La Línea: Shadow of Narco (2020): Season 1, Episode 2 - Episode #1.2 - full transcript

The search continues in La Línea, Cádiz,
for eleven of the 12 people…

EMERGENCY ROOM

…involved in the rescue from the hospital
of a suspected drug dealer

on February 7th.

National Police arrested
two of the attackers,

but the Castaña clan continues
to act more brazenly than ever.

Due to the recent cases of violence,

the rest of the country
is becoming more aware

of how serious the situation is.

I think there has been neglect

due to the economic crisis
or lack of funding.



The situation has deteriorated

and the "enemy" has grown stronger
and more powerful.

In Campo de Gibraltar,
a red line has been crossed

in drug trafficking.

Do you think it's normal that
a narco was freed by attacking a hospital?

The narcos and their workers,
thousands of them,

have lost all respect for authority
and act with impunity.

The narcos have a bigger budget
than we do,

and that means their resources
are much better than ours.

The government is well aware
of this situation,

and this morning, a preliminary meeting
was called

-for an anti-drug trafficking plan.
-We need political help.

This city has been abandoned for years.

As the government spokeswoman
has said, the government has agreed...



INTERIOR MINISTER

...on a plan for Campo de Gibraltar,

including an increase in the numbers
of police and Civil Guard,

as well as equipment.

I think it would be fantastic
if we had more people on the ground.

If they're coming to help,
that's always good news.

A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

TASK FORCE DIVISION

THE GOVERNMENT INVESTS SEVEN MILLION EUROS
IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING

346 OFFICERS TAKEN ON AS REINFORCEMENTS
AND 112 VEHICLES PURCHASED

THE SPECIAL TASK FORCE CCON-OCON SUR
IS CREATED

I got a call this summer,
while I was on vacation,

inviting me to take part
in the project OCON SUR.

They told me what it was all about...

OCON SUR OFFICER

...what my role would be
and what they were looking for.

I accepted the offer straightaway and...

I was looking forward to starting work.

I think that
if you like being on active service,

it's something that's always...

It's always in the back of your mind.

Look, Pedro, we're at the church,
and the Tonelero beach is right behind.

It's a sheltered beach
where the majority of the drugs come in.

This is Canarias St.

This is the center of hash trafficking
in Europe.

This is where most of it is unloaded...

ATUNARA BEACH

...where most of the narcos live,
you know?

Here you have derelict houses
alongside mansions, you know?

We had to have more back up
in this area...

We had to set up a specialized unit...

OCON SUR OFFICER

...with resources,

and above all, we had to have people
who knew the area.

You can see the narrow alleyways.
They know the distance perfectly

and they run down there with the boxes
of tobacco and hash.

The drug lords-- I'm sure you've heard
of the Castañas, right?

These guys were born here, in this area.

I notice many times,
mainly at the courthouse door,

how the suspects' families
see them as heroes.

How is it possible? If my mother
had ever caught me with a joint,

she'd have gone crazy.

And you see a mother
whose son has been arrested

and will spend four, six
or seven years in prison,

treating him like a hero
and applauding him.

I am close to retirement,

but I believe in this fight
and that's why I'm here.

You have to understand
that this affects three countries.

People think we are exaggerating,
but Morocco is affected.

Morocco produces and is earning money,

but in the north,
there is a huge security problem.

There's been shoot outs,
tit-for-tat shootings,

because of drug trafficking.

It's affecting Spain
because it's the gateway to Europe,

and Gibraltar and the United Kingdom
as well, you know?

They're affected too because
the money's laundered there,

they bring it in through there
and they work from there too.

These three countries have
a moral obligation and not just Spain.

I have to wear a balaclava
because this area is very dangerous.

We live beside the people
we're investigating

and they might recognize us.

If we don't wear a balaclava
during the searches, or with the media,

we obviously couldn't do our work
properly.

Only now I'm beginning to realize,
and it really surprises me,

the...

the banality of it all,

the way people here commit crimes
as if they weren't illegal.

It's true that for some guys
who are on their way up,

being arrested...

PUBLIC SECURITY

...or having a police record,
brings them prestige.

There's a boat heading towards Gibraltar.

I presume it's going for a load
so things are going to kick off.

We've seen it coming in to San Bernardo.

Two left from Marina
and one from San Bernardo,

towards Gibraltar.

-They've unloaded already.
-No, they're loading up.

Things weren't violent before.

Now it seems that between the gangs
that are operating there,

if one of them confronts the police,

they get more respect.
"Hey, these guys stood up to the police."

Hang on, what are they doing?

