All language subtitles for Drug.Lords.The.Next.Generation.S01E06.720p.HULU.WEBRip.x264-GalaxyTV Eng

JEREMY McDERMOTT:
Right from the beginning

his alias was "The Ghost."

Because he always was going
to try and live in the shadows.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

He's directly linked
to some of the most violent

"visible" narcos
in Colombian history.

including Pablo Escobar's
successor, Don Berna.

The Ghost is an extraordinarily
powerful individual.

One of the most prolific
and powerful

drug traffickers in Colombia.

Then he disappears.

In 2008, poof, he's gone.

I'm out to track him down,
find him.

I'm not going to let these
(bleep) intimidate me,

particularly not this one.

Confront him and expose him.

McDERMOTT: This is not good.

Don't stop here,
don't stop here.

(siren)

McDERMOTT: I've been
an investigative journalist

for the last 25 years.

I'm a former
British Army officer

who made the leap
to war correspondent.

Started in Bosnia,
moved to the Middle East,

and I came to Colombia in 1997.

(gunfire)

This was when the civil conflict
was at its worst.

Left‐wing guerillas seeking
to overthrow the government,

and then pitted against them
were right‐wing paramilitaries,

but they've all been fed
by drug trafficking.

Cocaine has been
the fuel on the fire.

But from 2004 to 2006 there's
a turning point in the conflict.

In a place known as Ralito

in the north of the country
in Córdoba Department.

The right‐wing paramilitary army
of the AUC,

the most powerful
drug trafficking organization

in the world, sits down to
negotiate with the government.

Ralito is the largest gathering
of narcos in history.

(man speaking Spanish)

A who's who of the most powerful
and violent drug barons

in Colombia.

Mancuso.

Carlos Castaño.

Pablo Sevillano.

Macaco.

Don Berna.

And with these kingpins,
a mysterious figure.

He never appeared
in public at Ralito.

Deliberately stayed away
from the cameras.

But he did sign
a key AUC document

entitled United for Peace.

So we got Mancuso, we've got
Don Berna, we've got Macaco,

we know all of these names,
until we get to here.

Sebastián Colmenares.

Who is he and why is he in such
distinguished criminal company?

Sebastián Colmenares was,
according to this document,

one of the most important
paramilitary commanders

there were.

An extraordinarily powerful
individual.

A person who we believe is
responsible for smuggling

tons of drugs to
the mainland United States.

And then he disappears.

In 2008, poof, he's gone.

What I want to know is
where did he go?

What's he doing now?

Where is Sebastián Colmenares
today?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

The paramilitaries all signed
their documents with aliases.

So, we assumed that
Sebastián Colmenares

was an alias.

I run the name past
my underworld sources.

But I drew a blank.

Then, there's a breakthrough.

We get word from
a high‐ranking ex‐narco

that Sebastián Colmenares
also went by another alias.

♪ ♪

McDERMOTT: Memo is Will
in Spanish,

and Fantasma is a ghost,

so the literal translation
of Memo Fantasma

is he's Will the Ghost.

And this alias
has been whispered

through the Medellín underworld
for years.

JOHN BARRY: I was meeting
with an informant in Mexico,

and that name Memo Fantasma
came up.

The name has always
stuck with me,

because who could forget
a name like Memo Fantasma?

McDERMOTT: Memo Fantasma
is clearly well‐known

in the criminal world.

But when I begin to question
Colombian police sources,

we hit a brick wall.

Some just say,
"Never heard of him."

Which can't be possible.

Others say, "Ask me something
else, Jerry. Don't go there."

We get nothing, nothing, not a
whisper from the police sources,

and this is an alarm bell.

How is it possible that a name
that has widespread recognition

in the underworld is completely
unknown to the police?

The most obvious and
alarming explanation

is they know who Memo Fantasma
is and he is being protected.

♪ ♪

Then we get a contact
from inside the US government

who's prepared
to go on the record.

(phone ringing)

Hi there, Peter, how are you?

PETER VINCENT: Hello, Jeremy.

