All language subtitles for American.Cartel.2020.S01E03.720p.DSCP.WEBRip.x264-GalaxyTV Eng

[rain falling]

[indistinct talking over radio]

License.

[Bercovici]: There's a belief
in police work that every major

investigation starts
with a traffic stop.

One of the things about
a traffic stop,

it's probably the most
dangerous thing that we do.

What happened in Burbank that
night, simple traffic stop,

[gunshots blasting]

Which led to the manhunt
for a cop killer,

David Garcia,

which led to going after gangs
that were working

with the Mexican mafia
and the Mexican drug cartels,

and then we discovered
that they have infiltrated

the city government in Burbank,

and you just... you know,
you really can't make that up.

[gunshot blasts]

This stuff doesn't happen
in the city of Burbank,

and it did.

[sirens wailing]

What started as the murder
of my son

got bigger and bigger
and bigger.

They had a direct pipeline
source to a super lab

from Mexico.

[man] Rival drug cartels
have waged a deadly war.

[man #2] Victims have
suffered violent death.

[man #3] Twelve more dead
bodies found today.

Influence and money...
They've got it all.

It was shocking to me
that someone

at the top of city
government was

swept up in the investigation.

A lot of people
watched "The Wire,"

but we lived it.

♪♪

♪♪

[Bercovici]
The clock was ticking on us.

Garcia's on the run,
and if he was able to escape,

there is that fear that
these guys are emboldened

to take on the cops,
and you know they have

access to high-grade weaponry,

so we needed to catch the guy.

We're gonna send a message
that you don't do this,

that you don't get away with it.

When he was relocated
to Mexico, to Tijuana,

he didn't get there by himself.

There was some support there.

Now who was it?

[detective] Is that David
you're talking about?

[Barba] Yeah, that...
That's him, that's David.

[detective] For sure
that's the guy, or maybe?

[Barba] No, that's him.

[Tim Stehr] We get a thorough
interview from Alfredo Barba

and he tells us everything
that happens.

He takes us through
all the steps.

David Garcia runs from
the crime scene.

He runs all the way to
his neighborhood,

and that's where he runs
De Leon,

and De Leon gives him a ride
up to another house

in Arleta.

Luis Sandoval was a shot
caller in that gang,

and he said, wow,

we gotta get... we got to get
David Garcia out of here.

And Luis knew he had to get

someone that was clean
to... to do this.

So he used Alfredo
Barba, because

he didn't have
a criminal record.

No one would be able to attach
Alfredo Barba with the gang.

Luis Sandoval called Barba

"and said, "Take this guy,
take him into Mexico

and hook him up with a
Vineland Boy gang member."

His name was Eric Avina.

Eric Avina had a warrant for
his arrest for gun violations.

That's why he was hiding there.

Alfredo Barba says, "Okay,"
loads him in a car

and delivers, uh,
David Garcia into Mexico.

Alfredo Barba told us, "The
last time I saw David Garcia,

I brought him to Eric Avina,
across the border."

[Tim] We don't know
if he's still there.

We don't know
where in Mexico he is.

Our goal was
to get Eric Avina now.

[Tony Burke] Now
we're basically down

to one person away, who last,

possibly still has
or last had contact with him.

Who physically has or knows
the location of our fugitive.

[detective] Alfredo Luis.

[Tim] And Barba said to find Luis
Sandoval and get information from him.

[investigator] You said,
your friend Luis Sandoval...

[Adam Bercovici] Sandoval was
supposedly the guy

that, you know, masterminded
the entire thing.

[Tim] We can get him then,

we can maybe get David Garcia.

So, the detectives that were
talking to Alfredo Barba

had learned that he, as a
facilitator, he did different things.

[Barba] I do errands for him.

Like, he rented

a location to do a marijuana
grow, he got the phones,

he also fed the dogs,

that were at the marijuana grow.

Uh, they were pitbull dogs
that were there to guard

the outside perimeter
of the grow house.

And he would have to ask
for money from Luis Sandoval.

So, the idea was now,
let's get Alfredo Barba

to reach out to Luis Sandoval

and say he needs to meet him
for some money.

[Barba] Luis?
Yeah, yeah it's me.

Yeah, I'm good, I'm good.

[Tim] And the plan was

to get Luis Sandoval there,

get him in custody before
he can make a phone call

to Mexico or wherever
David Garcia is.

