Original subtitles

I used to love dressing well.

I've always liked it. Always loved a nice suit.

Depending on the weather, a fine trench coat,

gloves and that kind of thing...

A tie, the whole deal.

My name is Jorge Calva Márquez, also known as "Fantomas,"

or "The Fancy Threat."

I've always loved three piece suits.

I'd wear my blue suit

and say, "Now, I can get away with it."

That means I was getting away with a great loot.

I used to love visiting the Desierto de los Leones Park,

I enjoyed getting away to Cuernavaca,

I liked going to many different places with my wife or my girlfriends.

Did you have many girlfriends?

Well, yes. When gals see you've got money, they come after you.

My serve has always been my personal signature.

I had graphite rackets,

sports club membership.

Only clay courts.

And to play, you had to wear sneakers

that wouldn't damage the clay

and the right outfit

for a tennis court.

To me, that was a beautiful thing.

Because I think it's a cool sport.

For me, tennis was the best.

I never met my father, I haven't heard from my family in a while.

I don't know what happened to them. I had this idea to go to rich houses,

because I thought they would feed me, so I went and asked.

That's how they started to see me often, got to know me.

That's how I began to steal.

That's how I became a petty thief and that's when my luck went south.

Do you feel bad when you beg?

Yes, I feel ashamed. I don't always need the money, because...

I can shine shoes, too, so... Working from morning

to around 4:00h, I've made between 20 or 30 pesos.

Sometimes, I can buy myself some shoes.

I used to live in the streets as a child.

I stole grocery bags from women and bikes.

That's how I started my life of robbery.

I've always lived with my mother.

And there I met a lot of men, my stepfathers.

But I never got used to living with them.

That's why I used to run away.

What's your name?

-Me? Jorge. -Jorge?

Armando Hernández García.

Antonio Cruz Soledad Jiménez.

How old are you?

Me? I'm five.

-Seven. -Seven?

I have no family.

Who do you live with?

No one. A woman.

What did your mother do?

My Mom?

Drink beer.

I suffered from lack of money,

food, clothes.

And that's why I stole a thing or two back then.

We used to steal toys from the entrances of rich houses.

Sometimes, we would even break in.

We sometimes used long sticks to bring something out...

Jump over the fences. We did whatever was necessary.

Some kids stand on the corner

making sure no cop comes.

Making sure the police aren't coming.

They stay on watch. That's how thieves are trained at the beginning.

It was around 11:00 or 12:00 at night.

That's when "Flaco" Lazota arrived.

He said, "Hey, Let's see what we can get."

"Sure, let's go," I said.

So, they came to open the bakery shop.

BAKERY

He only took a box full of bread.

He loaded it right away.

"Nothing else?" he said. I told him, "Well, it doesn't matter."

So we left for the...

dairy shop.

He asked, "Should I rob it?"

"Sure. Go ahead," I told him.

He got in, did the deed, right?

He came back out with six baskets full of milk bottles.

Then, he said, "This is all fucked up, man. It's useless."

And I asked him why,

so he said, "They leave nothing at night. There isn't a dime in there."

"Bummer," I said, right?

"Let's go."

He said, "You know what?

This is a waste of time.

Take all this with you.

I better go rob some place where I can find some money.

Take this with you."

I stood there, thinking, "This guy..."

I thought, "this guy must be packing.

He said to keep all this.

Why would he said that?"

So I didn't say a word.

It was very early in the morning, so at around six in the morning,

I started filling some bags with bread.

I took them to my neighborhood.

I started leaving two milk bottles and a bag of bread at their doorsteps.

I left them outside, I didn't knock or anything like it.

After a while, the boys came.

América and the other guy.

So we crossed the street, towards the Excélsior,

and they said, "Hey, kid.

You have a lot of money."

"Me?

No way, just broke." I said.

"Broke? We thought Lazota had given you your cut."

"My cut?

There was no money on the shops we hit.

He left me with some crap."

"Wait, that can't be right.

He stole like 27,000 pesos, dude.

The money came from those shops," they said.

So when Lazota got there,

he was rocking a new suit,

and a brand new hat. Yeah, so he got there

and everyone was cheering him.

"You scammed the damn kid."

And he said, "No way.

I couldn't give him that much money.

He was happy with what I gave him anyway."

So the Jackal got mad

and grabbed him like this.

"Hold on, you piece of shit.

How can you do that to a kid?

Don't be an ass, man."

They got him naked and threw everything he had to the floor.

Then, América and the Jackal said,

"Everything he was carrying is yours.

The clothes, too."

América said to him, "You'll leave naked now.

Get out, naked."

I stood there, thinking, "No way..."

"Here, man. These are your clothes now.

Put them on.

But...

Don't take me with you next time," I told him.

"You can't be trusted."

So I split everything in half

and I said to América and the Jackal,

"Here. This is for you. This is good enough for me."

I was around 13 years old.

It wasn't out of necessity for me, my parents were poor, yeah,

but we had enough to live.

I don't know why, really. Maybe, because I liked it the first time.

I liked the easy money, you see?

That's how I became a criminal.

In time, I stopped stealing and began to work.

But I cut my hand on the job.

Then, I couldn't work anymore.

Money stopped coming in.

So at that time, I was forced

to take whatever was easy, at hand.

Because I wasn't a professional thief.

It's not really about greed.

I'll explain something to you.

Since I was very little,

I never knew what Christmas was.

I never had a birthday cake.

No one to sing happy birthday to me, nothing like that.

Never.

I spent that time starving, so I said to myself, "The day I get married,

or whenever I have kids,

I'll make sure they don't suffer the same things I suffered as a child."