I'm seeing two boats.

I don't know if the Civil Guard
are following them.

-Light it up.
-Call Hawk!

Look, there's another one!

They're in pursuit.

Nowadays, youngsters stand up
to the police.

OFFICER

They know nothing's going to happen.
The prison sentences are laughable.

They're heading your way.

Roger that. Alpha 10.

Look at the boat.

They're here!
They just crossed the border.

Are they unloading?

Nowadays,
these criminals are 20 years old,

drugged up to the eyeballs...

ALGECIRAS CUSTOMS

...and they respect nothing.

-They've loaded.
-Where?

Careful! I almost ran him over.

From our point of view,
it's a bit frustrating.

They know

that if they're caught smuggling tobacco,
they'll only get a fine, if anything.

If it's drug trafficking,

the prison time is very short,

which means that it's worth it
to get involved in all this.

Let's go!

Open the door!

Police!

What did you throw away? Face the wall.

LA LÍNEA POLICE STATION

The most important operation
we've had in the last six months...

CHIEF OF POLICE LA LÍNEA

...has been the arrest
of Antonio Tejón Carrasco.

He's the main leader of the Castaña clan.

The alter ego of this whole organization
for all the relatives

and neighbors working for them
is Pablo Escobar.

HEAD OF ORGANIZED CRIME

They're seen as benefactors...

PABLO ESCOBAR

giving the kids a chance to earn money,

a way out of social exclusion,
helping them to find a job, etc.

CHIEF OF POLICE

We always have to focus
on the organization's weaknesses

and on the people involved.

In Antonio's case, despite being
involved in criminal activity,

he was very involved with his children

and the woman
he was having a relationship with.

Only three or four people
had the information,

the others taking part in the operation

had no idea who they were going to arrest.

The information we had

was usually about
when he was spending time in La Línea,

and the different houses
where he could be.

We had about six or seven
different addresses

where he could be living.

When we were sure of the location
for that particular night,

we set up an emergency operation.

He had no time to react.

Before he even realized it
he'd been arrested, handcuffed

and was on his way to the car.

HEAD OF CASTAÑA CLAN

Don't film me. Why are you doing that?

Please don't film me.

Antonio's arrest is important

because it erases any feeling of impunity

and it sends a clear message
to other organizations

that, no matter how powerful
they think they are,

or how influential
in the drug trafficking business,

their days are numbered.

We're coming for them full force.

After Antonio's arrest,

there was a vacuum in the leadership
of the Castañas clan.

That was positive for us
because a lack of leadership

leads to precipitated decisions

and that inevitably leads to mistakes.

If you want to film me, do it properly.

We are still learning the details
about the arrest

of one of the most wanted
drug traffickers in the country.

He is the boss of an illegal empire.

His fortune is estimated to be in excess
of 60 million euros,

which could be buried in hideaways.

His brother,
now in charge of the business,

is the number one target
in the fight against drug trafficking.

AFTER ANTONIO'S ARREST,
THE CLANS BECOME MORE VIOLENT

AMONG THEMSELVES AND WITH THE POLICE

It's difficult for these gang members...

ANTI-DRUG DISTRICT PROSECUTOR

...to accept defeat or be arrested,

so they're angry
and have become more violent.

-We need back up.
-Location?

They're shooting at us.

They shot at colleagues
when they were checking a warehouse

on the outskirts of the city.
We were called out to a shooting,

and when we arrived,
we could hear the shots.

It's okay to be scared,

but you're coming out now, okay?

Come out, please, with your hands up.

I'm the team's negotiator,
so once the perimeter was cordoned off,

we began the negotiation
which lasted for two and a half hours.

-Burdeos!
-Yeah?

-Are you going to behave like a man?
-Say again?

Are you going to behave like a man?

Of course I am.
I'm asking you the same thing.

-Make no mistakes, we're--
-We thought you were burglars.

-We thought you were burglars.
-Okay. I know. It could be a mistake.

-We didn't know you were coming.
-Okay.

There's been a lot of pressure
from the security forces.

There have been more robberies.

The gangs are pretending to be police
to steal from other dealers.

Bring out the first one.

They're known as "paleros"
and they carry out "transfers.

They attack places
where the drugs are kept,

with the intention of stealing the drugs
and selling it themselves.

-Okay.
-I swear, officer.

-We haven't taken anything.
-Calm down.

I swear, officer,
we didn't know it was you.

The thieves wear police vests,

they have sirens,
and they raid the warehouses

as if it were a genuine police raid.

They presume
there won't be any resistance.

