01x04 - Don't Be Suspicious

[bunniefuu]

The Caribbean has been used

to smuggle contraband

since the 18th century.

And today, the trafficking

of humans and narcotics through here

is worth billions of dollars each year.

The island of Puerto Rico

is often used as a passageway by smugglers

for transporting contraband

to the U.S. mainland.

So we see a boat of interest.

A small little boat heading from

Culebra, following the reef line.

That's a typical route here for smuggling.

A mile off the west coast,

marine agents have spotted

a suspicious-looking boat

coming from the nearby island of Culebra.

It's a small vessel.

Fits the description

of something we're looking for.

He's heading back to the mainland

of Puerto Rico,

so we're gonna go ahead

and do a vessel doc check on him.

The agents want to look

at the vessel's documents

and the IDs of the boat's occupants

to ensure nothing ill*gal is going on.

Three guys on board.

Good afternoon.

When the agents get close,

something seems off.

- No.

- You know them?

It's unusual for a boat this small

These guys look a little suspicious to me.

to be this far out at sea

for no apparent reason.

They're not very friendly.

They're not talking.

Keep an eye on those guys.

U.S. Customs.

Go, go, go, go, go!

It's just after dawn in Puerto Rico.

And on the island's west coast,

Border Patrol Agent Rodriguez

is starting his shift.

His job is to patrol the 700 miles

of unprotected coastline,

looking out for any unauthorized landings.

My border is the ocean.

So that's how far is our border here.

In calm weather,

smuggling vessels arrive

on a near daily basis,

loaded with undocumented migrants

or drugs.

You can hardly see any white clouds

out there.

It's the wind, probably five to ten.

On my book, that's good conditions.

Recently, it's been calm,

making it perfect weather for traffickers.

They will actually wait out

in the horizon,

and wait until the low light hours

in order to come in.

They'll be navigating without lights out.

All you can hear is just the engines

sometimes at night.

Until they get here.

That's why this is a sweet spot over here.

You get to see them way before

they can make their landfall.

But the haze, you don't notice but

it's the dust from the Sahara Desert.

All that haze,

it's impeding the visibility.

Knowing it's just a matter of time

before he gets a call,

Agent Rodriguez continues patrolling.

Within minutes, a call comes in.

There's possibly another landing.

We're verifying.

There was possible landing,

waiting for confirmation.

Somewhere in Isabela town.

We better start heading that way.

A suspicious boat has been reported

up the coast, north of the island.

But there are no more details.

All they know is a possible landing.

They haven't confirmed it yet.

I don't have any clue

if it is migrants or cocaine,

that's what we get here,

or what's the deal.

We're getting closer to downtown Isabela.

The streets are getting narrow.

Without knowing what to expect,

Agent Rodriguez goes to investigate.

He will be the first on the scene.

- Isabela.

- Ten-four, sir.

He approaches the location,

looking for any clues

to indicate what is going on.

See the life jacket over there.

Agent Rodriguez spots abandoned

life jackets

and clothing in the grass.

A telltale sign of human trafficking.

He heads to the beach,

unsure of what awaits him.

The traffickers and the migrants

they brought in illegally

could still be hiding in the area.

On the beach,

there's the type of boat

commonly used by traffickers,

and it looks abandoned.

Super heavy traffic today.

Miami Air and Sea Show

is gonna be happening,

there will be hundreds

of thousands of boats out there.

Yeah, it's gonna be packed.

The Miami Air and Sea Show

is a two-day event

attracting hundreds of thousands

of people to the area.

It's gonna be hot today.

A high of 91, I think,

so make sure we hydrate.

- Any concerns? Let's go.

- No, sir. All right.

But where there are crowds,

there are criminals.

So Agents Todd, Kyle, and Mike

will be patrolling

the South Florida coastline

looking for any signs of ill*gal activity.

It's Memorial Day weekend.

Big weekend for South Florida.

You've got events, air shows, boat shows.

Also, this is the last big weekend

for a lot of people

that come from up north

and spend their winters

here in South Florida.

This is their last big weekend

before they head north.

So, it'll be real busy.

Although most of the traffic today

are pleasure crafts,

these waters are also used heavily

by smugglers.

And it's not long before Agent Todd

gets a call from headquarters.