That's why my kids are grateful to me.

I'll tell you the real story.

My grandma told me I had an uncle called "Mocho."

He was missing two fingers.

And she said he was bloodthirsty. He used to rob big houses and all that.

She also said that my grandpa was to be executed.

At least, that's what grandma said. She had no reason to lie, right?

So, my grandpa was on death row.

But my uncle rescued him.

So, I've been told that, when I was born,

my grandma said, "He looks just like my brother, Mocho."

Her brother's real name was Efraín.

So that's how they named me.

Great!

I was named Efraín.

In jail, I learned the art of working

with lockpicks or chorlas.

I learned from other guys in prison

that used to repair padlocks and locks.

Open... There you go.

So I began to talk to other inmates to see if someone would teach me,

but no one did.

And then I met a man called "Carrizos."

They called me that because I was very thin when I was young.

That's how the nickname Carrizos came to be.

He was a slim young man.

Carrizos, yeah.

He taught me his craft.

There was no padlock or lock

that he couldn't repair, open or close.

I knew a man named Aurelio. We used to called him Rabbit.

He told me how to scam people.

We used to trick people into buying copper thinking it was gold.

We called these people "boleadores."

He taught me how to do it. We used to go to Tepito to buy it.

In the Granaditas market there used to be a jewelry store called Katia.

And another one called El Marino, in Aztecas St.

You got there and all you had to say was,

"I need five of those rings. How much are they?"

"It's $1,50." "Give me five."

"I need a medal, some bracelets."

It was all fake. All painted on.

And I got a lot of experience there.

I used to wear a big chain around my neck, with the Virgin image on it,

and maybe a bracelet.

Then I would approach you and say, "Listen, I have some rings to sell."

"No." "I found it in Chapultepec.

I'll sell it to you."

And out of greed, and seeing my gold chain and bracelet...

"No, I don't care for the ring.

How much for the bracelet?"

"The bracelet isn't for sale, it was a gift from my dad."

Or my mom.

"But I want the bracelet."

It could be the chain, for that matter.

"Come on, sell me the chain."

I can't, I can give you the ring.

"But I want the chain, how much for it?"

"I don't know how much it is." "Let me see it."

And since it said "18 carats" on it,

everyone used to fall for it.

"I want the chain, how much for it?"

I used to buy that chain with the medal for about two or three pesos.

"How much will you give me for it?" "Well, how about $20 or $30?"

Okay then.

Bang! It was done. That was the scam.

You need people to trust you in order to scam them, yeah.

And I was good at earning their trust.

Even today, I guess I...

I guess is easy for me

to convince people of what I want.

It can fail, of course. It happens to the best.

Maybe I can't earn their trust sometimes, but when I can, bang!

THE MOST WANTED "ZORRERO" IN MEXICO CAUGHT

Officials from the judicial police in the State of Mexico

report the arrest of Efraín Alcaraz Montes de Oca,

also known as "Carrizos."

He's been robbing houses for the past 30 years

of the metropolitan area of Mexico, DF.

One of Mexican police's most sought criminals,

allegedly responsible for hundreds of robberies

on houses around the metropolitan area of Mexico DF

in the last 30 years,

was arrested by Mexico's judicial police.

The suspect...

I used to be called "Zorreros' King."

Because...

My grandfather, God save his soul, used to say,

"If you don't get your life straight, if you can't be the best you can be,

at least be someone unique."

And I'm not an average guy.

How many houses have you robbed?

Well, I think I...

might have robbed around 60 or 70 houses.

And for how long?

Since I started doing this,

I think I might have robbed half of Mexico City's homes.

I think Carrizos may have gotten around four or five million a year.

He has people working for him.

At least, used to have, who knows now.

But I know he used to have around 40 people working for him.

He would order them to go find jewelry stores in Tabasco

or in Guadalajara.

They used to make blueprints and all that.

When they took me to the police station, it was like a bomb dropped there.

"They got Carrizos."

"They got him!"

I don't know how to explain it, I was...

I don't want to say "hero," but I was a very important example for the police.

Because of the way I acted and because of my behavior.

His jobs were always clean.

He never resorted to violence of any kind.

They robbed jewelry stores after everyone was gone for the day.

I'm very ambitious.

I'm extremely ambitious.

I've been like that my whole life.

And that's why I always had what I wanted.

Are you satisfied with your career as a criminal?

I'm a thief, sir.

Bravo, Hotel, Tango.

Licence number 33.

385.

742...

Report to headquarters, grand theft auto.

Have you ever been robbed?

-Yes. -What was stolen from you?

-This year, I was robbed twice. -At home?

My home, yes.

Have you heard about any other cases?

My brother's bicycle was stolen two days ago.

A girl lost her purse, but we were able to catch them

and beat them up.

So we got her purse back.

Do you think the punishment criminals suffer is enough?

No. Innocents get worse punishments.

What do you think about the police?

It's worthless.

Do you think people respect you?

I don't know what the problem is.

They found it going south.

Have you ever been robbed?

No, thank God. Never.

Why do you think so many criminals rob people around here?

There is a lot of loitering. Too many useless people

that refuse to do honest work and rely on the easy life instead.

Be very careful.

If a criminal robs your house, it means he's been surveying it carefully.

They know when you are inside and when you go out.

Artegio is the MO of each criminal.

LT. MAURO MORALES

For instance, a Zorrero

works late at night.

And the tool of his trade

is a steel bar he uses as a crowbar.

He cracks the doors open with it.

Then, an Espadero,

He used a steel blade to fit inside the lock

and break the doorknob.

That's an Espadero.

It's true, miss, ma'am.

Hanging purses are pretty, fashionable, but they are also dangerous.

