055 But in my teenage years, it was a world apart from the city. 39 00:01:56,055 --> 00:01:57,765 And as sheltered as it was, 40 00:01:57,765 --> 00:02:03,854 it was here that I got my very first taste of contraband. 41 00:02:03,854 --> 00:02:06,399 I remember coming here ever since we were super young, 42 00:02:06,399 --> 00:02:07,900 but people would come here to smoke, a lot. 43 00:02:07,900 --> 00:02:09,068 BARBARA: Yeah, a lot. 44 00:02:09,068 --> 00:02:10,569 MARIANA: There were a lot of people here. 45 00:02:10,569 --> 00:02:14,156 This is my best friend, Barbara, and my little cousin, Teresa. 46 00:02:14,156 --> 00:02:15,366 Like many Europeans, 47 00:02:15,366 --> 00:02:19,453 the first drug any of us tried was hashish. 48 00:02:19,453 --> 00:02:23,040 I remember not loving the taste, but I did have fun. 49 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,793 Hash was my first connection to the underground 50 00:02:25,793 --> 00:02:29,797 and the start of questions that weren't easily answered. 51 00:02:29,797 --> 00:02:31,507 Who makes this stuff? 52 00:02:31,507 --> 00:02:33,050 And what journey did it take 53 00:02:33,050 --> 00:02:36,220 to reach my small corner of the world? 54 00:02:36,220 --> 00:02:39,765 Last time I tried was, uh... 55 00:02:39,765 --> 00:02:41,100 (laughter) 56 00:02:41,100 --> 00:02:42,726 25 years ago, I think? 57 00:02:46,689 --> 00:02:48,274 Exactly like I remember it. 58 00:02:48,274 --> 00:02:49,859 (laughter) 59 00:02:49,859 --> 00:02:52,862 Today there's no crime attached to smoking hash. 60 00:02:52,862 --> 00:02:56,282 It was decriminalized in Portugal in 2001. 61 00:02:56,282 --> 00:02:59,076 BARBARA: Double this would maybe be a gram, five euros. 62 00:02:59,076 --> 00:03:00,953 MARIANA: Double this would be five euros? 63 00:03:00,953 --> 00:03:02,872 So this is like two and a half euros only? 64 00:03:02,872 --> 00:03:04,665 Which is more or less two and a half dollars. 65 00:03:04,665 --> 00:03:06,917 So this cost like less than a dollar to make? 66 00:03:06,917 --> 00:03:08,002 BARBARA: Yeah. 67 00:03:08,002 --> 00:03:09,503 MARIANA: I mean, actually the cigarette 68 00:03:09,503 --> 00:03:11,714 that you use for the tobacco... BARBARA: Is more expensive. 69 00:03:11,714 --> 00:03:13,382 MARIANA: ...costs more than the actual drug that's inside. 70 00:03:13,382 --> 00:03:15,176 BARBARA: Probably. 71 00:03:15,176 --> 00:03:17,803 ♪ ♪ 72 00:03:17,803 --> 00:03:24,310 ♪ ♪ 73 00:03:24,310 --> 00:03:31,192 (woman singing in Portuguese) 74 00:03:31,192 --> 00:03:32,818 MARIANA: With that low price point, 75 00:03:32,818 --> 00:03:36,280 smuggling hash and marijuana has become a volume business. 76 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,033 Profits are realized by organized crime groups 77 00:03:39,033 --> 00:03:42,203 importing product into Europe by the ton. 78 00:03:42,203 --> 00:03:43,871 But how are they pulling that off? 79 00:03:43,871 --> 00:03:45,247 (bell ringing) 80 00:03:45,247 --> 00:03:48,125 And how do I even begin to look for the barones, 81 00:03:48,125 --> 00:03:51,670 the all-powerful barons at the top of this trade? 82 00:04:00,721 --> 00:04:04,850 CHICO: So I have different kinds of hash, different intensities. 83 00:04:04,850 --> 00:04:06,894 I have Pacho. 84 00:04:06,894 --> 00:04:08,187 MARIANA: Pacho, that's the name of this one? 85 00:04:08,187 --> 00:04:11,649 CHICO: Yeah, that's the character from Narcos. 86 00:04:11,649 --> 00:04:13,275 These are really, really good. 87 00:04:13,275 --> 00:04:14,276 MARIANA: Black banana. 88 00:04:14,276 --> 00:04:15,402 CHICO: Yeah. 89 00:04:15,402 --> 00:04:17,071 MARIANA: My search begins in Lisbon, 90 00:04:17,071 --> 00:04:20,157 where Chico, a local dealer, has agreed to talk. 91 00:04:20,157 --> 00:04:21,408 Original Paki. CHICO: Yeah. 92 00:04:21,408 --> 00:04:22,868 MARIANA: This is a little softer. 93 00:04:22,868 --> 00:04:24,286 CHICO: Yeah, that's softer. MARIANA: It's really incredible. 94 00:04:24,286 --> 00:04:26,789 The smell is so strong. 95 00:04:26,789 --> 00:04:29,917 Hash is created using the same plant as marijuana. 96 00:04:29,917 --> 00:04:31,836 But while marijuana is the flower, 97 00:04:31,836 --> 00:04:34,797 hash is the concentrate made from the trichomes, 98 00:04:34,797 --> 00:04:36,131 the resin glands, 99 00:04:36,131 --> 00:04:38,634 which are extracted from the surface of the plant 100 00:04:38,634 --> 00:04:40,636 and pressed into blocks. 101 00:04:40,636 --> 00:04:42,096 CHICO: This, like, if I sell it, 102 00:04:42,096 --> 00:04:44,807 I sell it for 900 euros, I bought it for 600. 103 00:04:44,807 --> 00:04:46,016 MARIANA: You mean the whole thing? 104 00:04:46,016 --> 00:04:47,726 CHICO: Yeah, this whole thing. MARIANA: Yeah. 105 00:04:47,726 --> 00:04:50,062 CHICO: But this one, I bought it for 200 each plate, 106 00:04:50,062 --> 00:04:54,441 and I'm selling it maybe for 350 maximum. 107 00:04:54,441 --> 00:04:56,360 MARIANA: And it's still the number one drug, right? 108 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:57,736 The most popular drug in Portugal? 109 00:04:57,736 --> 00:04:58,779 CHICO: In Portugal, yeah, for sure. 110 00:04:58,779 --> 00:05:00,698 We have a big tradition of smoking hash. 111 00:05:00,698 --> 00:05:02,408 And we are super close to Morocco, 112 00:05:02,408 --> 00:05:05,452 and it's easier to get here and it's cheap to get here. 113 00:05:05,452 --> 00:05:08,330 MARIANA: Although smoking hash is decriminalized, 114 00:05:08,330 --> 00:05:12,042 smuggling it into the country remains highly illegal. 115 00:05:12,042 --> 00:05:14,795 All of the hash that makes it here, it's all from Morocco? 116 00:05:14,795 --> 00:05:16,213 CHICO: For sure. All of it, yeah. 117 00:05:16,213 --> 00:05:17,923 MARIANA: Back in my time, I had friends, 118 00:05:17,923 --> 00:05:20,426 I knew people who would go to Morocco, would buy hash 119 00:05:20,426 --> 00:05:21,844 and bring it back to Portugal. 