Do you have a position?

A recreational fisherman has reported

finding suspicious packages

floating in the water.

Okay.

And do we have a vessel description?

There's probably a million boats

out here today.

A common tactic used by smugglers

is to drop narcotics from a plane

to later be picked up

by g*ng members in boats.

But dispatch has lost direct contact

with the vessel.

What was the last known position

in your chat?

Seventy-nine, fifty-eight.

We will start heading in that direction.

And if you get any updates,

sh**t 'em out to me.

Specifically a vessel description

because there's a lot of boats

out here right now.

So I just got a call.

Apparently a local fisherman out here

has found some bales

of possible narcotics.

He's taking them on board his boat

and claiming

that he's going to drop them off

to the appropriate authorities

at some point.

From where we are,

it's gonna be approximately

eight miles northeast

of where we are right now.

- You guys ready?

- Yes, sir.

All right, coming up.

The angler has the suspicious

packages on his boat.

Cartels are known to reclaim their

drugs using violence.

So the team races

to the vessel's last known position,

hoping to get to them

before anyone else does.

Got it.

The boat soon comes into view,

and it might be the one with the packages.

Got lines in the water.

- Good morning. How you doing?

- I'm doing well, how are you?

Doing well. U.S. Customs. How long

have you guys been out this way?

An hour and a half, two hours.

You didn't happen to find anything

- we might be interested in, did you?

- No.

- We've been looking really hard.

- A pillowcase?

- There's a pillowcase some ways back.

- Yeah?

Frustratingly, it's not the right boat.

There was somebody

saying they found something

that I might be interested in.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Nah, I've been listening on nine,

but straight ahead there's three more

boats on the same line.

All right, guys. Thank you. Be safe.

The team presses on,

knowing every minute counts.

Then, they get a description

of the fishing vessel

carrying the packages.

Twenty-six-foot center console,

white, with twin Yamaha.

The next boat they encounter

matches the description.

- How we doing, guys?

- Hey, good morning.

- U.S. Customs, sir.

- How are you?

- I'm doing well. How are you?

- I'm good, officer.

Where are you coming from today?

- Port Everglades.

- Port Everglades?

How long have you been out this morning?

- 6:00, 7:00.

- Okay. Any luck fishing?

- Had a couple of bites, lost a couple.

Then we got the lines

all tangles in the motor,

and then we saw one package,

so we grabbed that one

to see if it was what it is.

Then we started seeing them around us.

Okay. All right.

This time,

it is the boat they're looking for.

And they've got them before the cartel.

Can you come clutch ahead on that

with one engine?

- Or you still got a line in it?

- No. Put it in gear?

Yeah, yeah. Just put it in gear.

We'll come alongside you here.

I'm actually a Coast Guard veteran.

This is a first for me,

I think it never happened.

- Where were you in the Coast Guard?

- San Diego.

All right.

Well, that might be why you didn't.

This happens a little bit.

Let me lower this fender real

quick. All right.

- What do you guys got?

- So this one, we gaffed them,

- so that one's got a hole in it.

- Okay.

It's clear the packages are drugs.

Now, the team needs to see

if there are more floating around

before g*ng members arrive

to collect them.

On Puerto Rico's west coast,

Border Patrol Agent Rodriguez

is investigating what looks like

a recently abandoned boat.

That's a 33-footer. 16-foot wide.

It's the kind used by traffickers,

so he moves in cautiously.

It turns out the boat isn't empty.

But thankfully,

what's inside isn't dangerous.

Take a look at it.

Imagine 80-something people cramped

in here.

The vessel contains clothing

and personal items

that belong to men, women,

and even some children.

They get charged $7000

to $4000 per person.

And they have to leave everything behind,

just for the promise of a better

future, I guess.

It's likely the people in it

came from the Dominican Republic,

80 miles away.

The closest point would be Samana.

They could be down here in eight

hours. Eight to twelve hours.

But sometimes it's three, four days,

they get lost.

It's obvious to Agent Rodriguez

that when it finally arrived,

this boat must have made a rough landing.

You can see how the wood

in the middle was broken.

I guess whenever they hit the reef,

the force threw everybody up front.

They get off with their belongings

in their bag.