If you decide to wear them,

fine, but at least hang them on the arm closest to the wall.

Keep them close to your body, otherwise, this could happen to you.

La Barriada bridge has a strange attraction.

Life tends to hang to its pillars or seek refuge under its shade.

Under it, we find free beauty parlors.

On this stage, tomorrow's star rehearses.

There's a promise under each of the bridge's arches.

And the love that's spreading all around the world

is made up of promises and more promises.

In the meantime, the great observer is resting on top of it.

He's the spectator of life and the world.

A small bump.

But the only person affected by it is the spectator.

He took the philosopher's wallet.

I always found pickpockets fascinating.

Someone who will pickpocket someone's wallet in a variety of ways.

They'd steal your wallet in different ways,

it's not just pure sleight of hand.

Some also made a slight cut on a side to take it out.

It's a trade.

It's a trade. You gain experience as time goes by.

In El Chorrito there was this guy

who had four young sons.

He'd teach them to steal.

Sometimes he'd hang a rag doll

and have them wear small bells,

and when they put their hand inside, the bell wasn't supposed to move.

That way the bells wouldn't make a sound.

So you have to slide your hand in, slide it in,

and it has to be fast, very quickly.

It has to be very fast.

To take it away.

And not touch the bells.

You need to... It's a very hard skill to learn.

It's hard to learn.

As time goes by,

you start to learn things.

Like how to slide in your fingers and what the job's like.

When I could finally do it,

it was like finishing college.

EL CHARRO - PICKPOCKET JUAN GALINDO GARCÍA

You need to be very patient.

You need to be patient with the practice.

It's a delicate art.

I met... Rafael Infante,

"Four winds."

He was near Los Angeles, California,

New York,

he was a world-class pickpocket.

We knew he lived around Guanajuato and he'd come here

at the height of the season.

Then he'd go to the World Cup or any important event.

Among Mexican citizens, I mean people from Mexico,

we also have good pickpockets.

Because pickpockets have ranks.

FRANCISCO GONZÁLEZ SUÁREZ "EL DANDY" PICKPOCKET

They stole during fine art events,

at the Mexican National Auditorium,

concert halls...

FINISH LINE

The dirty pickpockets who wandered around poor neighborhoods

took the bus in Reforma and Insurgentes.

They used to be two or three.

But later they formed gangs of five or six people.

Four Winds worked alone.

"FOUR WINDS," JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ TORRES,

RAFAEL JIMÉNEZ INFANTE, A PICKPOCKET WITH "SILK FINGERS,"

NEVER HURT ANYONE. UNLIKE MODERN PICKPOCKETS WHO MUG AND SHED BLOOD.

There was a guy, Four Winds,

I think he approached president López Mateos, I think.

A president is guarded by

I don't know, ten or 15 people. That's the inner circle alone.

And he took his wallet. He took the president's wallet.

He must have been very skillful.

Oh, yeah. Some people are gifted.

Some people have the gift.

It's the gift... They have the gift of theft.

And when they get caught...

I mainly remember...

I mustn't forget him. I remember El Carrizos,

El Elotes, too.

They were good thieves.

I heard about an outdoor festival,

which took place at the 25th street at the Prohogar colony,

we'd call it Polvorín.

I was famous because I danced a lot.

"Carnation" and "Vampire,"

two guys who used to dance there, said:

"Carrizos, we brought you a real opponent."

"What for?"

"For a dance off."

"Okay, okay."

"What kind of music does he want to dance?"

"Let's dance some swing."

I remember perfectly it was a song played with many trumpets.

We started dancing

and he wore me out!

He was a hell of a dancer.

That's how El Elotes and I became friends.

So... we became friends through dancing.

Back then people danced Cha-cha-cha, it was very popular.

Danzón and swing were popular, too.

The boogie.

El Elotes, may his soul rest in peace, taught me to break into houses.

Back then we didn't know how to crack safes open.

But he taught me how to open doors.

He taught me...

He taught me everything he knew.

Up to a certain point I was...

I was jealous of him, you know?

When we heard that they caught El Elotes and that they were going to prosecute him,

we couldn't wait for the newspaper.

He'd been charged for many breaking and entering crimes

and many items were retrieved.

But he was back on the streets not long after that.

El Elotes became famous for being a thief.

I don't know if you remember or if you ever knew, even,

that during the Olympic games,

he stole the pistols of the winner of the pistol shooting game.

He became insanely famous for that.

He was a star at the precinct.

Then he started

to move between states.

Police officers from other states would look for him.

"Police officers from Puebla and Veracruz

are unto Elotes and Carrizos."

Heriberto was always my friend.

He was always my friend.

He was always my friend and...

and he was killed by a colleague.

El Chato Alfonso.

They had a fight and he killed him.

He killed him.

The only one I ever admired

in my whole life

was... my partner.

Heriberto Aguir Acevedo.

AKA El Elotes.

I always remembered I should never stay in the house over 30 minutes.

For that you need to find the right house.

From a good family.

They should have valuable objects.

And... I didn't use a gun at the beginning.

We had our Mexican courage and that's all.

We didn't take guns, knives. We didn't bring anything.

We had to be really quiet.

And we had to tiptoe because we didn't have sneakers back then.

There were many different types of pants.

Some would swish while walking.

You could actually hear the swishing while you were inside the apartment.

You could hear the pants swishing.

That's why we wore wool pants.

Cashmere is made with wool.

If there was noise inside the house, we didn't break in.

At an inhabited house,

curtains aren't drawn

and there are no padlocks or chains on the door.

It's simply locked.

That means there's someone inside.

