Inside the Darkest Criminal Networks | Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller MEGA Episode | Nat Geo

The Amazon rainforest is at a tipping

>> So, all the little red dots, this is all >> More recent deforestation.

>> And criminal networks are pushing it closer to the edge.

To understand how they operate,

I'll travel to a violent frontier.

What's fueling the multi-billion

dollar trade for illegal timber?

How's a global gold rush wreaking havoc on the jungle?

>> Is that a good end up in a gold mine just like mine?

>> And what are the stakes for our planet?

>> I think it makes sense to think about the Amazon

as a canary in the coal mine.

If we can't save it, we're doomed.

>> 500 miles from the mouth of the Amazon

lies Itaituba, where a gold rush feeling

hangs in the air.

So, as soon as you get here,

you get a sense that this whole town is geared towards exploiting the Amazon.

You can see it everywhere.

There's gold shafts, there's

places selling and even the local

mayor is a former gold miner.

While it might not surprise you that illegal

logging is a major factor in

gold mining is equally malicious.

I've come to this region

where nearly 30 tons of gold are extracted

illegally every year as the first step on my mission to understand

how criminal networks are decimating the Amazon. Right here.

But, how do I actually make my way into the Amazon's underworld?

Through a contact, I've set up a meeting with a driver

who works for local

Clearly, this is not the answer I'm looking for.

But, what I've learned from these situations

is to never take the first no as the final answer.

And to keep buying drinks. >> Keep banging.

>> After a few rounds,

the driver's tune has changed.

He now says he might be able to get me into a mine he

knows, deep in Amazon jungle.

But there's a catch.

And so, thanks to my new drinking buddy,

the next morning I find myself

on one of the Amazon's infamous small planes.

>> Looking out the window

while trying not to think about going down in a ball of flames,

I'm struck by the immensity of the Amazon.

But in 2020, an area the size of 345

Manhattans was wiped out.

And in Brazil, up to 94%

of that deforestation can be considered illegal.

>> So, all these brown dots that you see, all these clearings

in the jungle, that's all the illegal gold mines.

>> So, who are the criminals

responsible for this destruction?

And why is gold mining

so devastating to the rainforest?

I'm hoping to find out.

This is what it's like to land on a runway made out of dirt.

I can't tell you where I'm headed.

It's an agreement I made last night with the driver.

So, that's our guys

waiting for us over there.

They're contacts who are taking us to the mine.

>> Okay, guys, seriously, cameras cameras

This is the area they asked not to film as we arrived.

>> But, I can tell you this.

It's always a little nerve-racking

getting in a car with a masked man.

Someone I don't know if I can trust.

The masked man, who I'll be calling Alan,

says he's taking me to one of his four gold mines deep in the rainforest.

Alan tells me that other illegal prospectors

in the area know I'm here.

And we need to be on guard.

They almost prevented us from even landing.

And so, he's saying that

people are just super scared here.

In Brazil, illegal gold mining is estimated

to bring in more than a billion dollars a year.

While gold trafficking is less widespread

than logging, it can leave permanent scars.

Loggers often harvest valuable

trees and leave the rest.

Miners, however, slash everything in their path.

Surrounded by the jungle here, just a big clearing

right in the middle of the rainforest.

This is pretty big, much bigger than I

>> At the belly of a man-made

crater, miners toil away in the mud,

stripping back layer after layer of earth.

It's a backbreaking, dirty job.

Gold mines are a breeding

ground for malaria, and the pace is furious.

>> It's crazy to think that all of this has been done in just 1 week.

They just started working in this area a week ago, and you can see

how much of it is already cleared out.

>> Deforestation from illegal gold mining has increased

by more than 90%

in recent years, and our insatiable

thirst for the precious metal

threatens to make the situation even worse.

Tech companies consume hundreds

of tons of gold a year.

Pure gold is used in every smartphone.

>> Where are the products that are being produced in the Amazon going?

They're coming here to the US.

They're going to Europe.

These massive corporations could decide

to really trace the supply chains,

but they're choosing not to.

>> The murky supply chain ensures

that dirty gold finds its way into the market,

much as blood diamonds do.

And in Brazil, dirty gold

has added >> Oh, it's mercury

that they were putting

So, he just has this mercury,

and the gold sort of combines with the mercury and that's how they

locate and find gold here.