And as soon as they start

walking or running,

they notice it's easier to run

with your hands empty.

And they start getting rid of everything.

Agent Rodriguez and his colleagues

need to find the traffickers,

bring them to justice,

and locate the migrants desperate

for a new life

before they're harmed.

Port Newark in New Jersey, sees 5000

ships dock here every year.

Receiving approximately

seven million containers annually

from all over the world.

With so many imports

coming from around the globe,

it's the role of the Customs and

Border Protection's Agriculture

to keep diseases and invasive

species from getting into America.

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

- How are you? Good morning.

- Good morning.

We are Customs and Border Protection

Agriculture Specialists.

We would like to meet

the Chief Officer on duty.

Today,

Stephanie and Melvin are responsible

for inspecting a ship

that has just arrived from China,

to ensure it's fully compliant

with U.S. regulations.

With over 3500 potential threats

to the U.S.,

officers need to be vigilant.

We would like to see your dry store.

- Do you want to go now?

- Yes, please. Thank you.

One of the biggest threats

officers encounter

isn't from the food products being

shipped into the U.S. for sale,

but from food purchased

for the ship's crew

in various countries along their voyage.

In this room we are looking

at the dry store products

because it could be coming

from Khapra beetle countries.

The khapra beetle is one of the most

destructive insect pests of stored grains.

And Khapra beetle,

it's one really small beetle

that can do a lot of harm.

An infestation would be a disaster

for America's

$1.5 trillion agriculture industry.

It's a big concern,

because eradicating it,

it would be a hard battle,

if it comes to it.

Measuring less than one-tenth of an inch,

finding them is like searching

for a needle in a giant haystack.

This is kind of dried grain.

In here, could be a potential

to find a Khapra beetle.

It's one of the favorite spots for them.

Just a few minutes into the search,

Stephanie finds something.

I find that insect. It's dead.

Even an insect as tiny as this

doesn't get past the eagle-eyed officer.

The team moves quickly

to put the specimen in a container

to send to the lab.

We're grabbing the pest

and putting it in alcohol

to be then submitted for identification

at the USDA Plant Inspection Station.

And then the etymologist identifier

will let us know what it is.

If it is a khapra beetle,

the ship, its crew,

and the entire multi-million dollar

cargo will have to be quarantined.

Off the east coast of Puerto Rico,

marine agents have stopped

a suspicious-looking boat

with three men in it.

He's the only one with an ID?

What about that guy

with the tattoos all over his face?

One of the men has what looks like

the type of tattoos used by local gangs.

- No. Not that I don't like it, but

- Yeah, I know what you mean.

Agents quickly ascertain

that one of the men is on probation.

They're on probation. Why?

Who's on probation? Him?

See, I already called it.

That guy's on probation.

Puerto Rican gangs are responsible

for the majority of the island's crime

and control the smuggling

of all types of contraband.

Agent Sibio takes photos of the men's IDs

to check in their database.

Where are you from?

I am traveling, but I'm from Puerto Rico.

I'm from Carolina.

The fact all three men

are from different areas

is also unusual.

Show me your face, please.

He's the most handsome, right?

The agents need to find out

if anyone else has a criminal

history, and fast.

Agents don't know

how much of a threat the men are,

and are out at sea alone without backup.

- Do you have any firearms?

- No.

No, no? Okay, okay.

Do you have criminal records?

Human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a serious crime

and punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

When? The date? You don't remember?

He don't remember when he was arrested?

When the man convicted

of human trafficking

can't even remember when he was arrested,

agents suspect the men

are hiding something.

- The question is what?

- I'm sure, you might as well,

we got three records,

you might as well run him too.

The results come back quickly,

and it's concerning news about the man

who couldn't remember

when he was arrested.

Sibio, what were they arrested for?

Human smuggling, money smuggling.

I have prior

The guy who said he didn't remember

anything, it was just last month.

It's enough for the agents

to escalate matters to the next level.

Let's do it.

We're gonna check the boat.

- You are? Okay.

- Yep.

Officers from the Customs and Border

Protection Agriculture Team,

Melvin and Stephanie, have found a beetle

on board a Chinese container ship

that has been sent out to the lab.

The fear is it's a khapra beetle,

a destructive pest

which would force them

to put the ship under quarantine.