But if you see a house locked with chains

with all its windows closed,

the house is doomed.

If you enter a bedroom where a couple is sleeping,

you need to check under the pillow first.

That's where they keep the pistol.

You know?

When we got out of each house, I'd thank God,

not knowing the devil had a hand in it and had pushed me into it.

I was happy each time I came out of the house

because I could afford food for two or three days.

We had a code. We wouldn't betray each other.

None of us would report the other to the police.

That's one of the main rules we had.

As I said, that we wouldn't betray each other.

That was one of the main rules.

We had another rule.

We would never hurt anyone inside a house.

Stealing is not pure anymore.

Nowadays it's violent.

Anyone... For example,

if you want to steal fairly and the person saw you,

they think "He saw me."

Why? Because they saw the thief.

It wasn't like that before.

We'd try to steal fairly.

Just pass by, take it and leave.

That way, when they'd turn around, they'd think...

nothing.

I could never...

for example,

To put it, a helpless family.

I'd rather have you give me what I want.

But I'd never kill you inside your home.

Why? Because that's a line I won't cross.

I won't steal from you if I can't do it fairly.

Yeah...

It was more honorable.

Many things were more honorable.

I give you my word as a man.

The events at La Magdalena Contreras were complicated.

We arrived at the domicile and we found two female patients,

approximately of 62 and 27 years old respectively,

with lacerations on the neck caused by a knife.

Apparently, someone broke into their home.

Whoever broke in tied them up

with rope by the neck and hurt them.

Were their hands and feet also tied?

When we found them they were only tied by the neck.

That's the only information I have.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

I think it was a .32.

When we arrived, it was...

PUBLIC SECURITY

Can you inform Dr. Arriaga to contact Mazo?

I only touched that. It's clean.

Call the gunsmith.

Call the gunsmith.

One X6 at 16th and Bolívar.

R10?

Ma'am, could you, please?

Go that way.

The Mexican police has a very interesting criminology museum

that may be used to prevent evil.

The handcuffs that were used on the famous "Tigre de Santa Julia."

Gadgets, tricks and systems bear witness.

For instance, a machine to produce counterfeit money

made by the famous Enrico Sampietro.

Called a guitar in mob slang.

They were used to forge bills and coins.

Professor and police instructor, Salvador Escudero,

is showing us its parts.

The suitcase with a hidden compartment.

It was good for stealing and to hide stolen goods.

To fight crime we need to know it first.

In order to be a police officer

you had to be insightful.

It was important to remember the criminal.

We have to remember how they look, the way they walk.

We had it under control because of our knowledge of crime.

I mean it in the good way.

We knew so much about them.

We knew where they lived,

the places they'd hit.

The places they'd hit, known associates.

Their usual hangouts.

Back in those days, the police didn't need arrest warrants

to bring someone into custody.

Back when we still had the Secret Service.

No warrants were needed in order

to bring someone in for questioning either.

They used their own judgment

and did whatever they pleased.

They could detain whoever they wanted.

Suspects were never handed any warrants.

We didn't work like that.

And there was more. On special holidays, like Easter, New Year,

or the World Cup or whatever,

they had something that was called "15 more."

Detainees were locked up for double the time.

It was a way of removing the criminal element

from the streets so they couldn't "work"

on those special holidays or special events.

It was a way to stop them.

Which one was your favorite gun?

I used a .45 semi-automatic.

Why?

I got used to it back when I started.

Maybe I was trying to compensate for my short height.

A shorty with such a high caliber weapon is something to be afraid of.

Imagine if I'd use a .22! They would be all over me.

But it's different with something as big as that.

CHIEF OF POLICE

The officers of the DF's Judicial Police

are in constant need of physical training.

SERGEANT

The defense shooting method, "Jackie,"

was created in Mexico and is used all over the world.

It allows for a defensive stance in short distances.

From the ranks of the Mexico Police,

many world renowned champions have arisen.

But this is nothing more than a footnote.

Their main objective

is to train able officers that can keep society safe.

We used to cruise the city in regular cars.

Not in patrol cars.

We didn't have many police cars with radio on them.

So most used regular cars or trucks.

Some had to walk.

So they walk up and down in certain colonies, or areas.

At a glance, these agents may look just like you.

They have no identifiable uniform.

Maybe, the person sitting next to you is one of them.

But they are effective and have special training.

Fast both in defense, as well as in attack.

Their technical and psychological training

allows them to fulfill the requirements of their position.

JUDICIAL POLICE MEXICO DF DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Regular people.

I mean, they could dress as anybody. Sweeping streets, polishing shoes.

Selling newspapers. Whatever. Taxi drivers.

They dressed up as anything you could imagine.

Just so they could catch whoever they were looking for.

Jeans and jacket. Sweaters, too.

Hats, baseball caps.

We could make our own, too,

with newspapers or even empty bags of cement.

Just something to go unseen.

No shine on our shoes.

We pretended to be construction workers, so we couldn't shine our shoes.

So we had to find a way to create our own costumes.

We needed to look the part.

As soon as we saw someone, "He could be our rat."

"Come over here," we'd tell him. "What do you do? Where do you live?"

If we didn't like the answers, we relied on our Investigation Section.

We would take him to the station, get his prints.

"Check the prints, let's see who this guy is."

Sometimes, as soon as we took their prints, they would confess.

"No, it's not my first time here. I'm this guy and have these records here."

Criminals must always be treated as such.

You can't treat them as regular people.

And this is why nowadays,

criminals have no respect for the police force.

They don't even respect other criminals anymore.

They aren't afraid, or they don't see

the police as a presence worth respecting or fearing.

For today's criminals, the police force is worthless.