120 00:05:21,844 --> 00:05:23,721 CHICO: The border is completely different now. 121 00:05:23,721 --> 00:05:27,808 And I think only bigger groups are managing to do it, 122 00:05:27,808 --> 00:05:31,145 and they do it with boats, they do it with trucks. 123 00:05:31,145 --> 00:05:33,772 MARIANA: So, and do you have any connections in Morocco? 124 00:05:33,772 --> 00:05:36,275 CHICO: Uh...yes. 125 00:05:36,275 --> 00:05:39,028 It's one of the oldest families. 126 00:05:39,028 --> 00:05:40,946 MARIANA: And where are they, in northern Morocco? 127 00:05:40,946 --> 00:05:42,781 CHICO: Uh, yeah, in the mountains, 128 00:05:42,781 --> 00:05:45,451 in the Chefchaouen direction. Yeah. 129 00:05:45,451 --> 00:05:47,077 MARIANA: And do you think they would let us film with them? 130 00:05:47,077 --> 00:05:49,747 CHICO: Um... 131 00:05:49,747 --> 00:05:51,081 Let me see. 132 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:56,754 MARIANA: When it comes to hashish, 133 00:05:56,754 --> 00:06:00,049 all roads lead to one place. 134 00:06:01,967 --> 00:06:05,054 The Kingdom of Morocco. 135 00:06:08,057 --> 00:06:10,934 Located at the northwestern corner of Africa, 136 00:06:10,934 --> 00:06:14,438 only 10 miles from Spain, Morocco is a Muslim country 137 00:06:14,438 --> 00:06:18,400 which has long served as a crossroads to Europe. 138 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:23,238 By law, hashish cultivation is illegal for recreational use, 139 00:06:23,238 --> 00:06:27,409 but in practice, most of the world's supply originates here, 140 00:06:27,409 --> 00:06:31,205 controlled by a handful of powerful families. 141 00:06:31,205 --> 00:06:37,252 ♪ ♪ 142 00:06:37,252 --> 00:06:39,380 It's a little bit of an off-road. 143 00:06:43,759 --> 00:06:45,886 Wow. 144 00:06:45,886 --> 00:06:48,889 Can you see this? 145 00:06:48,889 --> 00:06:51,475 There's another of these fields coming up. 146 00:06:51,475 --> 00:06:53,519 A source has promised to grant us access 147 00:06:53,519 --> 00:06:55,979 to one of those families. 148 00:06:55,979 --> 00:06:58,065 But while we wait, we decide to venture 149 00:06:58,065 --> 00:07:01,151 up to where the bulk of marijuana is grown. 150 00:07:01,151 --> 00:07:03,445 So, we're driving through the Rif Mountains 151 00:07:03,445 --> 00:07:07,616 where the center of the production of cannabis happens, 152 00:07:07,616 --> 00:07:08,867 right there. 153 00:07:08,867 --> 00:07:10,327 There's one field here, 154 00:07:10,327 --> 00:07:12,621 and we've been driving by all these fields of marijuana. 155 00:07:12,621 --> 00:07:14,665 You know, it's supposedly illegal, but it's also, 156 00:07:14,665 --> 00:07:15,999 once you arrive in these mountains, 157 00:07:15,999 --> 00:07:20,003 you start seeing cannabis everywhere. 158 00:07:20,003 --> 00:07:22,089 We also have to be careful with filming, you know, 159 00:07:22,089 --> 00:07:24,216 people watching us around here. 160 00:07:24,216 --> 00:07:27,052 We've been told that farmers are wary of outsiders 161 00:07:27,052 --> 00:07:30,514 and can be openly hostile to journalists. 162 00:07:30,514 --> 00:07:33,058 So we're on our way to meet a local contact, 163 00:07:33,058 --> 00:07:35,352 who can help make introductions. 164 00:07:35,352 --> 00:07:38,188 Let me drive a little bit, because there's a guy here. 165 00:07:38,188 --> 00:07:42,693 ♪ ♪ 166 00:07:42,693 --> 00:07:44,737 While cannabis has been growing in Morocco 167 00:07:44,737 --> 00:07:46,613 for at least 500 years, 168 00:07:46,613 --> 00:07:50,868 hashish was only introduced here between the 1950s and '70s. 169 00:07:50,868 --> 00:07:53,871 It was brought by travelers from America and Europe, 170 00:07:53,871 --> 00:07:56,206 on what became known as the hippie trail, 171 00:07:56,206 --> 00:07:58,751 a passage through Central Asia and India 172 00:07:58,751 --> 00:08:02,087 that often included a stop here, in Northern Africa. 173 00:08:02,087 --> 00:08:04,047 KEITH RICHARDS: We were here for weeks, 174 00:08:04,047 --> 00:08:06,759 before we...and drove into Marrakech. 175 00:08:06,759 --> 00:08:09,261 ♪ ♪ 176 00:08:09,261 --> 00:08:10,888 MARIANA: When farmers in this region, 177 00:08:10,888 --> 00:08:12,514 one of the poorest in Morocco, 178 00:08:12,514 --> 00:08:15,726 saw the potential to supply the European market, 179 00:08:15,726 --> 00:08:18,103 the hash industry took root. 180 00:08:18,103 --> 00:08:21,273 (coughing) 181 00:08:21,273 --> 00:08:26,361 Centered in this town, called Ketama. 182 00:08:26,361 --> 00:08:29,239 The guy we're meeting, he says he knows a lot of people here, 183 00:08:29,239 --> 00:08:31,116 he can make some introductions. 184 00:08:31,116 --> 00:08:34,953 He told us he would be waiting right outside the butcher shop. 185 00:08:36,413 --> 00:08:38,332 (horns honking) 186 00:08:42,669 --> 00:08:44,755 Oh, you can see all the meats hanging here, actually. 187 00:08:44,755 --> 00:08:46,924 There's a bunch of butcher shops. 188 00:08:49,301 --> 00:08:51,261 Oh, I think that's him. 189 00:08:51,261 --> 00:08:53,388 DEALER: Welcome. MARIANA: How are you? Mariana. 190 00:08:53,388 --> 00:08:54,807 DEALER: How are you, Mariana? MARIANA: Good, and you? 191 00:08:54,807 --> 00:08:56,141 DEALER: Welcome to Issaguen. 192 00:08:56,141 --> 00:08:58,018 MARIANA: Thank you so much. DEALER: I'm very good. 193 00:08:58,018 --> 00:08:59,269 Okay. MARIANA: Nice. 194 00:09:03,232 --> 00:09:04,274 MARIANA: Straight ahead? DEALER: Yes. 195 00:09:04,274 --> 00:09:05,651 MARIANA: Great. 196 00:09:05,651 --> 00:09:10,906 ♪ ♪ 197 00:09:10,906 --> 00:09:14,785 The trip to our destination is not for the faint of heart. 