McDERMOTT: Peter Vincent
was a senior figure

in the US Embassy in Bogotá
from 2006 to 2009.

I'm just gonna
jump straight into it.

Tell me, have you ever heard
of the name Memo Fantasma

and in what context?

VINCENT: I started to hear
rumors and whispers

about Memo Fantasma,
the so called "Narco Ghost,"

in Bogotá, Colombia,
from 2006 until 2009.

And this mysterious character
was very much involved

in both narco trafficking
and paramilitary activity.

Even prior to
the paramilitaries,

he was actually an associate
of Pablo Escobar.

Ended up making off
with a large load

of high quality cocaine

that he stole from Escobar

and ended up setting up
his own operation.

McDERMOTT: Do you know
who he was working with

in the paramilitaries?

VINCENT: It was always
my opinion that Memo Fantasma

was actually a leader of
the Central Bolívar Bloques.

McDERMOTT: Ah.

VINCENT: Which, as you
well know, was responsible

for the slaughter of anywhere
from 10,000 to 15,000 people.

It was engaging in massive
amounts of narco trafficking

and frankly, crimes against
humanity and genocide.

McDERMOTT: So, for you there's
no doubt that Memo Fantasma

was playing in the big leagues?

VINCENT: There is no doubt
whatsoever that Memo Fantasma

was not only playing
in the big leagues,

but he was actually directing
quite a bit of this.

We knew he was involved,

and then he disappeared,
like a ghost.

And we lost track of him.

McDERMOTT:
Peter Vincent puts him

right at the top
of the big leagues.

He's a top drug trafficker

who is an integral part
of the paramilitary army.

Great, thank you very much.

VINCENT: Bye‐bye.

McDERMOTT: We're on the right
track, and he's a big player,

and if we can expose him,
it's a potential game changer.

(soldiers chanting)

McDERMOTT: According
to Peter Vincent,

Memo Fantasma was part of the
Central Bolívar Bloc, or BCB.

(soldier yelling)

One of the most powerful
paramilitary units in the AUC,

headed by the notorious warlord
known as Macaco.

Macaco inspired fear.

And a source tells me
that Sebastián Colmenares,

AKA Memo Fantasma,
was in business with Macaco,

alias Javier Montañez.

McDERMOTT:
It's a eureka moment.

Memo Fantasma was
Macaco's business partner.

All of our sources said Macaco

was muscle and territory,

Memo was money
and drug trafficking.

Macaco was visible,
Memo is invisible.

They are partners,
but the aim is the same:

to build BCB into a powerful
drug trafficking organization.

By the early 2000s they've got
significant territorial control

across many different parts
of the country,

all important for
drug trafficking.

And they are moving
tens of tons of cocaine

and generating
tens of millions of dollars.

At the height of BCB's power,

Sebastián Colmenares,
AKA Memo Fantasma,

is one of the most prolific

and powerful drug traffickers
in Colombia.

Fast forward to 2006.

At Ralito, Don Berna
and the paramilitary leaders

decide to take a deal
offered by the government.

To avoid extradition,

they consent to eight years
of soft detention in Colombia,

and agree to leave their
criminal pasts behind them.

Sebastián Colmenares
has a choice.

He could take
the golden parachute,

but Memo Fantasma it seems
has other ideas.

He's going to leave
Sebastián Colmenares

and consign him to history.

Memo Fantasma wants to continue
in the drug trade.

He quits the peace process
and vanishes.

(sirens)

Three years later, that proves
to be a very smart choice.

In 2008, Don Berna,

along with Macaco,

Mancuso,

and the paramilitary
high command

were all expelled from
the Peace and Justice system.

They were extradited
to the United States.

They all get long sentences
in maximum security prisons.

Don Berna gets 30 years.

But his invisible associate,
Memo Fantasma,

escapes this fate.

He's never extradited.

Never arrested.

Never even charged with a crime.

But he's made one mistake.

When Memo Fantasma
signed that document

as Sebastián Colmenares,

he very briefly became visible,

and I think he's going
to regret that.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

So, now we've got confirmation

that Sebastián Colmenares
is Memo Fantasma,

is a key part of the AUC,
the paramilitary army,

we just need his real name.