[police officer] There's a pedestrian
walking towards our location.

[Tim] We hear somebody sees him.

Luis Sandoval doesn't like
the look of it.

The decision's made
by the team out there,

to box him in and take Luis
Sandoval into custody.

He sees him coming
and the chase is on.

[tires screeching]

[police siren wailing]

[helicopter blades whirring]

[Tim] And we finally have
Luis Sandoval.

And Luis Sandoval refuses
to talk to anyone.

He refuses to talk
to investigators,

the District Attorney, Craig
Richman goes to talk to him.

Several different
investigators say,

"We wanna explain to him
the gravity of this,

explain what he's looking at."

You know, and that he needs to
help us, you know, David Garcia.

Luis Sandoval refuses.

Luis Sandoval never tells us

anything about where
David Garcia is.

So now, we're really
under the gun.

Now, coming up with
another plan is imminent.

And I will, again my hats off
to my investigators.

They... Still talking
to Alfredo Barba.

Alfredo Barba tells them...

They say, "Hey, you think
you could make a call

to a person in Mexico and
say hey, I'm coming down there.

I'm on my way down, Luis wants
me to give you some money."

[Barba] No, not at all,
it'd be normal.

[Tim] Barba said that
this is something

that would be normal
for him to do.

He said Eric Avina
would want the money.

So we discuss it as a group.

And I'll say, probably half
the people are telling me

"You know, Timothy,
they're gonna know."

They're gonna know
this is a setup.

If we use Alfredo Barba
and send him down there,

they're gonna
kill Alfredo Barba,

"because they know
he's working with us."

And I said, "I don't believe
we're doing that."

[Tim] We didn't have any
indication that there was a call

from Luis Sandoval
to Eric Avina.

I made the decision, we're
gonna go ahead and try that plan.

[Tim] We were gonna take
Alfredo Barba

and we were gonna drive
into Tijuana, all of us.

And Alfredo Barba
was gonna point out Eric Avina

and we're gonna take him
into custody there.

Then we can maybe get
to wherever David Garcia is.

[Barba] Yo, I was calling
because I wanted to...

So Alfredo Barba makes
the call into Mexico.

And we tell him, "You tell
him, I'm already almost there."

And this was the eve
of Thanksgiving.

[Tim] I go to the heliport
with Alfredo Barba.

Start heading south down
to the border.

The challenge in Mexico

is the corruption factor
within law enforcement.

[Tim] I think it's pretty
common knowledge,

how many are on payroll
of drug cartels.

You have to find the right
police to work with down there.

And that's what the Marshals do.

[Burke] On our task force,
that's something that

Joe Chavarria or Don Vasquez
specialize in.

[Scott Samuels] Joe was known
for his ability

to reach out and talk to the right
people in Mexican law enforcement.

We needed to figure out how
were we going to grab this guy,

how are we gonna do it lawfully.

We're now dealing
with a sovereign nation.

[Tim] It is explained to me that they
don't trust the local police officers.

So, it was kinda touchy.

We link up Captain Stehr
with Don Vasquez.

[Tim] He's one of the
undercovers, he goes back and forth.

[Samuels] He's famous in the
Marshal Service for his work in Mexico.

He probably kind of looked more,

more like a street urchin
or a homeless person.

But he worked very
effectively in Tijuana

and he blends in well.

Kind of like you know, myself,
I don't necessarily look like

a police officer.

[Tim] Twenty minutes later,
I'm in the car with him

driving into Mexico.

[crowd milling]

[dog barking]

[Tim] Goal was
to get Eric Avina.

[phone ringing]

And the plan was that Alfredo
Barba will get on the phone,

call him out,

while the U.S. Marshals would
then call the Federales.

So that the Federales
could take him into custody.

Barba had told Eric Avina

to meet him in front of a bar
on Revolution Street.

Gave him the name of the bar.

Meanwhile me and Vasquez,

were waiting in the shadows,
you know, watching.

Standing around he's looking,
he's getting impatient.

We have Alfredo Barba telling
him, "Just wait."

"I'm almost there, I'm almost
there, I'm almost there."

I thought he was gonna leave.

It was just taking too long.

Finally, we see

some people jump out of a car.

[Burke] Mexican police just
come up, grab him

throw a black bag over his head.

And throw him in
the back of a vehicle

where two people jumped
on top of him and took off.

[tires screeching]

[Burke] Captain Stehr, he's like,
"Oh, my god! what just happened?