198 00:09:16,537 --> 00:09:17,913 MARIANA: This is Ketama. DEALER: Yeah. 199 00:09:17,913 --> 00:09:23,085 It's a narrow road up a mountain that's blanketed in fog. 200 00:09:23,085 --> 00:09:28,298 ♪ ♪ 201 00:09:30,926 --> 00:09:33,428 MARIANA: Sometimes it's smuggled in donkeys like this? 202 00:10:02,875 --> 00:10:05,878 (dog barking) 203 00:10:05,878 --> 00:10:08,338 ♪ ♪ 204 00:10:08,338 --> 00:10:12,926 ♪ ♪ 205 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:16,054 MARIANA: How are you? Nice to meet you. 206 00:10:16,054 --> 00:10:17,097 YOUSSEF: Nice to meet you. 207 00:10:17,097 --> 00:10:18,098 MARIANA: A lot of cannabis here, huh? 208 00:10:18,098 --> 00:10:19,099 YOUSSEF: Yeah. 209 00:10:19,099 --> 00:10:20,642 MARIANA: This is your, uh, yours? 210 00:10:20,642 --> 00:10:21,810 YOUSSEF: Yeah. 211 00:10:21,810 --> 00:10:23,937 MARIANA: This farmer, who we'll call Youssef, 212 00:10:23,937 --> 00:10:25,188 is part of a family 213 00:10:25,188 --> 00:10:27,983 that's been farming marijuana for generations. 214 00:10:29,568 --> 00:10:31,028 MARIANA: Kirikita. 215 00:10:31,028 --> 00:10:34,323 The "kirikita" he refers to is an imported marijuana strain 216 00:10:34,323 --> 00:10:36,408 known in the West as "critical," 217 00:10:36,408 --> 00:10:39,661 which features sky-high levels of THC, 218 00:10:39,661 --> 00:10:42,164 the compound that gets you high. 219 00:10:42,164 --> 00:10:45,959 In the 1980s, hash produced here from local marijuana 220 00:10:45,959 --> 00:10:49,379 had an average THC content of 8%. 221 00:10:49,379 --> 00:10:54,968 Today imported strains have levels that can surpass 60%. 222 00:10:54,968 --> 00:10:56,136 (rhythmic beating) 223 00:10:56,136 --> 00:10:57,846 Can you hear this noise? I think...the beating? 224 00:10:57,846 --> 00:11:00,098 I think it's the actual production of hash. 225 00:11:00,098 --> 00:11:03,560 (beating) 226 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:10,067 (beating) 227 00:11:10,067 --> 00:11:11,234 Sit right here? 228 00:11:11,234 --> 00:11:17,282 (loud beating) 229 00:11:17,282 --> 00:11:18,575 Wow. 230 00:11:18,575 --> 00:11:20,994 So this is the dried plant? The dried marijuana? 231 00:11:20,994 --> 00:11:22,454 YOUSSEF: Yeah. 232 00:11:22,454 --> 00:11:24,039 MARIANA: Why is it beating? Why do you need to beat it? 233 00:11:29,795 --> 00:11:32,005 MARIANA: So you're hitting it. YOUSSEF: Yeah. 234 00:11:32,005 --> 00:11:35,550 MARIANA: Drugs come on the bottom. The trichomes. 235 00:11:35,550 --> 00:11:41,139 (man rapping in foreign language) 236 00:11:41,139 --> 00:11:43,350 MARIANA: Unlike the marijuana smoked in the West, 237 00:11:43,350 --> 00:11:46,019 which is actually just the flower of the plant, 238 00:11:46,019 --> 00:11:51,191 hashish is the result of a labor-intensive process. 239 00:11:51,191 --> 00:11:53,485 It begins with plants that have been dried 240 00:11:53,485 --> 00:11:56,363 and covered with plastic sheeting. 241 00:11:56,363 --> 00:11:59,074 And then the drumming begins. 242 00:11:59,074 --> 00:12:00,993 (beating) 243 00:12:00,993 --> 00:12:02,911 The goal is to rattle the plant enough 244 00:12:02,911 --> 00:12:04,788 to release its trichomes, 245 00:12:04,788 --> 00:12:09,751 glands resembling tiny hairs which contain THC. 246 00:12:09,751 --> 00:12:11,545 How long does the process take? 247 00:12:24,474 --> 00:12:26,059 MARIANA: How much do you sell this for? 248 00:12:26,059 --> 00:12:27,936 The hash, the actual hash? 249 00:12:38,655 --> 00:12:40,949 MARIANA: And where does it go to? Where does the hashish go to? 250 00:12:43,702 --> 00:12:45,495 MARIANA: Europa? It all goes to Europe? 251 00:12:49,041 --> 00:12:51,001 MARIANA: If there was no cannabis here, 252 00:12:51,001 --> 00:12:52,502 what would people do? 253 00:13:08,769 --> 00:13:12,230 (beating) 254 00:13:12,230 --> 00:13:18,320 (beating) 255 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,490 MARIANA: So after 45 minutes, that's it? It's it? Done? 256 00:13:26,495 --> 00:13:29,206 MARIANA: Now we're gonna see what's, uh... 257 00:13:29,206 --> 00:13:31,124 Wow. Look at that. 258 00:13:34,961 --> 00:13:37,923 MARIANA: Oh, hashish powder. 259 00:13:37,923 --> 00:13:41,968 So from all the huge amounts of plants and flower, 260 00:13:41,968 --> 00:13:44,262 this is the end product. 261 00:13:44,262 --> 00:13:46,223 So this gets pressed into these molds 262 00:13:46,223 --> 00:13:48,100 and makes basically the bars. 263 00:13:55,065 --> 00:13:58,110 MARIANA: This is what makes it all the way all across Europe 264 00:13:58,110 --> 00:14:01,655 and the rest of the world. 265 00:14:01,655 --> 00:14:04,950 I have no reason to doubt these farmers are telling me the truth 266 00:14:04,950 --> 00:14:06,326 and that the real money is being made 267 00:14:06,326 --> 00:14:10,122 much further up the food chain. 268 00:14:10,122 --> 00:14:13,083 I've been given permission to accompany one of these farmers 269 00:14:13,083 --> 00:14:16,128 to a remote location on the mountain, 270 00:14:16,128 --> 00:14:19,214 where the next step of the process will play out: 271 00:14:19,214 --> 00:14:22,342 transporting the hash to the coast. 272 00:14:22,342 --> 00:14:23,343 This is pretty remote. 273 00:14:23,343 --> 00:14:25,178 We've been driving up this mountain 274 00:14:25,178 --> 00:14:27,556 for about 25 minutes now. 275 00:14:43,488 --> 00:14:45,949 MARIANA: We saw you yesterday. You were making the drugs. 276 00:14:45,949 --> 00:14:48,201 Are you here to give it so they transport it, 277 00:14:48,201 --> 00:14:50,662 or do you actually transport the drugs, too? 278 00:14:56,376 --> 00:14:57,961 MARIANA: And then when you get there, 279 00:14:57,961 --> 00:14:59,337 do you give it to the boat people? 280 00:14:59,337 --> 00:15:01,381 Do you give it to people who transport in the boats? 281 00:15:05,093 --> 00:15:06,720 MARIANA: Oh, so, then it goes in the Zodiac... 282 00:15:08,221 --> 00:15:10,265 MARIANA: Okay. And can I see the drugs? Yeah? 283 00:15:10,265 --> 00:15:11,808 (man mumbles) 284 00:15:15,187 --> 00:15:16,229 Oh, in this car? 285 00:15:16,229 --> 00:15:19,524 (speaking foreign language) 286 00:15:19,524 --> 00:15:21,735 MARIANA: Packed as if it's a suitcase? 