Can you do me a favor, young man?

-What is it? -The spoon is dirty, give me another one.

-The spoon? -Yeah, please, if you don't mind.

Demóstenes García Cantú.

He used to dislocate...

He used to twist their arms so they wouldn't run away.

Hanging, like this. They never ran though.

He would dislocate the arm here or here.

It was the shoulder, most of the time.

They were left all raggedy. But no way they would try to run.

Then he would go catch the other one.

After he got both of them, he would fix their arms.

Then it was off to the police station.

He was the terror of La Merced.

He started as a normal police officer until he became an agent

of the Special Services.

I never learned how to do the joint lock.

Do you remember how he grabbed your hand?

-Was he a fighter? -No, he was always a police officer.

I don't know how, but he would grab you like this.

It was very painful.

The terror of La Merced.

To be honest, back then, the Secret Service had some agents...

Very smart and skillful people.

Everyone at the precinct knew I meant big money.

Whoever managed to get me, would be able to get a big cut.

They would take everything from me.

They would take my car, my money, my jewelry, everything.

I met Jorge Téllez Girón Ramírez

because I was caught by Manuel Santillán,

Alfonso Rocha and him,

Jorge Téllez Girón Ramírez, "Dracula."

And that's when we began our relationship.

Jorge Téllez Girón became, to me,

I wouldn't say so much as a friend,

but we did see each other a lot.

We were in constant contact with each other.

Thank you. So...

One time, he said, "Carrizos, help me get a promotion.

If I manage to get a promotion to Chief of Police or something like that,

I'll help you."

So, I replied to him, "How could I possible help you?"

"I'll make you a deal.

I'll catch you every three months.

I file a report,

we seize everything you've stolen,

take the stuff you've sold to your buyers,

you give me a cut of your profits and you can keep working as usual.

I'll work my way up."

It was like an insurance to me.

Because if I was caught by the Secret Service,

he would speak to someone there and no one would dare to touch me.

One Sunday,

we were out working. We called theft, "working," right?

My work always took me to the Peripheral Circuit.

So, from there, I would always go to Pedregal,

Polanco, Las Lomas. To wherever I thought could give me the best chance

of making some money.

So, that day, I went all the way to San Jeronimo.

I took one of the side streets

and saw a house

that was guarded by agents

dressed in regular clothes, soldiers...

So I asked my partner.

It was a silly question, really.

"Who do you think lives there? There are too many guards."

There were two soldiers going from one end of the street to the other.

When they reached the end, they would turn around and start over.

But the street was on a slope up, and down when going back.

So I told Jorge, "When they start going up,

knock on the door."

I was leaning over my car.

I don't think they ever thought I would actually rob the place,

because I always dressed well, suit and all.

So I was sitting there, I had taken my jacket off by then.

I used to have a grey suit back then.

So, they passed me.

"Good afternoon." And they were gone.

So, I said to him, "Now, get inside

and open the door for me."

"But, how?" "You get in," I said.

"We're here to rob the place."

So I helped Jorge get in.

And soon he had opened the door for me.

"Wasn't it locked or something?" "No," he said.

I quickly got in, just before the soldiers came back down.

We went up some stairs

and I made it to the bedroom.

I saw no one there.

I opened the wardrobe

and found a big trunk in it.

I was surprised when I opened it,

as it was full of jewelry.

All the way to the top.

I said to Jorge, "Holy... Look at this, man!"

We grabbed one of the pillowcase.

And this is the kind of thing that always ended up screwing me.

I told him to get one of the pillowcases.

He got one of them very quickly.

It was one of those big pillows.

We emptied the thing in it and the pillowcase was almost full.

It was filled with jewelry.

But I kept looking, I wanted money.

So, as I recall,

I saw some leather jackets, pretty ones.

They were a gift from some French guy.

I learned about that after the fact.

That they were from France.

I said, "Look how pretty these jackets are."

I took one of them down

and I put it on. I said, "Let's see if it fits."

They had a big mirror where I could look at myself.

It was like a fitting room.

So, I put the jacket on and said, "Hey, it looks good.

Do you think it fits me?"

"Yeah, it looks good.

Here, take a few of them."

So we got them off the hangers and into the bag they went.

I took three jackets with me.

So, we went to the front door and stopped there.

We could hear the soldiers boots as they passed the door.

So I listened closely as they passed.

I could hear them going away.

So I said, "It's time."

And out we went with two pillowcases.

My car was right there.

We loaded them into the car.

I got in, started the engine and we left.

A couple of days went by.

"I'm going to visit my grandma."

She said, "Hi, son. What are you doing here?

Angry Lice was here."

He was a friend of mine, Alfredo Reyes.

"Don't you think he may want to get you?"

Alfredo was already Secret Service at that time.

So I left and went straight to his house.

I asked him, "What's up, man? Why were you looking for me?"

He said, "Don't you know the whole force is looking for you?"

"Me?"

I said, "But they are always trying to get me."

He asked if I had been to San Jeronimo.

"I was, actually. Yeah," I said.

"The President's house was robbed.

They are saying you did it."

I could have never imagined,

ever.

I never thought that could be Luis Echeverría's house.

LUIS ECHEVERRÍA ÁLVAREZ PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (1970 - 1976)

University!

WELCOME, MR. PRESIDENT SAN PEDRO MARTIR

MISSING

THE MISSING PEOPLE ARE PRESENT

We also have the duty to keep going forward.

When they got to the President's house, Jorge Téllez Girón Ramírez was with them.

Dracula.

He saw the pillowcases were missing,

so he said to Jorge Obregón Lima,

the Chief of the Secret Service back then,

"Colonel, this was Carrizos."