We would like to see your fruit

and vegetables and meat room.

- Ah, meat room.

- Yeah.

In their quest to keep the U.S. safe

from invasive species and diseases,

they move on to the ship's other stores.

We are looking to another type of pest,

and we're going to make sure

that there is not anything

that can be introduced

or harm our country.

As the ship traveled from China

through Asia and across the Pacific,

the vegetables purchased on the way

might be carrying diseases or pests

such as the exotic fruit fly.

They're known to attack

over 400 types of plants,

destroying entire crops, disrupting trade,

and causing major financial losses

for farmers.

Right now I'm looking at some peppers.

I'm trying to see if I see any pests,

but also I'm trying to see if there's

any type of damage from the peppers,

because there's also plant diseases

that affect them,

like the tomato brown rugose virus

which is still active

in the Dominican Republic.

Stephanie and Melvin

find nothing of concern,

and they move on to the ship's meat store.

This ship is coming from China,

but we have pork that is coming,

actually it's originated from Brazil.

We like to know which types the

meats are coming from

because some of these countries,

they may have what is called

foot and mouth disease,

and it affects the cattle.

That's something we don't want here.

- Or African swine fever.

- Exactly.

The officers sign off on the meat store,

and the inspection is nearly at an end.

But they are still waiting to find

out if the beetle they found

is the dreaded khapra beetle,

and if the ship and its cargo,

worth millions of dollars,

needs to be quarantined.

Five miles off the coast of Florida

We gaffed them,

so that one's got a hole in it.

Agents Todd, Mike, and Kyle

have located the boat

that reported having the packages

of suspected narcotics

they found floating in the water.

And that was all right around

this particular area?

All the coordinates we gave them

on the radio.

I saw the aeroplane go up quickly

after that for a little bit.

So it looks to me like right now

we have seven packages of marijuana.

These guys here were trying

to pick them out of the ocean.

They used a gaff for fishing.

They did split one or two of them open.

It's readily apparent that it's marijuana.

You can smell it. You can see it.

They are kilo-sized.

They're super, super wet,

so the weights will probably vary.

It's gonna be a hard estimate to say,

but it's probably gonna be about

seven kilos.

Finding bales of drugs

in the waters around Florida

is a relatively common occurrence.

The fact one of the fishermen saw a plane

means these were almost certainly dropped

for a g*ng in a boat to pick up.

Sometimes it's actually big bales

and bundles.

Sometimes it's just loose kilos here

or there.

Sometimes it's cocaine.

Sometimes it's marijuana.

It means an expectant g*ng

will be looking to pick them up,

and there could be more bundles

in the water.

So what we're gonna do

is we're gonna turn this

over to Homeland Security

Investigations, okay?

I can't say yay or nay,

but they may want to talk to you.

Your name's Kevin?

- And that is your phone number?

- Yeah.

I appreciate you.

We'll hang around in this area.

If I need anything, I'll re-approach.

Are you gonna be fishing

for a little while?

We're going to start trolling in.

We've had battery issues, so

But you're not gonna get up and just

run. You'll be trolling.

- So if I need you, I'll come back up.

- That's all good.

- I appreciate it. Thank you.

- All right, thank you guys.

The team stays in the area

to search for any stray packages,

and to see if the g*ng turns up

looking for their cargo.

We are gonna patrol a little bit

in this direction.

Typically, debris starts drifting

together out in the ocean.

We're just gonna run this a little

bit, see if we see anything else.

If not, we'll head back.

Within minutes,

Agent Todd spots something.

Got some plastic wrap.

We might have some plastic wrap over here.

I got it.

Ten yards.

Five yards.

That's a clean one.

Yup. Trash.

After a few hours of searching,

there are no more narcotics

or suspicious-looking boats.

The team prepares to leave

and will now hand over the case

for investigation.

So for us, because we have this now

on our boat, it's in our possession,

it is evidence, even though

we don't have a, you know, a subject

to go along with it.

I've already made contact

with our Homeland Security

Investigations guys

to see if somebody is gonna be able

to come and take this,

send it to the lab, definitively test it,

and hold it for evidence

pending any future investigations.

Satisfied a cartel has been outmaneuvered,

the team heads back to base.