287 00:15:21,735 --> 00:15:23,945 Wow. It's heavy. 288 00:15:23,945 --> 00:15:25,780 Very heavy, huh? How much is this? 289 00:15:31,786 --> 00:15:33,914 MARIANA: How much money do you make from driving drugs? 290 00:15:39,669 --> 00:15:41,296 MARIANA: $3,000 each? MAN: Yeah. 291 00:15:41,296 --> 00:15:43,089 MARIANA: It's no different from cocaine 292 00:15:43,089 --> 00:15:44,925 and other drugs I've covered. 293 00:15:44,925 --> 00:15:48,303 The farmer has produced a kilo of hash for $1,000 294 00:15:48,303 --> 00:15:50,430 at relatively low risk. 295 00:15:50,430 --> 00:15:52,474 Now, as the product changes hands, 296 00:15:52,474 --> 00:15:55,769 the risk increases, and so does the price. 297 00:15:55,769 --> 00:15:58,188 So, you're driving? You're driving the drugs up. 298 00:15:58,188 --> 00:16:00,440 Okay. Are you scared? Dangerous? 299 00:16:09,074 --> 00:16:10,450 MARIANA: Really, mafia? 300 00:16:10,450 --> 00:16:12,452 Like other people trying to steal the drugs from you? 301 00:16:22,170 --> 00:16:23,588 MARIANA: The smugglers won't allow me 302 00:16:23,588 --> 00:16:26,216 to follow these bales to the sea, 303 00:16:26,216 --> 00:16:27,926 and they won't connect us with the operatives 304 00:16:27,926 --> 00:16:30,387 higher in their organization. 305 00:16:30,387 --> 00:16:33,848 I was counting on a different contact for that access. 306 00:16:33,848 --> 00:16:37,143 But as usual, with my job, 307 00:16:37,143 --> 00:16:39,562 nothing comes easy. 308 00:16:39,562 --> 00:16:45,068 ♪ ♪ 309 00:16:45,068 --> 00:16:51,533 ♪ ♪ 310 00:16:51,533 --> 00:16:54,369 So, we've been in Morocco now for four days. 311 00:16:54,369 --> 00:16:56,329 (meow) 312 00:16:56,329 --> 00:16:57,872 Essentially just waiting around. 313 00:16:57,872 --> 00:17:02,085 Every day we get a call that we should move to a different city. 314 00:17:04,546 --> 00:17:07,257 Our local producer has been trying to call 315 00:17:07,257 --> 00:17:11,469 this, this person, as well, and possibly has some news, 316 00:17:11,469 --> 00:17:12,971 so we're just waiting for that call. 317 00:17:12,971 --> 00:17:17,976 But so far, you know, another day, another Moroccan hotel. 318 00:17:17,976 --> 00:17:21,187 (phone ringing) 319 00:17:21,187 --> 00:17:23,023 Hello? 320 00:17:23,023 --> 00:17:24,441 WOMAN: Hi, Mariana. How are you? 321 00:17:24,441 --> 00:17:27,027 MARIANA: (speaking Spanish) How are you? Good. Any news? 322 00:17:27,027 --> 00:17:30,363 So, we've been, we've been calling and texting and nothing. 323 00:17:30,363 --> 00:17:33,116 Did you get any luck on your end? 324 00:17:33,116 --> 00:17:36,828 WOMAN: Yeah, I was, I was trying, I call him many times. 325 00:17:36,828 --> 00:17:38,705 I texted him and nothing. 326 00:17:38,705 --> 00:17:40,165 Yeah. He answered at first, 327 00:17:40,165 --> 00:17:42,250 and then he stopped answering a couple of days ago 328 00:17:42,250 --> 00:17:43,293 and I haven't heard. 329 00:17:43,293 --> 00:17:44,586 MARIANA: We're gonna try and see 330 00:17:44,586 --> 00:17:45,920 if we can get access some other way, 331 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:47,839 but if you hear anything, please let us know. 332 00:17:47,839 --> 00:17:49,007 WOMAN: Okay, Mariana. 333 00:17:49,007 --> 00:17:51,301 MARIANA: Thank you so much. Bye-bye. 334 00:17:51,301 --> 00:17:52,552 So, nothing, basically. 335 00:17:52,552 --> 00:17:55,221 She, he was responsive at the beginning 336 00:17:55,221 --> 00:17:57,766 and then he stopped, she says for two days now 337 00:17:57,766 --> 00:18:02,562 she hasn't heard from him, and neither have we. 338 00:18:02,562 --> 00:18:07,734 I'm frustrated, but I'm also done waiting. 339 00:18:07,734 --> 00:18:10,528 If we can't find a hash kingpin in Morocco, 340 00:18:10,528 --> 00:18:14,783 we'll follow the product through the Strait of Gibraltar 341 00:18:14,783 --> 00:18:17,535 and look for one on the other side of the sea, 342 00:18:17,535 --> 00:18:21,289 where fortunes are made when the drugs enter Europe. 343 00:18:21,289 --> 00:18:23,166 But I won't be the only one looking, 344 00:18:23,166 --> 00:18:25,960 because when hash crosses these waters, 345 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,798 it's pursued with a vengeance. 346 00:18:29,798 --> 00:18:33,009 (gunshots) 347 00:18:39,140 --> 00:18:41,393 (ship horn blows) 348 00:18:41,393 --> 00:18:43,770 MARIANA: The Spanish port of Algeciras 349 00:18:43,770 --> 00:18:47,440 is one of the busiest transshipment hubs in the world, 350 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:51,111 moving goods back and forth across the Strait of Gibraltar, 351 00:18:51,111 --> 00:18:54,781 a 10-mile stretch between Morocco and Spain. 352 00:18:56,950 --> 00:19:01,121 But not all of those goods are arriving on cargo ships. 353 00:19:03,164 --> 00:19:06,668 This is a graveyard of confiscated boats, 354 00:19:06,668 --> 00:19:09,546 collected for evidence and awaiting demolition. 355 00:19:25,687 --> 00:19:27,689 MARIANA: To understand how the hash barons operate, 356 00:19:27,689 --> 00:19:30,650 I've sought out an official who pursues them. 357 00:19:30,650 --> 00:19:32,235 Miguel Gil Hare is the head 358 00:19:32,235 --> 00:19:36,072 of the Customs Surveillance Operational Unit in Algeciras, 359 00:19:36,072 --> 00:19:37,365 targeting smugglers 360 00:19:37,365 --> 00:19:39,868 in a high-seas game of cat and mouse. 361 00:19:59,345 --> 00:20:01,347 MARIANA: In Spain, building these boats is illegal, 362 00:20:01,347 --> 00:20:04,350 so the hash barons are taking their business next door, 363 00:20:04,350 --> 00:20:05,935 to my homeland, Portugal. 364 00:20:05,935 --> 00:20:07,228 (shouting) 365 00:20:07,228 --> 00:20:11,107 In 2022, Portuguese police raided this warehouse, 366 00:20:11,107 --> 00:20:12,400 part of an operation 367 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,029 that seized 20 go-fast boats under construction, 368 00:20:16,029 --> 00:20:18,656 all being built to smuggle bales of hash 369 00:20:18,656 --> 00:20:20,867 from North Africa to Europe. 