"No way it was Carrizos," he replied.

"The pillowcases are missing and that's his MO."

PROOF OF... YEAR 1972

So that's how the rumor spread among the Secret Service agents.

...WHEN THAT HAPPENED...

That the President's house had been robbed.

They all kept saying, "It was Carrizos."

...WHO STOLE...

That's the reason why...

...THE RESIDENCE.

...Alfredo went looking for me and told me

that it would be better for me to come forward.

"The Federal Security Office

and the Military Police are looking for you."

PRESIDENT OF MEXICO

"Everyone is looking for you, and if they manage to get you,

you're going to have a bad time. You need to return everything.

You have a time bomb on your hands."

I said, "How could I turn myself in now?"

And Alfredo said, "Talk to Dracula."

He gave me his extension and I was able to get in touch with him.

I said, "Hey, man. I have some loot I'd like to return."

He said, "Where are you?" And I told him where I was.

"Don't move," he said. "I'll be right over."

There was a rumor, among the officers,

that Luis Echeverría's house had been robbed.

And that this guy, Luis... No, sorry. His name was Jorge.

Jorge Girón, also known as Dracula,

was the guy that caught the robber.

When I got to the precinct, I saw the soldiers there, in jail.

There was a special room where they took our fingerprints and mug shots.

So they took me there, and I saw everyone was waiting for us.

They were sitting at the table, one just like this one.

We never made that public.

The reason was, of course, the state in which our country was back then.

It would have been terrible, even for the army, right?

I said to Dracula, "Hey, Dracula. What's this all about?"

"You dodged a bullet, man.

The house you robbed was the President's." "You have to be kidding me!

I'm doomed, then," I said.

"No, it's all good," he said.

"From now on,

and by presidential command,

I'm the next Chief Inspector.

Fernando Márquez was made commander.

Germán 'The Witch', also made commander."

Everyone got a promotion.

THE PRESIDENT CONGRATULATED TÉLLEZ GIRÓN

FOR HIS INVESTIGATION AND MADE HIM LIEUTENANT.

So I told him, "So, that means I already fulfilled my part of the deal.

I did.

Remember what you said.

You told me to help you get a promotion and that's exactly what I did.

You're at the top now.

I hope you don't betray me now."

"I'd never betray you," he said.

"We have to prosecute you, but you'll be out of here in no time."

He said, "Listen.

Every four or five months,

you'll have to hand me a fixed amount of money."

And that's what I did.

Every... Every five months,

I went and stole a Volkswagen car.

I'd put the bills there, the money...

Jorge said, "Whatever you steal,

be it jewelry or whatever, pound them.

Save the bills."

So, then, I'd call Jorge.

I'd call Dracula.

"Hey, Dracula. At the corner of these two streets,

there is a red Volkswagen. I left it parked there myself.

"You'll find this, this and this in the glovebox.

Come pick it up."

That went on for about four or five years.

I used to deliver about a million every time, back in those days.

Many criminals say that. That they pay some kind of tax.

But I don't think that's true.

I wasn't doing very well, so they set up a tax for me.

It was about 6,000 pesos every fortnight.

But I could never gather that amount, I didn't have it.

The Secret Service always wanted to interview me...

But they still wanted the money.

I was never able to pay it.

To me, speaking to those agents

scared me very much.

The only thing that mattered, to people on the street,

to those agents, to everyone,

the only thing that mattered was having someone to blame,

even if they were innocent.

So, since I never gave them the money, they came for me

and said,

"You'll spend the next 30 years in jail.

And no matter what you do in there, after those 30 years, we'll have a talk."

That's what the Secret Service told me.

RUBÉN CHACÓN HERNÁNDEZ OR FERNÁNDEZ TATTOO ON THE LEFT ARM, NO TEETH

So they prosecuted me and I had to pay those 30 years.

FIRST DEGREE MURDER 30 YEARS IMPRISONMENT

Dracula did a very awful thing to me, all right?

Dracula, he...

So, after I, supposedly,

had to give him the stuff, this and that,

he betrayed me.

They wanted the loot I took from the house of one of the Coca-Cola managers.

I found art pieces there, some jewelry, too. All inside shoe boxes.

But I never returned those.

They came to my house. They broke in,

took my wife, Esperanza, with them.

They held her in a cell for three days.

After a while, I had to turn myself in so they would let my wife go.

ESPERANZA ARCARAZ SAID THAT SHE WAS THROWN IN A CELL 15 DAYS AFTER SHE ARRIVED

TO THE STATION TO RECOVER HER BELONGINGS, WHICH FORCED EFRAÍN MONTES DE OCA

TO TURN HIMSELF IN TO THE POLICE.

He was terribly bad with me. He sent me to the pit.

The pit, well...

I think there is a bit of fantasy around that, right?

They said the pit was a hole filled with water where they were submerged.

I think it's a bit unrealistic, I never saw that,

but... Oh, well.

There were other things as well. The beatings, for example.

I don't know, the twisting their arms thing...

They said they were forced to stay in a particular position, too.

If they complained, I wouldn't listen to them.

The people in charge wouldn't allow it.

There is no problem, really.

If they worked like that, it's because they were allowed to.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to do it.

The Secret Service had enough patience to interrogate them

for three or four nights in a row, without any sleep.

They would rotate the officers until they had had enough. "That's enough."

When you got dragged into the pit,

you'd never heard them saying, "Let's go to the pit."

They used to call it, "Formula One."

Formula One meant "the pit."

At Tlaxcoaque's basements,

you were taken from the cells,

you were blindfolded,

they'd tie your hands

and you wouldn't know where you were going.