An official lab analysis will follow.

But for now,

Todd carries out a basic field test.

Purple. Positive for marijuana.

If it wasn't for the good

Samaritan fishermen and the agents,

an ill*gal narcotic could have

fallen into the wrong hands.

Instead, it will be analyzed,

and any evidence found

will be used to inform future cases

before it's destroyed.

As long as we can keep bad guys

or narcotics off the street,

it's always a good day.

Off the east coast of Puerto Rico,

agents are checking a boat they stopped

with three suspected g*ng members.

- What were they arrested for?

- Human smuggling, money smuggling.

What is recently?

The guy who said he didn't remember

anything, It was just last month.

Are you voluntarily authorizing me

to touch your boat?

Keep an eye on them.

- I got it.

- We got it.

The agents move

to search the vessel carefully

since it isn't clear

what the men are up to

- or how dangerous they might be.

- Just keep an eye on those guys.

Lift up that carpet.

- What do you have there?

- Nothing.

- What are you carrying there?

- This is where we keep the tools.

They also have some at the front.

Despite the agents' concerns, the

search of the boat comes up empty.

It doesn't look like anything

suspicious at this point.

Although they do fit the description

of typically what we're looking for.

A little Yola, three guys on a boat.

And that looked suspicious

and that's why we stopped it.

But right now, it looks pretty clean.

The crew lets the men go.

But agent Sibio is still convinced

they were up to something.

I'm sure the guy that was in prison

had g*ng affiliation.

We couldn't see

what kind of tattoos they were.

I'm sure if we searched his arm

or somewhere else,

there was something that indicated

that he was in a g*ng.

We would have been able to tell

which g*ng it was.

I hate to have to put labels on somebody,

but they just weren't friendly enough

to me.

They didn't fit in.

The guy didn't remember

he was arrested last month.

Typically, those kind of answers

say that he's still

He's hiding something. He's still up

to something. He could be.

You know, we checked it.

His boat was clean this time.

You never know. But maybe next

time we'll catch him in the act.

On Puerto Rico's west coast,

after an abandoned boat was discovered

full of clothing and belongings,

agents are looking

for the human traffickers

and the people they were smuggling.

The search starts in a jungle

near the beach.

- Shall I go that way?

- Yes.

The boat journey would have taken

eight to 12 hours

from the Dominican Republic.

And by now, the people will have

been hiding for another six.

They will be dehydrated, hungry,

and probably scared.

A helicopter monitors from above,

while a team of agents and local police

look for clues of where the

traffickers and the migrants went.

Trying to go around the fence line.

If caught, the traffickers will face

up to 10 years in jail.

They surely crossed this path.

One local police officer did witness

some of the group earlier in the day.

Where did you see them

coming in and out exactly?

Over there.

- The road we came in?

- Where we arrived with the cars.

It's clear the group of people

is doing their best not to be found.

From in there,

I saw someone going towards the water

towards one of those lagoons.

But there's a baby within the group.

There's a diaper.

Yes, I saw it.

The news that there's a baby in the group

makes it even more crucial

that they are found.

And fast.

The team looks anywhere somebody

scared might potentially hide.

But despite their best efforts,

no one is found.

- Gracias.

- De nada.

So whatever we got left

is to work the streets

and keep ourselves in the area.

See what happens.

In Port Newark,

Customs and Border Protection's

Agriculture Officers

Melvin and Stephanie

received confirmation from an entomologist

that the beetle they found

in the ship's dry stores

isn't the highly invasive

and destructive khapra beetle.

So the ship won't have to quarantine.

Chief Officer, we would like

to see some documents.

- Ship particulars.

- Yeah. Okay.

But the ship isn't in the clear yet.

Because now they turn their attention

to cross-checking all the ship's

logs and documents.

Right now we're verifying

the different paperwork.

We're looking at the ship's particular,

and want to make sure

everything is okay and correct.

They're searching for any

discrepancies or violations

of U.S. rules and regulations.

As you can see, it says all of the

route that the ship is being stopped.

Majority of them was from Asia, China.

One tiny error would mean the ship's

multi-million dollar cargo

will have to go back

to where it came from.

Any passengers?

Or any offsigners, onsigners?

- Passenger, no.