370 00:20:34,339 --> 00:20:35,507 MARIANA: Wow. 371 00:20:45,391 --> 00:20:47,560 MARIANA: Those smugglers sometimes live on these boats 372 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,480 for days in international waters, 373 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,441 just waiting for the all-clear sign. 374 00:20:53,441 --> 00:20:55,985 And when it comes, engines throttle up 375 00:20:55,985 --> 00:21:00,156 that can rocket them to speeds of nearly 60 miles per hour. 376 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:07,789 MARIANA: A lot can happen in those 20 minutes for smugglers. 377 00:21:07,789 --> 00:21:14,045 It can mean success, arrest, or all hell breaking loose. 378 00:21:14,045 --> 00:21:17,340 (boat zooming) 379 00:21:17,340 --> 00:21:21,469 (shouting) 380 00:21:21,469 --> 00:21:26,057 (sirens) 381 00:21:26,057 --> 00:21:30,144 Tonight, this elite team is in charge of policing these waters. 382 00:21:30,144 --> 00:21:33,439 And they plan on hitting the smugglers hard. 383 00:21:40,989 --> 00:21:46,578 (engine starting) 384 00:21:46,578 --> 00:21:48,371 (rotors whirring) 385 00:21:48,371 --> 00:21:53,293 ♪ ♪ 386 00:21:53,293 --> 00:21:59,882 ♪ ♪ 387 00:21:59,882 --> 00:22:02,552 (radio chatter) 388 00:22:02,552 --> 00:22:04,095 So we're just getting ready to leave. 389 00:22:04,095 --> 00:22:05,346 (radio chatter) 390 00:22:05,346 --> 00:22:06,806 The helicopter's actually up right now, 391 00:22:06,806 --> 00:22:08,099 so they're getting information 392 00:22:08,099 --> 00:22:11,144 on what suspect boats they're seeing out there. 393 00:22:11,144 --> 00:22:14,105 The hunt for contraband begins in the skies, 394 00:22:14,105 --> 00:22:16,941 with a dedicated flight team scanning the shoreline 395 00:22:16,941 --> 00:22:18,818 with night vision cameras, 396 00:22:18,818 --> 00:22:21,821 searching for incoming boats from Morocco. 397 00:22:21,821 --> 00:22:22,822 (radio chatter) 398 00:22:22,822 --> 00:22:23,823 Okay. 399 00:22:23,823 --> 00:22:25,241 MARCOS: Vamos. 400 00:22:25,241 --> 00:22:27,535 MARIANA: Yeah. Hold on to something. 401 00:22:27,535 --> 00:22:29,245 Hold on to something. 402 00:22:29,245 --> 00:22:33,916 (agent speaking Spanish) 403 00:22:33,916 --> 00:22:35,126 MARIANA: This highly trained crew 404 00:22:35,126 --> 00:22:37,754 mans a small fleet of patrol boats 405 00:22:37,754 --> 00:22:40,089 equipped with engines powerful enough 406 00:22:40,089 --> 00:22:43,843 to pursue incoming go-fast boats. 407 00:22:43,843 --> 00:22:45,136 (man speaking Spanish) 408 00:22:45,136 --> 00:22:47,305 MARIANA: Oh, you see the helicopter? 409 00:22:47,305 --> 00:22:49,098 (agent speaking Spanish) 410 00:22:49,098 --> 00:22:50,850 MARIANA: We've been warned that hash smugglers 411 00:22:50,850 --> 00:22:54,145 have become increasingly brazen in recent years, 412 00:22:54,145 --> 00:22:58,358 leading authorities on chases that can quickly turn deadly. 413 00:23:03,321 --> 00:23:06,157 (agent speaking Spanish) 414 00:23:06,157 --> 00:23:07,241 MARIANA: Think we just saw a boat, 415 00:23:07,241 --> 00:23:10,078 we're gonna start chasing after them. 416 00:23:10,078 --> 00:23:11,871 The boat is in Spanish waters 417 00:23:11,871 --> 00:23:14,958 going full throttle towards the coast. 418 00:23:14,958 --> 00:23:18,002 It's not responding to hails from police; 419 00:23:18,002 --> 00:23:21,798 a telltale sign of smuggling activity. 420 00:23:21,798 --> 00:23:24,300 We can't see the boat, but the helicopter surveillance 421 00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:27,470 shows it's headed directly towards us. 422 00:23:27,470 --> 00:23:28,554 (Mariana speaking Spanish) 423 00:23:28,554 --> 00:23:29,555 AGENT: Sí. 424 00:23:29,555 --> 00:23:31,099 MARIANA: There's a boat that's in, 425 00:23:31,099 --> 00:23:34,227 sort of in a river entrance over there. 426 00:23:34,227 --> 00:23:38,189 ♪ ♪ 427 00:23:38,189 --> 00:23:41,109 So he's basically purposefully going around in circles 428 00:23:41,109 --> 00:23:42,402 making waves, 429 00:23:42,402 --> 00:23:44,195 so then when the suspect boat 430 00:23:44,195 --> 00:23:46,698 comes out of the river onto the sea, 431 00:23:46,698 --> 00:23:49,826 onto this part of the water, it'll be harder for them. 432 00:24:09,220 --> 00:24:11,139 MARIANA: It's coming, it's coming. 433 00:24:11,139 --> 00:24:15,768 ♪ ♪ 434 00:24:15,768 --> 00:24:18,312 Oh, yeah, I can see it under the light. 435 00:24:18,312 --> 00:24:24,110 ♪ ♪ 436 00:24:24,110 --> 00:24:26,070 (agent speaking Spanish) 437 00:24:26,070 --> 00:24:27,071 MARIANA: Okay, it's right there. 438 00:24:27,071 --> 00:24:30,491 (agent speaking Spanish) 439 00:24:30,491 --> 00:24:33,077 MARIANA: On this side? No, it's on that side. 440 00:24:33,077 --> 00:24:35,538 Right there. You see it? 441 00:24:35,538 --> 00:24:36,748 It's right here, it's right here. 442 00:24:36,748 --> 00:24:37,749 (agent shouts) 443 00:24:37,749 --> 00:24:40,293 He has a helicopter over it, too. 444 00:24:40,293 --> 00:24:42,879 ♪ ♪ 445 00:24:42,879 --> 00:24:48,468 ♪ ♪ 446 00:24:48,468 --> 00:24:50,595 To minimize accidental deaths, 447 00:24:50,595 --> 00:24:53,765 Marcos' team isn't allowed to ram suspect boats 448 00:24:53,765 --> 00:24:56,142 or shoot at their engines. 449 00:24:56,142 --> 00:24:57,518 This is (bleep) crazy! 450 00:24:57,518 --> 00:24:59,395 For the smugglers we're pursuing, 451 00:24:59,395 --> 00:25:02,648 getting caught could mean five to seven years in jail. 452 00:25:02,648 --> 00:25:06,903 And that creates an incredibly high tolerance for risk. 453 00:25:06,903 --> 00:25:10,740 ♪ ♪ 454 00:25:10,740 --> 00:25:14,494 Are they going, they're going under the pier. 455 00:25:14,494 --> 00:25:15,828 They're going under the pier. 456 00:25:15,828 --> 00:25:17,622 (Mariana speaking Spanish) 457 00:25:21,292 --> 00:25:24,128 (shouting over radio) 458 00:25:26,756 --> 00:25:29,592 MARIANA: Yeah, so they basically hid under the dock here. 459 00:25:29,592 --> 00:25:32,845 (agents speaking Spanish) 460 00:25:32,845 --> 00:25:36,933 MARIANA: You're so close, and yet just out of reach. 