Was that the police
or the cartel?"

[speaking Spanish]

Vasquez told me, "We got
to get out of here."

[siren wailing]

Because the local police
are gonna come.

They thought that it might be
reported as some kidnapping.

[Tim] Now, we're on
Thanksgiving morning.

Everybody had been up all night,

and no one's
with their families.

[Burke] Eric Avina told me

that he's at one of these
two addresses.

In Mexico, in Tijuana.

U.S. Marshals called
the Federales.

Say, "Listen, will you
allow us to come in

and go with us,
to find David Garcia?"

Not sure which house,
they're fairly close together.

But you know, be like, you
know three or four streets apart.

Two different addresses.

But there was a pizza delivery

to this one house

and, you know, they didn't see who
got the pizza, just saw the pizza man

and they see the Mexican police.

Once that pizza man left,
they interviewed him really quick

and said,
"Hey, was this guy there?"

He's like, "Yeah that's who
I delivered the pizza to."

[sirens wailing]

[Burke] That was it,
that's all they needed.

I think they actually surrounded
the house with something like,

25-30 officers.

And kicked in the door

and did a full-blown raid
into that house.

And apprehended Garcia.

I called Tom Hoefel immediately.

Told him we had David Garcia.

Ah but,

we don't have him across
the border yet.

[Tim] Told us to send
a couple people to the border.

I went, two other people
went to the border.

One of them had
Matt Pavelka's handcuffs.

We waited and we're waiting,

my phone rings

and it's the U.S. Marshals.

And they go, "Tim",

your Chief of Police
is going to get a call

from some government official,

"do not let him take that call."

[phone ringing]

[Tim] "They're trying to make this
political, do not let him take that call."

[phone ringing]

'Cause until he's processed

through Mexican immigration
and deported,

we don't have him.

Politics can get
in the middle of that.

And have Mexican heads
of immigration,

mayors, governors

and sometimes people want
to use it for their political gain

or, you know, some press on it.

Even lawyers in the area

are trying to get
their notoriety,

and see if they can get him off.

And you never know
what's gonna happen.

[phone ringing]

We're all on pins and needles,

it's been a little longer
than usual.

[phone ringing]

The Chief of Police actually gets a
phone call from a Mexico number.

Ends up that it's the governor, I
said, "Just don't get the phone."

[phone ringing]

♪♪

[Tim] So it was
Thanksgiving morning.

Here we stood at the border.

It had been...

a long road to get here.

And I wasn't gonna
be satisfied until we had him

and till we put our handcuffs
on him.

[Tim] They did call,
they did call for the Chief.

He didn't take the call and
then we sat with pins and needles

to wonder
what's gonna happen next.

We did not know if that meant

now we're not gonna get him,

now they're not
gonna give him to us.

[Tim] And finally,

probably 40 minutes later,

we see a hooded person
being walked.

[Tim] I see Don Vasquez
walking next to the hooded person

and that's David Garcia.

And they bring him to the border

and I had instructed

the two officers that were with
me, "As soon as he's within reach,

just grab him."

We finally have David Garcia.

And...

it was almost surreal.

It had already been arranged
what car he was gonna be in,

that he was gonna be in the
car with some investigators

and driven back with a
caravan, back to Burbank.

[Tim] Matt Pavelka's handcuffs
were put on him.

And they stayed on him,

until we got him into the jail
at Burbank Police Department.

[car starting]

[Tim] On the way back,

he gave a full confession
to the investigators.

[Scott Meadows] I drove him
to the jail.

And he was very frank

and admitted to the whole thing.

[gunshot]

[Meadows] If I were to tell you

what I ate for breakfast,
for example,

that's about the same amount
of emotion that came out.

I saw in his face

something that just
so struck me as evil.

[Tim] I did call then, back at
the command post.

And I told him that we had
gotten David Garcia.

And they all were screaming
on the phone

that they were so happy
it's over.

[Darin Ryburn] It just erupted

in cheers, backslaps,
high fives.

Right after all the cheering,

Chief Hoefel and I
got in the car.

At the time Mike and Sue weren't
home, they were at a friend's house.

And here comes

the Chief of Burbank

and I thought what the heck
are they doing here, you know.

They said, "Well, we came
to give you some good news."

Chief Hoefel told them that
David Garcia was in custody.

So...

we all cried and...