Sometimes, there may be a shoot out
with the police or the Civil Guard.

Forgive us. Forgive us, officers.

-Wait here, okay?
-Anybody else? Are you the last one?

They pretend to be police or Civil Guard
and that's dangerous for us

because no one knows who's police
and they don't trust us when we intervene.

What's happening is unthinkable.
They're shooting at us.

They're defending the drugs, their boss,
with such violence

that we really don't know
where it will all end.

They defend their merchandise

with high-caliber weapons.

We're talking about AK-47s,
Kalashnikov...

That type of 7mm caliber ammunition
cuts through our vests like butter.

These situations are critical
and I believe that if it doesn't stop,

it could end in tragedy.

Fifty-fifty calling Z10.

Attention! Group of people carrying
a boat. Running behind the church.

-What did he say? Running where?
-Carrying a boat.

Who can back them up?

Alpha 30.

There they are.

I've been a witness
to how fellow police officers

patrolling in their vehicles
and doing their job,

how they are insulted

and how they are heckled

when they're trying to identify
a suspect on the street.

Look at them.

-Stop.
-Behind the church.

They're taking it behind the church.

-Stop right here.
-Everyone against the wall.

Most of the people in La Línea
are not happy with us.

When we intervene, for example,

they're all over us...

PUBLIC SECURITY

...and they stand up for their own
because that's what they do here.

These national guys are heavy-handed.

Up to 50% or 60% of the population
make their living from this,

and they've been passing it on
from fathers to sons, 50, 60, 70 years.

Hands where I can see them, gentlemen.

They're constantly trying to provoke us

and to get headlines like,

"Police come out with guns blazing,"

but there's often an underlying situation
we're putting up with.

Face the wall.

Shame on you! Greens and nationals.

Our families are concerned, naturally,
because they watch the news.

The news is always like,
"Police attacked with Molotov cocktails,"

"National Police attacked with stones,"
"National Police injured."

There has been an increase in violence

and insecurity in Campo de Gibraltar.

The latest incident leaving
nine Civil Guard officers injured.

They were attacked by 40 people
armed with sticks and stones.

It's a hostile environment for the fight
against drug trafficking.

It's the only income for many in an area
with the highest unemployment.

You could get a flowerpot thrown
at you at any time

and you don't know who's responsible...

LIEUTENANT CIVIL GUARD

...and you can get badly hurt.

You need to be careful right now.
This area is dangerous.

There's a lot of people.

Putting up with people
throwing stones at you,

and insulting you...

I always remember what my father told me,

"They're not against you.
They're against your uniform."

So, I don't take it personally.

I'm coming.

In our day-to-day, our families
are always waiting for us at home.

They know you're out there
and you're vulnerable.

They're always saying, "Be careful.

Look after yourself. We're here waiting.
We love you."

You always try to be
as careful as possible at work.

This is the last one.

Let's go.

The other main entry point for drugs
is the Gibraltar Strait.

The drug boats are now part
of the Cádiz coastline,

and are unafraid of the police.

The latest clashes with the Civil Guard

have led to many officers
requesting new postings, correct?

The clans used to be more peaceful,
more relaxed.

They didn't steal off each other,
there wasn't so much jealousy.

We were able to work
without much interference.

But they started shooting on the beach.

There's robberies, deaths and other stuff
involving the police and Civil Guard,

and more people trying
to make a living from the same thing.

MAN WOUNDED IN LA LÍNEA
IN SHOOTING BETWEEN CLANS

SIX HEAVILY-ARMED MOROCCANS INVOLVED
IN LATEST DRUG TRANSFER ON THE ISLAND

A TON OF HASH SEIZED IN LA LÍNEA
DURING A TRANSFER BETWEEN NARCOS

DRUG TRANSFERS:
NARCOS WHO STEAL FROM NARCOS TELL ALL

ALGECIRAS PORT

What do we have here?
A different type of drug trafficking?

This is the Champions League
of drug trafficking.

This is the gateway for cocaine
from America to Europe.

Look at all those containers,

-and in all of those containers...
-How many kilos are we talking about?

They're using the hash routes
to bring in cocaine.

If the security for a stash of hash
is tight,

imagine what it's like for cocaine.
It's five times tighter.

To be viable, you need
a large quantity of hash,

but 200 kg of coke is four bags.

We haven't intercepted any boats yet,

but it won't take them long
to try out new routes.

-What a city.
-It's a world of its own.

-It is indeed.
-A world of its own.