461 00:25:42,522 --> 00:25:43,856 MARIANA: Ah, he's done. (speaking Spanish) 462 00:25:43,856 --> 00:25:45,066 Hold on, hold on! 463 00:25:45,066 --> 00:25:46,818 (agent speaking Spanish) 464 00:25:46,818 --> 00:25:49,362 MARIANA: Hold on tight, we see them again. 465 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,283 (shouting) 466 00:25:58,246 --> 00:26:00,498 Oh, my god, look! 467 00:26:00,498 --> 00:26:02,333 (bleep) 468 00:26:06,295 --> 00:26:07,755 MARIANA: Hold on! 469 00:26:10,132 --> 00:26:13,136 Holy (bleep). 470 00:26:13,136 --> 00:26:15,429 In this pursuit, 471 00:26:15,429 --> 00:26:19,475 one wrong move, and people can easily die. 472 00:26:19,475 --> 00:26:21,727 Right in front of us now! 473 00:26:21,727 --> 00:26:24,188 ♪ ♪ 474 00:26:24,188 --> 00:26:31,070 ♪ ♪ 475 00:26:31,070 --> 00:26:33,030 Woo, they're right here! 476 00:26:33,030 --> 00:26:35,366 But even in the best of circumstances, 477 00:26:35,366 --> 00:26:37,118 with the best of equipment, 478 00:26:37,118 --> 00:26:41,664 this can feel like a very dangerous exercise in futility. 479 00:26:47,128 --> 00:26:48,504 MARIANA: And that's it. They escaped, basically. 480 00:26:48,504 --> 00:26:51,007 They went to a part that's too shallow 481 00:26:51,007 --> 00:26:53,718 and this boat can't go in. 482 00:26:53,718 --> 00:26:55,845 You can see just how impossible of a task it is, 483 00:26:55,845 --> 00:26:58,806 how difficult it is. 484 00:26:58,806 --> 00:27:02,685 So far, in Spain, I'm no closer to finding a hash baron 485 00:27:02,685 --> 00:27:05,771 than I was in Morocco. 486 00:27:05,771 --> 00:27:07,815 But it seems logical they'd be close by, 487 00:27:07,815 --> 00:27:10,151 with so much product on the move. 488 00:27:10,151 --> 00:27:14,071 On some days, up to ten go-fast boats are deployed at once, 489 00:27:14,071 --> 00:27:17,158 each loaded with literally tons of hash, 490 00:27:17,158 --> 00:27:21,829 and pointed at Spanish beaches sometimes in broad daylight. 491 00:27:21,829 --> 00:27:26,292 It's the boldest, in-your-face drug trafficking I've ever seen. 492 00:27:26,292 --> 00:27:28,252 MAN: Mama mia. Mama mia. 493 00:27:28,252 --> 00:27:30,338 MARIANA: And that boldness doesn't stop 494 00:27:30,338 --> 00:27:32,715 once the boats have unloaded. 495 00:27:32,715 --> 00:27:37,136 The Spanish news media lit up in 2018 when Samuel Crespo, 496 00:27:37,136 --> 00:27:40,014 an alleged lieutenant in a local smuggling gang, 497 00:27:40,014 --> 00:27:42,141 was injured during an arrest 498 00:27:42,141 --> 00:27:44,018 and brought by police to a hospital 499 00:27:44,018 --> 00:27:46,771 in the Spanish port town of La Línea. 500 00:27:46,771 --> 00:27:49,398 Soon, his associates began to arrive. 501 00:27:49,398 --> 00:27:52,401 One after another after another. 502 00:27:52,401 --> 00:27:54,445 More than a dozen men in total 503 00:27:54,445 --> 00:27:56,405 who roughed up two police officers 504 00:27:56,405 --> 00:27:57,907 guarding the suspect 505 00:27:57,907 --> 00:28:00,660 and spirited him away into a waiting car, 506 00:28:00,660 --> 00:28:04,372 leaving no doubt as to the balance of power here. 507 00:28:09,126 --> 00:28:11,170 The beach towns of southern Spain 508 00:28:11,170 --> 00:28:14,256 have the highest unemployment rates in Europe. 509 00:28:14,256 --> 00:28:16,175 But social media paints a picture 510 00:28:16,175 --> 00:28:20,388 of a job market that exists off the books. 511 00:28:20,388 --> 00:28:23,182 Up above, lookouts on the Rock of Gibraltar 512 00:28:23,182 --> 00:28:26,894 will collect $1,400 for alerting boats 513 00:28:26,894 --> 00:28:29,397 when the coast is clear to land. 514 00:28:29,397 --> 00:28:35,903 At sea, captains will collect $27,000 for a successful run. 515 00:28:35,903 --> 00:28:39,490 And on shore, in open view of witnesses and cell phones, 516 00:28:39,490 --> 00:28:41,742 paid muscle gets to work. 517 00:28:41,742 --> 00:28:46,163 Up to $3,200 for a gig unloading hash bales, 518 00:28:46,163 --> 00:28:49,417 one that usually takes just a few minutes. 519 00:28:49,417 --> 00:28:54,839 Finally, on the road, $6,500 will go to each driver 520 00:28:54,839 --> 00:28:57,174 for a breakneck trip down back alleys 521 00:28:57,174 --> 00:28:59,844 to deliver the goods to hidden warehouses, 522 00:28:59,844 --> 00:29:03,389 usually just one or two blocks off the beach. 523 00:29:03,389 --> 00:29:05,349 If these wages seem impressive, 524 00:29:05,349 --> 00:29:09,228 think of the profits realized by the hash barons who pay them. 525 00:29:09,228 --> 00:29:12,148 That 30-kilo package of hash I saw in Morocco 526 00:29:12,148 --> 00:29:14,692 was worth $30,000. 527 00:29:14,692 --> 00:29:17,069 But by the time it reaches northern Europe, 528 00:29:17,069 --> 00:29:21,240 its value will soar to a quarter million dollars. 529 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:24,660 (engine revving) 530 00:29:24,660 --> 00:29:29,081 ♪ ♪ 531 00:29:29,081 --> 00:29:34,253 ♪ ♪ 532 00:29:34,253 --> 00:29:37,131 Wow, look at those houses. 533 00:29:37,131 --> 00:29:39,383 We're in Marbella, southern Spain. 534 00:29:39,383 --> 00:29:43,888 One of the ritziest, fanciest spots in all of Europe. 535 00:29:43,888 --> 00:29:46,348 Marbella is on the Costa del Sol. 536 00:29:46,348 --> 00:29:49,518 In the 1960s, under the Spanish dictator Franco, 537 00:29:49,518 --> 00:29:51,187 it was developed as a destination 538 00:29:51,187 --> 00:29:54,231 for blue-collar workers on vacation. 539 00:29:54,231 --> 00:29:58,194 Today it's host to a different crowd. 540 00:29:58,194 --> 00:30:00,237 MAN: It's the Costa del Sol and Marbella, 541 00:30:00,237 --> 00:30:02,323 millionaires' playground of southern Spain. 