It was a good day.

[Bercovici] It was
Thanksgiving night, right?

And bunch of us were standing
on the steps of the station.

And I saw something,
to this day I'll never forget.

Somebody said, "They're
on their way, they're coming."

And people from all over
the community of Burbank,

ran to be at the foot of the...

of the steps
of the police station.

Chief Hoefel came out,
our brass showed up.

That's when the formal
announcement was given

that Garcia had been
taken into custody.

[Mike Pavelka] Tonight,
we are very pleased

that David Garcia is in custody.

And we are here to say thanks
to those that worked so hard,

including the Mexican
authorities that cooperated.

[Tim] Burbank's
a tight-knit community.

Many took this as one of their
own that was shot and killed.

There was a candlelight vigil
outside of our station.

And I believe over
2,000 people came.

[woman] At this time,
it is my honor and pleasure

to introduce the Mayor of the
city of Burbank, Stacey Murphy.

[Ryburn] Stacey Murphy was a huge
supporter of the police department.

I mean, she loved us.

She, you know, she thought
we were great.

[Stacey Murphy] Matthew loved
life and possessed the values

we expect of every sworn
law enforcement officer.

Honesty, hard work
and dedication.

Let tonight be about
committing to keeping his spirit

and the principles
he stood for alive.

[applause]

[Mike Pavelka] Matthew
would be proud to know

how much effort

by different law enforcement
agencies was put in

to the eventual capture

of David Garcia in Mexico.

After the manhunt,

the war wasn't over.

The Vineland Boyz
were out of control.

[John Williams] The gang
has been involved

in killing police officers,

they have obviously
no respect to human life

and no fear.

We were gonna keep pushing
and turn up the heat.

On the investigators side,
you know,

now the work really starts.

[police radio chatter]

What I remember, John Williams
looked up at me and he said,

"We need someone who's
an expert on this stuff."

We need Dan Jenks.

[Jenks] My supervisor
contacted me and said,

"Hey, they're starting
a task force

on the Vineland Boyz and I want
you to head the investigation."

[Williams] Dan's the best that we
had at putting a case like this together.

They had just had
another big case

against the Shoreline Crips gang

with a big water case,
it was very successful.

So it was not a hard sell
to get Dan Jenks involved.

[Jenks] I was assigned to go to
Burbank PD, I'd never been there before.

I stopped and picked up
Dan Fournier,

who was assigned
to the gang unit.

And I went into my first
meeting for the task force.

[Fournier] So Dan Jenks, I really
didn't know much about Dan Jenks,

but from the first meeting
we had with him,

I was like, wow, just impressed.

Like, this guy really knows
what he's talking about.

[Jenks] It was a clear
stated goal at the beginning.

We knew that we had a problem
that we'd identified

and we needed to figure out
how to address it.

It was an odd position
to find myself in,

I've been assigned
to investigate a gang

but the crime has
already been solved.

The murder of Pavelka

and the attempted murder
of Campbell,

were solved by Burbank PD.

It was well handled
and over with

when I first started
in December.

But the mission

of dismantling the gang
was something new to me

and it made me

feel a sense
of awesome responsibility.

[Jenks] When I sat in that
first briefing, I was advised

that, you know, the Vineland
Boyz were selling narcotics

out of the Ramada Inn that
night the Pavelka was killed.

The type of weapons they had

high-powered weapons,
fully automatic weapons,

really concerned us.

But when I saw a hundred grams
in the car,

that's a significant amount
of drugs

and it'd been high quality.

Generally all the high quality
methamphetamine comes

from super labs down in Mexico

associated with drug trafficking
organizations and cartels.

David Garcia and Ramon Aranda,

the two people involved in
the Pavelka shooting were,

what we considered
street-level gang members.

But obviously we wanted to focus

on who was supplying them,

what was their importation
point, to get to the root cause of it

and see if we can dismantle
their organization.

I knew it was gonna be a
challenge right from the beginning.

So having just come off
the Venice Shoreline case,

it looked like
the perfect opportunity to,

for lack of a better term,
put the band back together.

[Dave Torres] 2003,
and 2004, I was, um,

assigned to an LAPD,
DEA Task Force,

given the same federal powers
as federal DEA agents.

HIDTA Group 51, it's an acronym

for High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area.

Detective Jenks was asking
about our group and,

you know, my initial response
was, "Good luck."