LA BAJADILLA NEIGHBORHOOD

We got an emergency call
about a fight in a house,

a disturbance, and it ended up
with a guy armed with a knife escaping,

and our officers had to go after him.

They were able to catch him
about 700 meters away,

and they had to use force
because he was resisting arrest.

He had to be sedated by the medics.

The neighbors told us the guy
was jumping from car to car.

He was high as a kite.

They got him near the supermarket.
Five officers were trying to subdue him.

-He was up to here in coke.
-Up to here.

He was in such a state they had
to take him to hospital and sedate him.

When we got to the house,
the first thing that surprised us was

the amount of cash on the floor
in the entrance hall,

and inside the house-- The door was open,

and there was more cash
and a trail of blood all around the house.

Besides the money,

the rooms were full of smaller packages
than what we're used to with hash,

but, later on, the UDYCO told us
they were packages of cocaine.

So, we cordoned off the area.

You move out fast and you seal the area
so that the scene can be inspected,

the biological evidence is collected,

as well as fingerprints and so on.

It's a coke warehouse.

Take a look. You can see it from the door.

-Really?
-There are loads of packages.

-That's great.
-At least 40 or 50.

Yeah? Fuck me.

What really got our attention

was when our colleague notified the judge

and we were not allowed
to search the house.

The judge insisted
we couldn't carry out a search.

We had already gone into the house,
according to her, by accident,

and we were allowed to seal the area,
but a search was not authorized.

We refused to carry out a search
without authorization,

in order to respect the judicial process
and to protect any evidence we'd find.

THE JUDGE REFUSES TO AUTHORIZE
A SEARCH OF THE PREMISES

THE POLICE ARE UNABLE TO RECOVER EVIDENCE
WHICH MAY INCRIMINATE THE SUSPECT

She's refusing
because it's an accidental discovery.

-Authorization is denied?
-Yeah, because it's accidental.

-The cocaine is in plain view.
-It's still denied.

Incredible.

When you are seeing something
from the street

inside a house...

with a lot of drugs,
which looks like cocaine...

and a lot of cash,

and you can't search the house,
and do your work correctly

and with all the guarantees
the law allows,

you feel frustrated...

to say the least.

I won't say more.

Fuck me.
You might be a judge and whatever...

There's not enough evidence?

What more do you want?
What more does she want?

You get evidence,

you're constantly pushing your people,
following procedure...

The street patrols risking their lives.
Submachine guns, raids, sealing the scene,

and then you explain everything
to the judge, everything we've got.

We have traces, narco tests,

we do an inspection,
back it up with a photographic report,

-and the judge turns it down--
-So what does she want from us?

-Fuck all.
-What does she want us to do? Leave?

-She doesn't want us to work.
-We leave it here and go away.

Is that what she wants us to do?

We don't understand the district court.

We have to deal with
and work with them every day.

Those overseeing the investigations,

we're giving them all this evidence,

we're their eyes, ears, hands,

and they refuse to follow up
an investigation

that's fundamental
to prove unlawful behavior.

So, with this in mind,

we turned to the anti-drug prosecutor,
the only option open to us.

Lately, the Prosecutor's Office
has been working much closer

to the investigation,
helping with the inquiries,

and, as a result,
we have a much closer relationship.

They have your private number.
They call you when they need help.

Okay. Fine, talk to the judge there,

because they can cover it.
I'll talk to them now.

When someone is arrested by the police
with enough evidence,

they go before the judge.

That's when the judge has to decide.

The police might consider the evidence
to be strong,

but the judge may think
the evidence is not strong enough

to remand a suspect.

Each specific case and each circumstance
has to be taken into consideration,

to understand the police, the judge
and even the prosecutors.

THE POLICE, WITH THE PROSECUTOR'S CONSENT,
SEARCH THE HOUSE

Are you wearing a vest?

-Are you wearing one?
-No, I'm not. Are you?

We should put on a vest.
We're in a cocaine warehouse.

Just in case.

Police!

Clear.

Okay.

Clear.

There's coke everywhere. Fuck.

Fuck me.

-They're full?
-Full.

Two full boxes.

This...

Okay. Let's go.

Clear. All clear.

There are two boxes in the bedroom.
Full of cocaine.

About 50 or 60 kilos.

It's a small apartment.

-Will we start with the money?
-Yeah.

Okay?

Two, three, four, five...

28, 29...

-Say it.
-A cardboard box with eight kilos

and a Tanita.

A precision weighing scale.

-Four more in the hall.
-Four more.

-More?
-Hang on.

There are 100 kilos here at least.

-Can you record this?
-Yeah.

Eighteen.