542 00:30:02,323 --> 00:30:03,324 MARIANA: Earning it a nickname 543 00:30:03,324 --> 00:30:05,493 you won't see on tourist posters, 544 00:30:05,493 --> 00:30:08,496 "The Costa Del Crime" or "The Coast Of Crime." 545 00:30:08,496 --> 00:30:11,165 (gunshots) 546 00:30:11,165 --> 00:30:14,335 A lot, a lot of drugs come through here, particularly hash, 547 00:30:14,335 --> 00:30:16,295 because we're very close to Morocco. 548 00:30:16,295 --> 00:30:17,797 For those at the top of the chain, 549 00:30:17,797 --> 00:30:22,176 this is where they like to spend their money. 550 00:30:22,176 --> 00:30:24,220 Beneath the sort of glitz and glamour, 551 00:30:24,220 --> 00:30:26,222 there's also a lot of violence. 552 00:30:26,222 --> 00:30:29,100 (screaming and gunshots) 553 00:30:29,100 --> 00:30:32,812 This is a city of combustion, where street scenes viewed 554 00:30:32,812 --> 00:30:34,522 through the prism of social media 555 00:30:34,522 --> 00:30:37,108 offer strong hints that the hash barons 556 00:30:37,108 --> 00:30:39,276 have made themselves at home. 557 00:30:39,276 --> 00:30:41,946 But perhaps the strongest indicator here 558 00:30:41,946 --> 00:30:45,741 is the abundance of top-shelf criminal defense lawyers. 559 00:30:45,741 --> 00:30:47,409 Hola, Ricardo. RICARDO ALVAREZ-OSSORIO: Hola. 560 00:30:47,409 --> 00:30:50,162 (speaking Spanish) (kissing) 561 00:30:50,162 --> 00:30:51,163 RICARDO: Nice to see you again. 562 00:30:51,163 --> 00:30:52,248 MARIANA: Nice to you, too. Daniela? 563 00:30:52,248 --> 00:30:53,249 RICARDO: This is Daniela. 564 00:30:53,249 --> 00:30:54,458 MARIANA: ¿Cómo estás? Mariana. 565 00:30:54,458 --> 00:30:55,918 In Spanish media, 566 00:30:55,918 --> 00:30:59,130 Ricardo Alvarez-Ossorio has been called the devil's advocate. 567 00:30:59,130 --> 00:31:01,006 An apt nickname for a lawyer 568 00:31:01,006 --> 00:31:04,468 who specializes in defending accused drug traffickers. 569 00:31:16,897 --> 00:31:19,191 MARIANA: So, we're talking about the Italian mob, 570 00:31:19,191 --> 00:31:21,569 Albanians, Russians. 571 00:31:21,569 --> 00:31:22,945 RICARDO: Yes. 572 00:31:22,945 --> 00:31:24,905 MARIANA: Colombians, Mexicans, and on and on and on. 573 00:31:24,905 --> 00:31:25,906 RICARDO: Yes, yes, yes. 574 00:31:25,906 --> 00:31:27,491 MARIANA: He's not exaggerating. 575 00:31:27,491 --> 00:31:29,952 On the Costa Del Sol, Spanish Intelligence 576 00:31:29,952 --> 00:31:34,665 has documented at least 113 criminal groups 577 00:31:34,665 --> 00:31:37,793 representing 59 different nationalities. 578 00:31:37,793 --> 00:31:40,796 All the hash from the clients that you represent, 579 00:31:40,796 --> 00:31:43,048 it all comes from Morocco. 580 00:31:43,048 --> 00:31:45,301 RICARDO: Yes. MARIANA: All of it? 100%? 581 00:31:45,301 --> 00:31:46,802 RICARDO: 110%. 582 00:31:46,802 --> 00:31:48,137 MARIANA: And who is the owner? Who's the owner of the... 583 00:31:49,722 --> 00:31:50,764 MARIANA: They're all Moroccans? RICARDO: Yes. 584 00:31:54,685 --> 00:31:55,853 RICARDO: They call them "barones." 585 00:31:55,853 --> 00:31:57,146 MARIANA: The barones. RICARDO: Barones. 586 00:31:57,146 --> 00:31:58,230 MARIANA: The barons. 587 00:31:58,230 --> 00:31:59,815 You know, we're here to look for people 588 00:31:59,815 --> 00:32:02,026 who are in the hash business that will talk to us. 589 00:32:02,026 --> 00:32:04,236 Do you think you could help us find people 590 00:32:04,236 --> 00:32:08,240 who would be willing to talk to us? 591 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:09,867 RICARDO: They, you can... 592 00:32:19,919 --> 00:32:21,503 MARIANA: I know. 593 00:32:32,014 --> 00:32:33,349 MARIANA: Mm-hmm. 594 00:32:39,772 --> 00:32:40,981 MARIANA: Uh-huh. The adrenaline. 595 00:32:44,235 --> 00:32:46,320 MARIANA: While Ricky talks to his connections, 596 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:48,781 I'm working on a different angle. 597 00:32:48,781 --> 00:32:55,788 ♪ ♪ 598 00:32:55,788 --> 00:32:57,706 When reporting on MDMA last year, 599 00:32:57,706 --> 00:32:59,750 I've learned that Dutch and Moroccan smugglers 600 00:32:59,750 --> 00:33:03,128 often have close ties. 601 00:33:03,128 --> 00:33:05,965 So I arranged to meet with a smuggler from Holland, 602 00:33:05,965 --> 00:33:08,467 who's straight out of central casting. 603 00:33:11,595 --> 00:33:13,389 (sighs) 604 00:33:17,184 --> 00:33:21,480 (La dona è mobile playing) 605 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,984 ♪ ♪ 606 00:33:26,610 --> 00:33:28,904 (sighs) 607 00:33:28,904 --> 00:33:31,448 ♪ La donna è mobile ♪ 608 00:33:31,448 --> 00:33:33,742 ♪ Qual piuma al vento ♪ 609 00:33:33,742 --> 00:33:36,120 ♪ muta d’accento ♪ 610 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:37,997 (clears throat) 611 00:33:37,997 --> 00:33:39,540 ♪ e di pensiero ♪ 612 00:33:39,540 --> 00:33:44,044 ♪ ♪ 613 00:33:44,044 --> 00:33:45,921 ♪ La donna è mobile ♪ 614 00:33:45,921 --> 00:33:48,090 ♪ Qual piuma al vento ♪ 615 00:33:48,090 --> 00:33:52,261 ♪ muta d'accento ♪ 616 00:33:52,261 --> 00:33:57,016 ♪ e di pensiero ♪ 617 00:33:57,016 --> 00:33:58,142 Ho-yay! 618 00:33:58,142 --> 00:33:59,601 MARIANA: Wow, that was incredible! 619 00:33:59,601 --> 00:34:01,061 You have a wonderful voice. 620 00:34:01,061 --> 00:34:03,814 EVERT SMALLEGANGE: This is a cause of clapping, aye? 621 00:34:03,814 --> 00:34:06,150 MARIANA: So tell me, how did you end up in Marbella? 622 00:34:15,826 --> 00:34:17,036 MARIANA: In Amsterdam. EVERT: Yeah. 623 00:34:25,210 --> 00:34:26,879 MARIANA: Evert Smallegange was a smuggler 624 00:34:26,879 --> 00:34:30,299 who migrated to southern Spain in pursuit of the good life. 625 00:34:34,928 --> 00:34:36,638 MARIANA: Spend the money? EVERT: Yeah. 626 00:34:39,391 --> 00:34:40,392 MARIANA: You didn't know how to save it. 627 00:34:40,392 --> 00:34:41,393 EVERT: No. 628 00:34:41,393 --> 00:34:42,394 MARIANA: What did you spend it on? 629 00:34:42,394 --> 00:34:43,771 EVERT: Oh, anything. 