It's very difficult

to prosecute a federal case

because you have to get the United
States Attorney to agree that the case

is worthy
of their time, basically.

[Torres] What other law enforcement
thought about Vineland Boyz,

that they were just
regular street gang members

who had involved in
street stuff, street robberies

car jackings, burglaries,
just simple things.

I got the feeling

it was something bigger.

[Adam] Matt Pavelka, Jim Beyea,

both were shot and killed
by the Vineland Boyz.

[Fournier] The ultimate goal
is to cut the head off the gang.

Because the higher-ups, the
shot callers are just as culpable

as Ramon Aranda
and David Garcia.

It's like reading a book,

you always want to get
to the last chapter and see

who the main kingpin in it and
where the narcotics are coming from.

But at that time, I didn't know.

The leaders of the gang
don't actually go out

and handle the drugs
with their own hands,

they don't drive,
pick them up and deliver.

They make sure they're at
least once or twice removed

and it can't be
tied back to them.

[Jenks] So, our initial plan
was to work from the bottom-up.

Let's find out, okay, you got
the lowline drug dealer.

Okay, well, where is he
getting his dope from?

Then you get that guy.

Okay now, you know who
that guy is, now you go up,

see who his associates are,
who he's dealing with.

And then you get up to the next
guy, you slowly move up the level

till you get to the top.

You know, it's easy to tell who's
out on the street selling drugs

and you can put in
undercover officers, informants.

We started to having
surveillance conducted.

If you've got
a bunch of guys coming in,

you know, parking isolated
from everybody else.

Trunks go open,

doors go open,

there's a sudden exchange.

Guess what? You probably have
a drug deal.

[Jenks] And then if they did
make an arrest, we would go

interview these people,
and see if we can develop

intelligence or make them
an informant.

We were able to buy some drugs and make some
arrests and search some search warrants.

We did that quite a bit for
the first couple of months.

But we were not able
to breakthrough

and get their source of supply
or the hierarchy of the gang

through those arrests.

People just wouldn't cooperate.

So the traditional
investigative measures

were not helping us get to
the main organizers in the gang.

So we needed a new
investigative strategy.

[phone dialing]

[line dialing]

[dog barking]

[man 1 speaking Spanish]

[man 2 speaking Spanish]

[man 1 speaking Spanish]

To take down a gang
of this sophistication,

you need to get up
on their phones

and the he only way to do that
is through a wiretap.

[men conversing in Spanish]

[phone chatter]

[line ringing]

[Jenks] A wiretap is a unique
law enforcement tool.

Gives us the ability to really
get the inside of what's going on.

Who's communicating with who?

Who's involved in
narcotics transaction?

Who's dealing in weapons?

[chatter in Spanish]

But it can only be used
as a last resort.

So you can't start
with a wiretap.

In order to get in a wiretap
basically, we have to show

that all other investigations
we've done,

tried to do it, wouldn't work.

And that's what we did.

[shutter clicking]

On April 12th, 2004, we got
the first series of wiretaps

that were signed
by a federal judge.

[chatter in Spanish]

[Jenks] As the wire developed, we
needed somebody that spoke Spanish.

[phone ringing]

[Carlos Camacho] So at the time I
was working gangs in North Hollywood.

[chatter in Spanish]

But I grew up in Los Angeles.

And during the late 80's,

there was so many gangs.

So many shootings,
so many killings.

[police sirens wailing]

[Camacho] Gang members
typically intimidate

the community that they are in.

One summer night

when I was in the eighth grade,

I was with my friend,
my neighbor.

And we were riding our bicycles.

And all of a sudden,

some gang members came up to us

and started asking us
where we were from.

And I wasn't from a gang

and I said,
"Hey, I'm from nowhere."

And that's when he put
the gun to my forehead

and said, "I'm gonna kill you,
where are you from?"

And...

I said, "I'm from nowhere."

After that I was afraid,

afraid to be in front
of my house.

And that's,

that's why I wanted to be
a police officer.

I didn't want to be afraid.

And I didn't want other people
to have to be afraid.

[line ringing]

[voice in Spanish]

[Camacho] On wiretaps...

[voice in Spanish]

...you would see their
family side of it, you know,

taking care of the kids,
picking up the kids from school,

birthday parties, being there
for their event for their kids,

their baseball games.

And then you would see
a whole different side

which was the criminal aspect.