For us the obvious place
to start digging

is in
the Peace and Justice files.

They contain the proceeds of
the entire paramilitary history,

including the Ralito gathering,

thousands of hours of testimony
from members of the AUC.

Hasta luego.

We pick up the first solid
evidence of Memo Fantasma

in a taped interview in which
a Peace and Justice prosecutor

is questioning a former
BCB member, alias Nico.

Nico is clearly under pressure
from BCB leaders.

McDERMOTT: It was clear that
the top level of the BCB

were trying to hide
Memo Fantasma

and Sebastián Colmenares.

McDERMOTT: We had no more luck
than the prosecutor.

We couldn't find any
Guillermo Camacho either.

Then we find alias
Pablo Sevillano's file.

He's a top drug trafficker

who is an integral part
of the paramilitary army.

And as it happens,
his first name is Guillermo,

or Memo for short.

He's directly asked,
"Are you Memo Fantasma?"

Pablo Sevillano responds saying,
"I am not Memo Fantasma.

Memo Fantasma is
Guillermo Acevedo."

This is it,
this is a legal document

naming Memo Fantasma
as Guillermo Acevedo.

But is Sevillano
telling the truth?

Is Guillermo Acevedo
Memo's real name

or is it just another alias?

And if it is real, can we find
an ID number and a photograph?

So, we go to Bogotá's
Chamber of Commerce.

It's 900...

And we get a hit.

Guillermo Acevedo
has a company, ACEM,

but what we're
really looking for

is the ID card of all
of the shareholders.

We get to Guillermo Acevedo.

We've got his name in full,

we've got where
the ID was issued,

and we've got
his ID card number.

But the photo is black,

and I don't believe
that was a coincidence.

McDERMOTT: Our ideal scenario

is to find a series of
properties and companies

linked to Guillermo Acevedo,
to Memo.

So, we can say, look,
this guy is worth

hundreds of millions of dollars,
how can he possibly justify it?

We find 12 companies that we
can link to Guillermo Acevedo.

But one stands out.

Between 2006 and 2008,
Guillermo Acevedo was involved

in a property development
project

in an exclusive part of Bogotá

with a company
called Hitos Urbanos.

Hitos Urbanos is owned by
the vice president of Colombia,

Marta Lucia Ramirez,
and her husband, Alvaro Rincon.

The land was subsequently used

to construct the high‐rise
building "Torres 85."

Very significant property
development in Bogotá.

Clearly Guillermo Acevedo
has been involved

in large property deals

with members of
Colombian high society.

We don't know where he is,
or what he looks like.

But we have a lot more
information now,

so I hit up my contacts
one more time.

We get a photo from a source,
it's very bad quality.

It's the copy of a photocopy

of a black and white
passport photo.

There he is, ghost no more.

Our quarry now had a face.

But it's of such bad quality
that we can't blow it up,

and it's just not enough
to go to sources

and say,
"Is this Memo Fantasma?"

Then we get
an extraordinary tip.

Holy! That's him!

In a freak chance,
Memo Fantasma appears,

unknowingly,
in a hidden camera show.

(speaking Spanish)

And sure enough, there he was.

So, we had two photos
from two different sources

and clear enough for us
to take to our sources and say,

"Is this Guillermo Acevedo,
Memo Fantasma?"

This initially proves
extremely difficult.

Memo Fantasma
really scares people,

and none of
my underworld sources

initially are prepared
to go on the record.

(man speaking Spanish)

But we find Carlos Mateus,
alias Paquita.

He's a commander in
Bloque Central Bolívar.

McDERMOTT: A key
drug trafficking source

who had a foot in both
the Medellín underworld

and the paramilitary army.

One of Macaco's
trusted lieutenants.

McDERMOTT: We had a face
of Memo Fantasma.

It's a crucial breaking point
for the whole story.

McDERMOTT: What's great
about Paquita's story

is that initially
he didn't know who Memo was.