630 00:34:50,319 --> 00:34:51,362 MARIANA: How much money were you making at the peak? 631 00:34:51,362 --> 00:34:52,237 EVERT: Ohhh... 632 00:34:57,493 --> 00:34:59,578 MARIANA: Wow. EVERT: A week. Yeah. 633 00:34:59,578 --> 00:35:00,662 MARIANA: Wow. EVERT: Yeah. 634 00:35:00,662 --> 00:35:02,456 MARIANA: So, when you were at the peak, 635 00:35:02,456 --> 00:35:04,333 what was your job exactly? 636 00:35:27,272 --> 00:35:29,233 MARIANA: And that was all for distribution in Europe? 637 00:35:32,444 --> 00:35:35,531 MARIANA: And you just recently came out of prison? 638 00:35:35,531 --> 00:35:36,740 EVERT: Yeah. 639 00:35:36,740 --> 00:35:37,741 MARIANA: For trafficking drugs? 640 00:35:43,539 --> 00:35:45,165 MARIANA: How much do you think the business has changed 641 00:35:45,165 --> 00:35:47,209 since you were in it? 642 00:35:54,425 --> 00:35:55,426 MARIANA: So, it's just a few groups now 643 00:35:55,426 --> 00:35:56,593 that are controlling it in Morocco? 644 00:35:56,593 --> 00:35:57,594 EVERT: Yes. Yeah, yeah. 645 00:35:57,594 --> 00:35:58,804 MARIANA: The production and the... 646 00:36:03,475 --> 00:36:05,144 EVERT: The prices, just, they, 647 00:36:05,144 --> 00:36:09,440 the consumers now want top-notch material. 648 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:10,732 MARIANA: How organized are they? Or dangerous? 649 00:36:10,732 --> 00:36:11,567 EVERT: Of course they're very... 650 00:36:17,281 --> 00:36:18,699 MARIANA: And in terms of getting contacts, 651 00:36:18,699 --> 00:36:20,659 getting people to talk to us? 652 00:36:20,659 --> 00:36:24,413 EVERT: Um, I would...low key. 653 00:36:27,374 --> 00:36:28,667 EVERT: No. 654 00:36:28,667 --> 00:36:29,918 MARIANA: Yeah. 655 00:36:29,918 --> 00:36:31,462 You think that we will find people to talk to? 656 00:36:31,462 --> 00:36:32,463 EVERT: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 657 00:36:32,463 --> 00:36:33,922 Just give me a bit of time, 658 00:36:33,922 --> 00:36:38,552 I'll, yeah, I'll organize it for you. 659 00:36:42,431 --> 00:36:45,601 (man singing opera) 660 00:36:45,601 --> 00:36:48,770 MARIANA: It turns out, I won't have to wait. 661 00:36:51,148 --> 00:36:53,066 I've been putting out dozens of feelers 662 00:36:53,066 --> 00:36:54,902 for the past few months, 663 00:36:54,902 --> 00:36:59,406 looking for a hash baron in Morocco or Spain. 664 00:36:59,406 --> 00:37:01,617 Oh, wow, look at this house. 665 00:37:01,617 --> 00:37:04,161 And right on the heels of my meeting with Evert, 666 00:37:04,161 --> 00:37:07,956 a different contact reaches out with an introduction, 667 00:37:07,956 --> 00:37:10,250 which brings me here. 668 00:37:11,794 --> 00:37:13,504 Apparently this is one of the nicest neighborhoods 669 00:37:13,504 --> 00:37:14,963 in Marbella. 670 00:37:14,963 --> 00:37:18,008 You can tell because of all the big mansions all around us. 671 00:37:18,008 --> 00:37:21,470 And this is also where we've been told there's a person 672 00:37:21,470 --> 00:37:23,472 that's in the hash business here, 673 00:37:23,472 --> 00:37:26,433 who's agreed to speak to us. 674 00:37:26,433 --> 00:37:29,019 ♪ ♪ 675 00:37:29,019 --> 00:37:34,775 ♪ ♪ 676 00:37:34,775 --> 00:37:37,027 I think it's here. 677 00:37:38,445 --> 00:37:41,865 (turn signal ticking) 678 00:37:43,951 --> 00:37:46,954 Yeah, this is the house. 679 00:37:46,954 --> 00:37:49,832 I've come for a face-to-face meeting with a barón, 680 00:37:49,832 --> 00:37:51,667 a hash kingpin. 681 00:37:51,667 --> 00:37:55,671 ♪ ♪ 682 00:37:55,671 --> 00:37:57,756 But there's a twist. 683 00:37:57,756 --> 00:37:59,216 I think it's this gate. 684 00:37:59,216 --> 00:38:01,343 It's not a hash king. 685 00:38:01,343 --> 00:38:07,349 ♪ ♪ 686 00:38:07,349 --> 00:38:09,726 It's a hash... 687 00:38:09,726 --> 00:38:11,311 queen. 688 00:38:17,484 --> 00:38:20,445 ♪ ♪ 689 00:38:20,445 --> 00:38:26,952 ♪ ♪ 690 00:38:26,952 --> 00:38:33,375 ♪ ♪ 691 00:38:42,050 --> 00:38:45,262 MARIANA: I'm sitting with a woman known as El Cisne, 692 00:38:45,262 --> 00:38:49,474 "The Swan," who heads a hash distribution network 693 00:38:49,474 --> 00:38:51,226 that stretches from Morocco 694 00:38:51,226 --> 00:38:54,104 to the far reaches of northern Europe. 695 00:39:05,073 --> 00:39:08,827 MARIANA: These bricks of hashish are merely samples. 696 00:39:08,827 --> 00:39:11,955 Buyers interested in the product will likely be ordering 697 00:39:11,955 --> 00:39:15,125 not by the kilo, but by the ton. 698 00:40:48,677 --> 00:40:53,807 (bubbling) 699 00:41:04,609 --> 00:41:06,028 MARIANA: ¿Sí? LE CISNE: Sí. 700 00:41:56,286 --> 00:41:57,162 MARIANA: Wow. 701 00:41:58,997 --> 00:41:59,915 EL CISNE: Sí. 702 00:42:25,106 --> 00:42:25,941 MARIANA: Sí. 703 00:42:32,531 --> 00:42:34,324 MARIANA: No. EL CISNE: Sí. 704 00:42:34,324 --> 00:42:36,993 MARIANA: 60 tons is a staggering amount. 705 00:42:36,993 --> 00:42:38,370 In northern Europe, 706 00:42:38,370 --> 00:42:42,290 the value would equal nearly half a billion dollars. 707 00:42:58,306 --> 00:43:00,851 ♪ ♪ 708 00:43:00,851 --> 00:43:06,273 ♪ ♪ 709 00:43:06,273 --> 00:43:07,732 MARIANA: If what she says is true, 710 00:43:07,732 --> 00:43:09,442 and the hash barons have found a way 711 00:43:09,442 --> 00:43:12,070 to securely move shipping containers of product 712 00:43:12,070 --> 00:43:13,446 into Europe, 713 00:43:13,446 --> 00:43:16,741 there's no end to the profits they can make. 714 00:43:19,828 --> 00:43:23,039 It's no wonder they've been able to push the small players out 715 00:43:23,039 --> 00:43:25,041 and corner the market, 716 00:43:25,041 --> 00:43:28,587 and hardly a surprise that they're now willing to kill 717 00:43:28,587 --> 00:43:30,672 to preserve it. 718 00:43:39,931 --> 00:43:40,765 EL CISNE: Sí. 719 00:43:57,574 --> 00:44:02,954 ♪ ♪ 720 00:44:02,954 --> 00:44:04,831 Captioned by Side Door Media Services