[voice in Spanish]

Yes, most wiretaps when
you have criminal activities

and they're discussing criminal
activities, they try to be coded.

[voice in Spanish]

[Camacho] For instance, we had

some narcotics
that they called the Audi

and we're like,
"What are they talking about?"

[voices in Spanish]

And the high amounts
of Audi, who has

ten or 20 Audis?

That's just not,
it doesn't make sense, right?

They're probably not
importing cars from Germany.

But when we started sending
surveillance teams,

and sure enough,

they would seize narcotics

with an Audi symbol
on the very top.

And that put it all together.

[phone ringing]

[Camacho] We actually
make a glossary.

A Kuiper for quarter,
an ounce of Marijuana or...

The Crys or the Crystal

or the Blanco,
the blight, the powder.

Ventanas, in Spanish, they
would say ventanas,

which is a glass.

[Jenks] Amphetamine.

It looked like
little window panes,

or little pieces
of broken shards of glass.

They were talking about Motores.

So, they would say, use,

"Hey, bring me the motors,
I'm ready for the motors."

But what these codes mean,
this conjecture,

until you actually see
the seizures.

[voice in Spanish]

One particular case, somebody
wanted to buy two motors.

[phone dialing]

[line ringing]

[men conversing in Spanish]

[police siren wailing]

[Jenks] Ultimately, was able
to get on that purchaser

and stop that car.

And got two kilos.

So now, you know,
it's consistent that

two kilos of cocaine
that were seized,

were the two motors
they were talking about,

with the participant
who was on the phone.

Realized we got it right.

So then we start
making determinations

about what code
they're speaking,

what crimes they're involved in

and then the case started
gaining momentum.

[policeman over radio]

[Jenks] As the case went on,
I saw more narcotics

than I did in
the entire three years

I was assigned to narcotics.

At one point we got, I believe
was 47 kilos of cocaine.

It's a lot of narcotics.

I met with this sergeant out
there that was running the crew

and he was excited
because they had found

this picture.

[Torres] We had a individual,

last name was Chaidez.

Chaidez was identified
as a higher-up,

probably a lieutenant
within the Sinaloa Cartel.

El Chapo ran the Sinaloa Cartel.

[Fournier] I mean, come on, it
went all the way to Chapo Guzman.

Cartel, I mean that's how
big the organization was.

I mean, that's a shock.

I think it woke us up.

[chatter over radio]

There was a photo for a wedding.

So that tells you
the personal connection

between the gang
and the Sinaloa Cartels.

We found out later

that the link basically
was Mariano Meza.

Mariano Meza was married
to the sister

of Luis Sandoval.

[Williams] Sandoval,
he was the one that got

Garcia taken that night within
hours of the shooting,

across the border into Mexico.

[Jenks] So it kinda
went full circle.

[Bruce Applin] Consider
the gravity of that realization,

that the Vineland Boyz were connected
with the Chapo Guzman organization.

We were like,
"Hey, wait a minute,

so they co-opted
these street gangs."

You know, they actually
created a method of distribution

with these gangs

that, we up to this point kinda
considered localized street gangs.

And the answer to that was yes.

[Mundo] In 2004, El Chapo
Guzman was not a household name.

So, it might not have been common
knowledge to the average person.

But the Mexican cartels

were already deeply entrenched

in the United States.

Street gangs and prison gangs,
all fit into their puzzle.

[Iaon Grillo speaking]

Chapo Guzman of Sinaloa Cartel.

Which is arguably still
the richest and most powerful

drug cartel in Mexico.

[Grillo] El Chapo escaped
from prison in 2001,

after he'd been in prison
for eight years.

When he came out in 2001
and he started rebuilding,

he was very aggressive.

So in this period, the
Sinaloa Cartel is bringing in

tons and tons and tons
of cocaine,

tons of crystal meth.

If you're a member of a Mexican
Cartel, and you can cultivate

a gang like the Vineland
Boyz, to sell their product,

at a large scale,

they would love that.

They would have representation
on this side of the border.

[Grillo] If you have
a ton of cocaine,

the Sinaloa Cartel could buy
that ton of cocaine

for $2 million.

And then that ton of cocaine could be
worth a $150 Million in American streets.

So it's just huge amounts
of profits there being made.

So then, you have
these street gangs

with some of them forging closer
ties to the cartels and trying to move up.

The higher you move up,
the cheaper you can buy drugs

and the more money you can make.