He sees a helicopter land

for a summit of
top paramilitary commanders,

and he sees Memo
step off the helicopter

and go and greet
the top commanders as an equal,

indeed some of them
deferred to him.

Paquita says, "Who is that guy?"

And one of his superiors says,
"That's Memo Fantasma."

McDERMOTT: And Macaco told him,
Memo has left me just the bones.

Memo's got all the meat
and all the good stuff

and Macaco's been left
with the remains.

Macaco's turned himself in
as part of the peace process,

Memo's still on the outside,

he's making the money,
he's still got the power.

McDERMOTT: Also willing
to go on the record

is former Colombian prosecutor
Cruz Elena Aguilar.

McDERMOTT: Cruz Elena Aguilar
is eminently qualified

to identify Memo Fantasma.

She mixed with
Medellín's top narcos

in the Search Bloc during
the hunt for Pablo Escobar.

McDERMOTT: The fact that
she and alias Paquita

can clearly identify
Memo Fantasma

is our proof that
Sebastián Colmenares,

Memo Fantasma,
and Guillermo Acevedo

are one and the same.

It's a done deal for us.

Now we just have to find him.

But from 2014 to 2015,
he drops off the radar.

So, we went back to our sources,
who said...

he's left the country.

He's moved to Spain.

Okay.

McDERMOTT: I want confirmation,
photographic, that he's there.

I want confirmation
of his residence,

I want confirmation
of his offices.

Gracias.

If we can get all
that evidence in hand,

then it'll be time
for me to go to Madrid.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

This, we're hoping, is gonna be
the closing chapter

in the hunt for
our invisible Memo Fantasma.

According to the contacts here,
he is in Madrid right now.

We found a company
that he'd set up in Madrid.

Millions of Euros.

I really feel we're
in the final stretch,

and a guy who has been invisible
now for well over a decade,

maybe, just maybe we're gonna
shine the light on him.

We're about to meet our contact.

He's been scooping up
information on Memo Fantasma

and his movements.

We're hoping that he's got
the information we need

to plan our next steps.

McDERMOTT:
That is definitely Memo.

A little bit older.

But it's him.

So now I'm just gonna find
these addresses on the map,

so we can plan our attack.

We'll hit the lawyers first,

right here in
the center of town.

Then we've got a house,

but this is on the outskirts
of town towards the airport.

Hopefully we'll get a message
to him and maybe even see him.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

So, the first stop
is the lawyers.

We want to make sure that
this letter gets into his hands,

as this going to be
the first official notice

of his right to reply
to our accusations.

♪ ♪

What's gonna be interesting now

is the response
from the lawyers.

I've left my phone number at
the bottom of all the letters.

If he wants to reach me, he will
certainly know how to do it.

McDERMOTT: Jeremy McDermott.

McDERMOTT: So, we need to drop
an envelope at his house.

This makes me
a little bit nervous.

What am I gonna do
if he's there,

and how am I gonna play that?

I've got some fairly serious
people on speed dial

in case things begin
to go sideways.

McDERMOTT: So, we're on
the outskirts of Madrid,

absolutely lovely neighborhood,
these are closed neighborhoods,

for people who clearly
like their privacy.

After the scene
in the lawyer's office

where things got
extremely hostile,

I feel that we need to hit
the house very quickly now,

so that there's no time
for any kind of preparation.

He's certainly no stranger
to violence.

Is he gonna try and close off
the investigation

through very abrupt
and brutal means?

Here we go, we are approaching
the main gate

of the closed neighborhood.

This is not good.

Don't stop here,
don't stop here.

What I am hoping
is that he realizes

that we're pretty serious.

(speaks Spanish)

We've got some
fairly alarming accusations,

and it might be time for him
to engage with us.

I'm not gonna let these (bleep)
intimidate me,

particularly not this one.

(phone ringing)

McDERMOTT:
So, he doesn't wanna talk.

The channels are open
if he decides to contact me.

My feeling is that we've taken
him rather by shock now.

He's received a phone call
from his lawyers,

and now we've turned up
at his gate,

so, I suspect he's now
thinking very hard

about how to play things.