- No, okay. Perfect. Thank you.

Having checked everything,

the ship is signed off as safe

and the cargo can now be unloaded.

Basically this ship is on compliance.

We didn't find anything

that can harm the U.S.

At every port of entry

into the U.S.,

officers like Stephanie and Melvin

protect the country's natural resources

from invasive plant pests

and animal diseases.

We see they were following all the

regulations that have been stated

with the different agencies

from the U.S.

And they're compliant,

so for me that's real good,

because that means we are doing

our job. They are understanding.

And as long as they keep following

the regulations as it needs to be,

then it makes our job easier.

I feel proud because I know

that I'm doing something

that can help the whole United States.

In Fort Lauderdale, after securing

the load of marijuana,

vessel captain Kyle and his team

are setting off on patrol again.

I don't think we'll have air support,

so we're just gonna drive around

and try and spot our own boats

coming across from The Bahamas.

Even without air support,

a boat is spotted coming from

the direction of The Bahamas,

and the agents decide to intercept.

I see one on board.

I got one in the cabin.

Ready?

Good morning, captain.

U.S. Customs, sir.

Where are you coming from today?

- Bimini.

- Okay. Where are you headed to?

- Haulover.

- Where in Haulover?

- Eastern Shores.

- Okay.

Upon closer inspection, Agent Kyle

thinks he recognizes the boat.

This boat does fit a description

of a target vessel

that I have some intel on.

Could be it, could not.

There's a lot of these out there,

but we'll see what we get.

This type of yacht was the first

boat made using fiberglass,

and hundreds of thousands of them

have been manufactured.

- Is it just you on board?

- Yeah.

- You're the only person?

- Yes.

- Okay. How long were you in Bimini?

- Overnight.

I came from Nassau, Bimini, then here.

Okay. You have anything to declare

- coming back into the country?

- I don't.

- You have your documentation handy?

- Yeah, I do.

Do you have any weapons on the boat?

- No, I don't.

- All right.

Only 50 miles from the coast of Florida,

the island chain of Bimini

has become a launch pad

for human trafficking and drug smuggling.

If you could do me a favor,

just put the clutch ahead.

We're gonna come alongside

and come on over.

Don't go down below for me.

I thought rolling up,

that I saw a head in that cabin.

Because Agent Todd thought he saw

a second person on board,

the agents move cautiously

to search the boat.

- Good morning, sir.

- Morning.

- How was your trip?

- Good.

Good. Yeah?

The agents quickly determine

the man is all alone.

- Where are you a citizen from?

- U.S.

You're a U.S. citizen?

Where were you born?

- U.K.

- Okay.

So you're naturalized then?

When were you naturalized, sir?

Uh, 1980

80-ish? 80-ish?

The man seems unsure of his story.

Agent Kyle wastes no time

getting the boat checked out.

Can you show me on a stop

with the vessel name

Common spelling.

Out of Miami Beach, Florida.

As they wait for the results,

Agent Todd and Mike

start their investigation.

Do you have your documents below?

Would you mind if my partner goes down,

takes a peek and grabs

those documents for us?

- Yeah.

- Okay. Binder. Got you.

Anything on the boat you need to declare?

- No.

- Okay.

While getting the documents,

Agent Mike takes the opportunity

to search the cabin

for anything out of the ordinary.

As the search goes on below deck,

Agent Todd continues questioning

the suspect.

- So you're the owner of the vessel?

- Yes.

I'll need to see the vessel documentation

- and your passport, please.

- Passport's down here.

Okay. Uh, Mike, coming down.

Go ahead and grab it, sir.

The man is claiming he owns the vessel,

but the state of Florida's records

show otherwise.

Go for, 831.

I think I've found your vessel.

We have the registered owner on that

as a Ralls.

Year of birth is 1942.

1942?

1942 would make the suspect

over 80 years old.

When Agent Todd gets hold of his passport,

the name doesn't match.

Mr. Smith.

The wrong name and wrong age

means either the authorities

have incorrect information,

or the man isn't telling the truth.

So the boat's being kept here?

I have a house here on Eastern Shores.

If he's lying about the boat,

the agents need to find out

if he's lying about anything else.