Vineland Boyz were trafficking
any large amounts of narcotics.

Millions of million of dollars.

[Jenks] And we started looking
at the criminal histories

and where these guys
had been arrested.

They'd been arrested in Kentucky
for selling pounds of cocaine.

Been arrested in North Carolina.

Atlanta, Tennessee, Hawaii.

Their activities ran across
the entire country.

[Bercovici] The crazy thing
about all of this is

that the Vineland Boyz
weren't just importing drugs.

They were importing the
cartel's culture and their violence.

That was surprising to me.

They were basically doing
all the same things

the cartels do in Mexico,
whether it be their music,

the narcocorridoes.

[hip-hop music playing]

We're hearing those
all the time on the wiretap.

The drug sales,

the worshipping

of the Saints that protect them,

the cockfighting.

[indistinct shouting]

We had a lot of murders
involving Vineland Boyz.

And these murders
were cartel-style murders.

People shot in the back of the
head, people in the trunks of car,

people kidnapped, tied up
and tortured in garages.

[Camacho] The similarities
were very clear.

They were trying to be or,

being like
the cartels in Mexico,

in our own backyard.

As it turned out, the leader
of the Vineland Boyz

lived just several blocks
from where I lived

at the time, in
a multi-million dollar home.

It's kinda like living
with The Sopranos,

right next door.

[Mike Pavelka] There's no part
of society

that many of have these gangs
and the cartels don't touch.

[Bercovici] What was shocking
is how deep this thing went.

We discovered that in the city
of Burbank,

there was corruption
connected to these gangs.

[Mike Pavelka] During several
of the memorials

that we went
to the candlelight vigil,

we got to know
council members Stacey Murphy.

It's my sincere hope
that when we walk away

from this
candlelight vigil tonight,

will keep what we know about
Matthew Pavelka in our hearts and souls.

Cocaine, three handguns and
approximately 900 rounds of ammunition,

were seized from that residence.

[Mike Pavelka] Later, it came
out that she and her boyfriend

were involved
with the Vineland Boyz.

[officer] It is also known that
Mr. Shaffer has 19 handguns registered to

and then on at least
two separate occasions,

he has provided known
Vineland Boyz gang members

with handguns,
in exchange for cocaine.

I was, I was actually shocked
when I found out that

that she was involved
with cocaine

and he was involved
in trading weapons for drugs.

Who knows what kind of
information was being passed along.

[Bercovici] One thing
this case taught us,

that the reach of the cartels
is insidious.

I don't know what Stacey
Murphy's motivation was.

But what I do know is, somebody
that was in the position of trust

was drawn in by bad people.

It doesn't get uglier than that.

[tape whirring]

[Jenks] That night that
they made this large seizure,

on the Vineland Boyz.

Now seeing this picture,

we began to realize

we made
a significant connection.

As an investigator, once you

tie into these drug
trafficking organizations

and cartels in Mexico,

then you start being able to get

the rest of what's available
through the federal government.

And that support
the logistics and money.

Because what we are up
against was a group

that had means, opportunity
and financing

to thwart our efforts.

[siren wailing]

[Bercovici] Case was now
gonna go in the long haul.

We were going to take this
to the full measure

and do what we had to do to
bring these people to justice.

[man] I don't know, dog.

[Bercovici] We rode that wire
for another 12 months.

We had car chases,
we had suspects murdered

right in front
of surveillance teams.

We had to try and stop a hitman
on the loose in North Carolina.

[siren wailing]

And the ride was gonna get a
whole lot wilder before it was over.

[gunshot]

This shit storm
landed on Burbank's doorstep

through one simple traffic stop.

[Tim] With Greg Campbell, I
specifically remember being told,

"Greg will never walk again."

And you know, that's not true,
you know, Greg walks.

[Mike Pavelka] Greg was a
fighter, he continues to be a fighter.

So no, he proved them wrong.

[policeman] Down to work limited
duty, he drives himself to work now.

He's got a long way to go,
but he's with us here tonight.

I just want to introduce you,
Greg Campbell over here.

[applause]

[Mike Pavelka] You know, it's
astounding that the murder of Matthew

just kept morphing into something
bigger and bigger and bigger.

Ultimately, this story
being told to me,

and the only reason
I'm doing this

and I'm even willing to talk
about it is because

of the sacrifice that Matt made.

And that sacrifice,
was not in vain.

♪♪

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