Then you'd arrive at a certain location,

they'd lead you there,

they'd untie your hands and strip you from head to toe.

They'd put your arms behind your back, like this,

and they'd apply a bandage on them.

Then, they'd make you lie down on a plank.

That's what we called "the mummy."

Then they'd apply a bandage everywhere with those wide bandages.

They'd wrap you all over.

The only thing you could move were your toes.

I know it first-hand.

That's when they asked you,

"How many thefts have you committed?"

"No, I just..."

"Let's begin with Polanco.

How many robberies have you committed in Polanco?"

"I haven't been to Polanco..."

I think if they did this... "Put him down."

They'd put you there.

And you'd feel like you were dying

because you couldn't hold your breath anymore.

That's when they'd take you back out.

"So?"

"No, I..."

You were going back down.

The worst part of the pit

was when they'd submerge you in a rapid succession.

You were taken out and back in, out and back in.

They always had a sponge

and it was always wet.

It was soaking wet.

When they took you out,

you'd breathe and scream...

and that's when they'd wring out the wet sponge in your mouth.

You'd feel like you were dying.

And then... down you went again.

And then back out and back in.

It was a horrific torture.

At the end of the day, you'd say anything they wanted.

I HADN'T COMMITTED ANY CRIMES,

BUT I WAS TORTURED AT THE PITS FOR 11 DAYS.

That's how it used to be. Dracula tortured me really bad.

I almost died at the pit.

One day I told Dracula, "Help me, man.

Because one day, you'll ask me for a favor and I will repay you."

He turned around and cruelly told me,

"What could I ever need from a thief?

Either you talk or I'll throw you in jail."

"Let me get the money I need," I told him.

KNOWN AS EL CARRIZOS

I got a mortgage for one of my houses and gave him the money they asked for.

And I got out.

HE BRIBED HIGH COMMANDERS WITHIN THE POLICE.

-Five... Four... -Yes.

-You're going to talk about it. -About why they're being robbed

-due to lack of security. -Exactly... yes.

Five, four, three, two, one.

ARTURO DURAZO MORENO CHIEF OF POLICE (1976 - 1982)

General Arturo Durazo Moreno, would you tell us

about this police investigation that is being undertaken

by the investigation division under your command.

What is its purpose, sir?

There was a feud between Durazo and Jorge Téllez Girón, "Dracula."

Dracula put Durazo's son in custody once,

when Durazo was already Commander in Chief of the federal police.

He put in custody a boy known as El Yeyo.

He had coke on him.

So, Durazo asked him as a favor to help him out.

To let him out. And he refused.

He said he was putting him into custody and that he'd beat him.

To put it clearly,

he said he was going to hit him. To kick his ass.

And he's going to be detained. I don't have any reason to do help you.

So, Dracula never imagined that Durazo would be Chief of police.

When Durazo took office as the Chief of the Secret Service,

which, later, was called DIPD.

I got arrested

and the General told me, "Listen, Carrizos,

I need you to file a report against Dracula."

For everything I've given Dracula.

How did he even know about it?

I have no clue.

He said, "You'll do it, whether you want to or not."

He made it clear.

I had to do it.

"Fine, I'll do it," I said.

"DRACULA" IMPEACHED AND IN JAIL

I didn't have a choice.

Dracula had already been arrested by the Secret Service.

And I told him, "What goes around comes around, Jorge.

Your life and your freedom depend on me."

ARREST WARRANT FOR COMMANDER TÉLLEZ GIRÓN

A NEW COMPLAINT WAS FILED.

NEW EVIDENCE FOR COURT.

SHOOTING BETWEEN GUERRILLAS AND POLICE OFFICERS.

TÉLLEZ GIRÓN DENIED ALLEGATIONS

JORGE TÉLLEZ GIRÓN, WHO HAS SERVED FOR THE POLICE FOR 18 YEARS,

CLAIMED TO BE UNAWARE

OF A POSSIBLE INDICTMENT BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY.

HE SAID HE WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE CHARGES FILED AGAINST HIM

BY ARCARAZ MONTES DE OCA.

TÉLLEZ GIRÓN WAS ACCUSED.

EL "CARRIZOS" CLAIMS, "THEY STILL TORTURE PEOPLE AT THE DIPD."

NO BAIL FOR FORMER COMMANDER TÉLLEZ GIRÓN

His mom came to talk to me. His wife came to me first.

Please, drop the charges.

We would appreciate it very much.

TÉLLEZ GIRÓN PLEADS NOT GUILTY

My wife Esperanza was there.

"Let them go away," she said.

EL "CARRIZOS" DIDN'T CONFIRM HIS PREVIOUS CLAIMS

REGARDING TÉLLEZ'S EXTORTIONS.

So, I dropped the charges.

He was back on the streets 72 hours later.

"CARRIZOS" SAID HE WAS FORCED TO SIGN THE PREVIOUS STATEMENTS.

DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE, JORGE TÉLLEZ, "EL DRACULA," WAS RELEASED.

THE CASE WAS DISMISSED.

When Dracula got out,

he and his wife visited my wife.

They gave me one million pesos from back then.

I never heard from him again.

Up to this day, I never heard from him.

Gloomy and dark,

Lecumberri's jail,

the prison,

is a mansion for all low lives.

Men drawn by crime, vices or misfortune,

remain there imprisoned, some for many years,

to set an example, to punish them

or to save society from the dangers they pose.

When I was around 28,

I was charged for breaking and entering, damages and robbery attempt.

They caught me and sent me to Lecumberri

and...

they sent me to cell block A.

Someone had committed a crime in cell block A.

Right? So...

The criminals came to me

and told me, "We kind of over did it.