On Puerto Rico's west coast,

agents are continuing to look

for the human traffickers

and the people they brought

to the island illegally.

- Shall I go that way?

- Yes.

While the search

hasn't turned up anything yet,

Agent Rodriguez receives word

that further inland,

a large group has been rescued

and taken to the Border Patrol

Station in Aguadilla.

I'm heading back to the station

to see where they're coming from,

how many, more or less,

see how many outstanding.

So far,

46 people have been discovered safe,

including the baby.

They are all from the Dominican

Republic and neighboring Haiti.

The majority of this group are Haitians.

Most of them,

they're just escaping the reality

of their living situation

over there in Haiti.

It's been going on for a while already.

There's no law over there, so these

guys are looking for a better life.

The breakdown in law and order in Haiti

is exploited by the traffickers,

who cash in on the hopeless

situation of many living there.

The people that are bringing

these guys in, they don't care.

They just see a dollar sign

on each person.

So the more people they could fit

into a boat,

the more money they make.

They're actually trading

with the lives of people,

making money out of their desperation.

The journey across is treacherous.

And this time, one woman didn't make it.

We found a body floating

between the sand and the water.

It was somewhere around

100-and-something yards

west of the landing.

Apparently, when they arrived,

they hit the rock so hard,

this lady probably fell off,

hit her head, and floated.

In the commotion, nobody noticed.

Homeland Security investigators

are now interviewing

all the detained migrants

to see if they can identify

the trafficker responsible.

As an investigative agency,

the main purpose of us being here

is to try to identify the boat captain.

We have people from the

Dominican Republic that talk Spanish.

It's easy for us.

But in Haiti, they talk Creole.

So in order to conduct an interview

with a migrant from Haiti,

we need to contact an interpreter

who assists us during the interview.

Multiple witnesses have identified a man

who is in the group agents have

detained as the trafficker.

Because a person was k*lled,

the trafficker is looking at

a charge of manslaughter.

I'm pretty sure he could get life

in prison.

We don't have the death penalty

in Puerto Rico,

but I'm pretty sure he'll get life.

Agents are hoping to have enough evidence

to mount a successful prosecution.

Meanwhile,

off the coast of Fort Lauderdale

- Anything come back on the vessel?

- Standby.

Agent Kyle and his team

have stopped a boat

where the alleged owner doesn't

match the details on state records.

That's negative on the vessel.

Just looks like a private vessel.

Despite the conflicting information

the agents have,

it looks like the boat hasn't been

stolen or involved in a crime.

- You need checks on the R.O.?

- Yes, please.

But that doesn't mean

the registered owner is clean, too.

So the registered owner's

date of birth was, like, '42,

and the guy on board

doesn't look to be that old.

On the vessel, Agent Todd

is checking the man's story.

So you left Nassau yesterday

and went to Bimini?

I left Nassau at 5:00 o'clock

last night.

I got into Bimini at 3:20.

Agent Mike is still searching

for anything that may be hidden.

When Agent Todd studies

the man's vessel documents,

the name is the same as the passport,

but he uncovers a problem.

- Do you have Florida numbers as well?

- No, just the U.S. documentation.

The man hasn't registered the boat

with the state of Florida,

even though he lives there.

You don't have a sticker

from the state of Florida?

No.

It explains all the confusion.

- Pretty sure you need one.

- Really?

Although he's the legal owner,

not registering the vessel

with the state of Florida

means the records are out of date.

We'll get you on your way.

How's that sound?

It's a small mistake

that could have caused big problems.

I'll put your documentation back in here.

Your passport will be right there.

You can seal that up

whenever you're ready.

- Are you good?

- I'm good.

- Thank you for your time.

- Thank you very much.

Welcome back.

Safe travels to you today.

I was looking for modifications.

It really fits a good example

of what we're looking for.

One guy driving back from The Bahamas,

really didn't have much on board.

I was really digging in there

to see if I saw any kind of like

places where he can hide stuff, screws,

anything that looked out of the usual

for him to Any modifications.

But I didn't really see anything.

I was digging pretty hard

in certain spots that I've seen before.

So, everything checked out.

His documentation paperwork

for the vessel was outdated.

We're just trying to verify that he

was actually the registered owner.

And nothing out of the ordinary.

All in all, good stop.