Nineteen.

Twenty.

There's more here. Put them in this box.

Twelve.

...all the money they were carrying.

The police have arrested a man
in Algeciras,

found with stab injuries
following a brawl in the street.

In a follow-up to the inquiry,

officers discovered a large quantity
of cocaine in a residence

connected to the incident.

The incident occurred
on Isaac Albéniz St.

LAWYER

Police were alerted
by a phone call from an eyewitness.

When the officers arrived at the scene,

they discovered the individual
with stab wounds on the street.

He was transferred
to Punta Europa hospital in La Línea.

The investigation is ongoing.

LAWYER

I never ask if they've done it or not,
if they're guilty or not. I don't ask.

I'm only interested in the facts,
the police report.

-What's going on?
-Have a seat.

What's up?

What we call "in flagrante delicto,"
so you can understand,

is a crime that's being committed
right now.

You can see it happening.

160 kilos of cocaine in his house.

The police raided his house
and affirm it's an in flagrante delicto,

and once I read the report,

I disagreed with that.

He's been arrested for resisting arrest.
He was supposedly creating a scene,

whatever, he was not cooperating,
and he was arrested.

Following the arrest, a house was raided,
and when they found out who the owner was,

it coincided with the suspect
who had been arrested.

Our client was not arrested in the house.

-He wasn't arrested in the house?
-No, he was outside.

THE POLICE SEIZE A TOTAL OF 166 KILOS
OF COCAINE AND 26,000 EUROS IN CASH

THE STREET VALUE OF THE COCAINE
COULD BE AS HIGH AS SIX MILLION EUROS

Okay. Jorge?

I'm going to the hearing, okay?

I never have second thoughts
when I'm doing my work.

I mean, if someone can walk free
thanks to my work,

that's something I'm proud of.

If I had second thoughts
about who I'm helping to walk free,

I wouldn't be a good lawyer.

I see this as a kind of game
and these are the rules.

The police arrest people,

the prosecutor accuses, I defend,

and the judge imparts justice.

It wouldn't make sense
for the Civil Guard or the prosecutors

or the judges to be annoyed
at a lawyer for doing their job.

We have a very professional relationship
with lawyers.

There's the usual cut and thrust

between the lawyer
who's defending his client's rights

and the prosecutors who are defending
the State's interests.

THE LAWYER CLAIMS THAT THE SEARCH
WAS CARRIED OUT WITHOUT A WARRANT

THE JUDGE DISMISSED THE SEARCH
AND THE SUSPECT WAS CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES

-Hey!
-I was waiting for you.

-What's up?
-How did it go this morning?

-How did it go? He was released.
-Really? Well done.

-Well done.
-Right?

-So it ended up like we thought.
-Amazing.

-That's great.
-The truth is it was...

-It was complicated. It felt great.
-That's great. I'm happy for you.

What helped me out was the article
that came out in the newspaper.

It's true he was arrested
away from the house.

-There was no search warrant, right?
-None.

No warrant. No evidence that...

There was no evidence that a warrant
had been requested and was denied.

It was registered as in flagrante delicto.

When they told the guy he was free to go,
he couldn't believe it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?
Is this on camera?"

The guy was amazed.

I told him he was probably
going straight to prison.

In the end, the release papers came
and he walked.

The judge not only let him out
but the case was dismissed.

She dismissed the case?

If the suspect himself
couldn't believe it,

you can imagine how the police felt
after all the work involved,

and a seizure of that caliber.

That's the message you're giving
other organizations. Impunity.

He was delighted, in tears, hugging me...

-He thought he was going to prison.
-The family were there too.

He was...

-He was going to prison.
-It's hard to imagine.

Of course, he saw himself in prison.

And...

He broke down after that.
The initial reaction was total joy

-but then the stress of it all.
-The important thing is he's out.

-You can't put a price on that.
-We'll see what happens now.

It's a court ruling
so you have to respect that.

I think that...

what I'm saying speaks for itself, right?

From our point of view,
how do you think we feel?

THE OCON UNIT HEADS
TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF LA LÍNEA

TO CARRY OUT A SURPRISE RAID
ON A WAREHOUSE

It's a mixture of uncertainty and nerves.

You have an adrenaline rush.

The first thing we do
before raiding a house...

The first people to go in
are the uniformed officers.

When we raid these houses,

more often than not,
we're finding firearms

used for their own protection.

Rifles, submachine guns,
weapons with a much higher caliber

than any Civil Guard
or Public Security unit.

To prevent anyone escaping
or destroying evidence,

we use force to enter the house.