Would you pay for it?"

I already knew what they meant.

So I had to say yes.

If they killed a person,

someone living or someone dead would pay for it.

How long do you have left?

About six years.

My only wish is to see my parent's graves,

as well as my grandparents' and other family members.

Maybe they're not even dead,

but I was told otherwise

because they don't want to come visit me.

That's what I want to know.

I don't want out to be rich or anything.

I was... poor my whole life.

Hi.

SOUTH PRISON

DANGEROUS - STAY AWAY

It's going to be 13 years since I'm in jail.

It's been the longest time so far.

I've been in jail for 38 years.

I'm serving two sentences, one for murder

and one for drugs.

Those are the only charges left to pay for.

But I served a 38 years sentence for two crimes,

for which, so far, I haven't been offered a solution.

The 30 years for murder... I was absolved.

"For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only Son

that whoever believes in him

shall not perish, but have eternal life."

I killed the guy who killed my brother, Arnulfo López Montes.

I went there and said, "Well...

You killed my brother, now it's my turn."

We both got our knives out and we started to fight,

trying to stab one another. He got me over here.

I thought that was it,

so I charged him

and I pierced him from side to side and that was that.

But I was scared, so I kept stabbing him.

I stabbed him 36 times.

I was frightened of him, he was really bad.

We're here to serve our sentence.

But this isn't a punishment from God,

this is something I brought on myself.

I'm here for burglary.

But I'll be honest with you.

I killed someone here.

Yes, I killed him, right there, in dorm three.

And I killed another guy at Lecumberri.

There, yeah... While I was inside.

Now, all that added to my sentence here.

I've been here for 48 years.

And I still have 26 more to go.

And I have no doubts, I've got to be realistic, yeah.

At least, I know I won't go owing nothing,

because I'm going to die in here.

I have a family, I have my daughter.

My sons, my nephews.

My sons-in-law, my brothers.

No one has come to visit me so far.

Not my daughters, sons, nephews...

Not even my brothers. No one. No visits in two years.

Fox, donkey, come on. Speak.

He doesn't want to talk.

Give me a kiss, come on.

He gave me a kiss, you see? How about your hand?

Give me your hand.

Not your hand? Okay, a kiss.

It's a companion to me, it's my moral incentive, right?

He's the one that made me keep on living in here.

He keeps my spirit up, it's the truth.

He's a bit scared right now.

What will you do when you get out?

Listen, Mr. Everardo.

First and foremost,

I want to be out.

I need to think.

I may go back to my old habits.

But I may not.

I'm 64 years old now.

Where is he?

A lot of people tell me,

"'Carrizos', you're getting old."

"Yeah, man. I'm an old person now.

But I lived my youth

with dignity."

I lived my life with honor.

And I got whatever I wanted from life.

I gave my children what they needed.

Sometimes, when I was at Satellite City, when I was there to steal,

I wondered, "When will I have a house here?

When?"

And that dream did come true.

My wife lives in Residencial Boulevares, in Colina de la Rumorosa.

Her home is beautiful.

I gave something to each of my children.

I bought them cars, houses...

I gave them everything they ever asked for.

If they asked for one peso, I'd give it to them.

I never denied them anything.

He managed to achieve what others never did.

He always had

everything he could possibly want.

HAIRDRESSING

Having lunch?

Tell us about your best hit.

Well, I never got into any gunfights.

-Never, I... -Why do you think that was?

I never had the courage for it.

NAME: EFRAÍN ALCARAZ MONTES DE OCA ADDRESS: RÍO DE LUZ - BIRTH PLACE: MEXICO

I think I deserve to be here.

Because of all the jobs I did and haven't come clean about.

Maybe this way I can pay back some of what I've done.

Maybe this is retribution for what I did to my wife, Esperanza.

I abandoned her.

I think all men will go through something like that someday.

No one is above that!

You may have your wife, which you adore,

but you'll find someone else eventually,

and I don't know how,

but you'll fall for her.

And you may leave your family for her.

And that's a big mistake.

It's the worst thing a father

could ever do, to leave his family

for another woman.

Do you understand?

Sadly, I did just that.

And if these are the consequences

for leaving my family,

then I would gladly take them.

I need to pay for my mistakes.

Like you pay for yours as well,

we all pay for our mistakes in life.

That's how it is, sir.

Do you know where your wife, Esperanza, is?

I know she's okay.

Have you ever stolen from another thief?

Well, López Portillo was a thief.

He stole whatever he wanted,

and I robbed him.

Right there, at the Dog Hill.

In Bosques de las Lomas.

I hit him there. Stole his two safes.

I stole his money, his jewelry,

his Centenarios, his dollars.

And I never gave any of that back.

To protect the constitution

of the Mexican United States

and its laws.

To fulfill with loyalty

and patriotically

the position of President of the Republic that the people has invested in me.

Always looking after the wellbeing of the country.

Should I fail, may the Nation compel me to comply.

I don't think the rich care for what I did to them.

I just took a tiny piece of their pile.

I'm not taking their sustenance.

They have a baguette.

A big piece of bread.

And I just took a chunk.

I never took anything from the poor.

Get it? I take from those who have to spare.

Carrizos never lost his honor,

because he never stole from those that didn't deserve it.

It takes a thief...

That's the question, isn't it?

What's wrong? Why are you crying?

They took my box.

Someone stole your box?

They took it from me.

Who?

The inspector.

Why?

Because I was shining shoes at those stairs.

And he won't return it?

-He will. -Really?

But in two days.

What will you do until then?

I don't know what I'll do.

TESTIMONIES FROM:

Subtítulos Cristina Pinheiro