When I see people
like Memo Fantasma

living the high life in Madrid,

it leaves me with
a deep sense of frustration.

The only way Memo has been able
to stay off the radar,

for me, has been because
he has managed to corrupt,

at very high levels,
state institutions.

If Memo Fantasma got a pass

from any international
law enforcement agencies,

it will be because he gave them
valuable information.

So valuable that
they were prepared

to let him off the hook.

A couple of underworld sources
have suggested

that Memo handed over
enough information

for them to convict Macaco
without any questions.

McDERMOTT: In July 2019,
Macaco was returned to Colombia

after 11 years incarceration
in the United States.

He now faces up to 40 years
in prison in Colombia,

while Memo lives it up
in Madrid.

McDERMOTT: This from a security
point of view is perhaps

the most dangerous
and delicate time.

He now knows who I am.

He now knows that we have
a very strong story against him.

This leaves him
very few options,

one of the options
might be violence.

And so, yeah,
this is definitely a worry.

(phone ringing)

Hello?

McDERMOTT: He seems
very keen to engage.

McDERMOTT:
And I'm not surprised.

This is the guy that
I think we're dealing with.

Highly intelligent,
extremely reasonable.

He was extremely polite.

McDERMOTT: He denies
categorically

that he is Memo Fantasma

and that he is alias
Sebastián Colmenares.

McDERMOTT: He's extremely
alarmed by the allegations

that I laid out
in the lawyer's office,

and he believes
he can refute them all.

McDERMOTT:
His next line of defense

was he has no charges pending
or arrest warrants pending.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

McDERMOTT: Perhaps
a surprising line of defense

was that he doesn't
have any money.

McDERMOTT:
He admitted to involvement

in the enormous
development in Bogotá

known as Torre 85, Tower 85.

The other parties in that deal
are not exactly nobodies.

The Colombian vice president
and her husband.

McDERMOTT: He has promised
to send me an email

so that he can refute,
one by one,

the accusations we are
placing against him.

The first email is
incredibly polite.

He thanks me for my time
and kindness.

He says he wants to clarify
any misunderstandings

and is willing to assist me
in any way possible.

I respond by telling him
what our accusations are,

including that
he informed on Macaco,

and was present for the torture
and murder of an associate.

Acevedo directly denies
these accusations,

calling them "vile"
and "a great big lie."

He says my sources
are maliciously trying

to ruin his reputation,

and that he's never been
involved in a crime of any kind.

He says he wants
to meet in person,

but never follows through,
just keeps stalling

until he refuses to speak
except through his lawyers.

♪ ♪

Memo Fantasma, for me,

is an example of
a successful invisible.

The key to invisibility
is corruption.

You've got to prevent being
identified by police,

prosecutors, judicial system.

The best way to do that

is to have these bodies
on the payroll.

♪ ♪

The likelihood is...

Memo is protected by someone

in government, in the police
or in the security forces.

RUBEN OLIVA:
What happens occasionally

in some of these cases is that
somebody is able to cooperate

to a degree that the government
decides to give them a pass.

Now, I've had clients that I've
been able to do that for them,

but it's, it's, it is rare.

What I think what
distinguishes Memo

from some of these other guys

that I, for example,
have represented,

is that I don't think
he missed a step.

Memo Fantasma, in my view, will
never be brought to justice.

And certainly I have no faith

that the Colombian
law enforcement authorities

are going to do
anything against him.

I think they are already
bought and paid for.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

McDERMOTT: Our ideal scenario
is to prompt US authorities

to have a look at a person
who we believe is responsible

for smuggling tons of drugs
to the mainland United States.

In Colombia,
the blood and suffering

caused by the cocaine trade
over the last 40‐odd years

is, it's impossible to describe.

It's left scars on this country
and its society

that have still not even
come close to healing.

We have to learn
from these mistakes.

We have to contain
the violence and suffering.

Memo Fantasma
should be in prison.

He should be in prison
for a long time.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Captioned by
Side Door Media Services