>> Despite what Alan says,

mercury leaves rivers poisoned.

The pollution can spread hundreds of miles downstream.

>> You see these little specs?

The yellow specs are the gold and these little sort of silver

balls, that's the gold covered in mercury.

>> Alan then takes the unrefined

gold to a dealer,

one who doesn't ask too many

>> A gold ring just like mine.

>> But if miners like Alan are simply left to their own devices,

the Amazon will continue

to face a dark future.

And in many cases,

they actually have very little to show for it.

>> Sometimes they only get

70 to 80 g

of gold out of an area like this.

So, all this work was almost for nothing.

>> That amount means only a few thousand dollars

for a week of work for Alan and his two dozen workers.

Traffickers in the Amazon

are playing a high-stakes game.

And more times than not, they're losing.

man is an inside

source from Ibama, Brazil's environmental

protection I think it's very dangerous.

My source from Ibama

says that at the moment

his agency is losing the battle

with the Amazon mafia.

And corruption in Brazil

allows international criminal organizations

to reap the benefits.

But getting black market commodities

out of the country

relies on one key player. The middleman.

This dealer buys gold from mines

all over the Amazon basin.

When he has enough,

he melts it and sells it to international buyers.

>> Gold laundering, the mixing of legal and illegal gold,

nearly insures that trafficked

gold finds its way into the markets.

>> These massive corporations will turn a blind eye to the mixing

of illegally obtained materials

with legally obtained And then they can

take the certificate of authenticity

for the legally obtained stuff and slap it on the whole batch

and say, "Okay, we're

>> And because of this,

90% of Fortune 500

companies that invest in gold

can be linked to illegal mines

in Latin >> After seeing the effects of gold mining first hand,

I'm going deeper into the Amazon,

hoping to find those responsible

for deforestation's original sin.

>> The first step in deforestation

in the Amazon is usually illegal logging.

So, there are a few types of wood in the Amazon that are really

valuable on the international market,

things like Loggers will go in, they'll cut down those valuable

trees, and then they will just

chop down all the rest and then burn them.

Then, when the land is cleared from the fires,

that can serve as cattle pastures.

>> Shockingly, an estimated 50%

of logging in Brazil is illegal.

And the United States

is one of the biggest importers

of trafficked wood from the Amazon.

The high stakes have made the jungle a violent place.

>> On the edge of the Amazon's

protected areas lies a small settlement.

I've traveled here to understand

what can happen to you when you go up against the Amazon mafia.

Osvalinda and Daniel Pereira

run a small organic farm

surrounded by old growth

Nearly all the forests

adjoining their property have been cut down in recent

The Pereiras have managed to protect

and plant new trees on their farm.

And they reported illegal activity to the authorities.

Which has made them a target of local criminals.

One day, after returning to their house,

the couple found a local logging boss waiting for them.

Accompanied by a squad of armed men.

>> Brazil has about 30%

of the world's And so, can you imagine

when somebody chops down

a tremendous area that burns for 10 days?

>> Dorothy Stang was an American nun who campaigned

for 30 years to stop illegal loggers in the Amazon.

In 2005, while walking in the jungle,

she was murdered with six shots fired at close range.

Stang's murder is far from an isolated incident.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in land conflicts since 2000.

And in this part of the world,

where impunity reigns, only 10%

of the murders were brought to justice.

Following the threats from the local logging boss,

the Peredas awoke one morning to find that someone

had crept onto their farm.

Leaving a terrifying warning.

>> The Pereiras continue to receive death threats,

but they refuse to let the criminals have their way.

I that I know that I know that I know that I know that

I know that >> My source says the situation

got even more dire

after the 2018 election

of Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro.

>> It is a fallacy

that the Amazon is a heritage

of humanity, and it is also a mistake to say it is the lungs of the world.

Certain countries are using these fallacies,

and instead of helping,

have started to attack with lies.

>> When Jair Bolsonaro was

elected, a lot changed. Deforestation skyrocketed.

There's been a massive rollback

in respect for indigenous rights, and Bolsonaro has regularly

in public Amazon deforestation.

He's encouraged the arsonists lighting a lot of the

and he's defamed a lot of the indigenous

When the head of state

is encouraging violence, that sends a very clear

>> According to observers, his administration

has effectively given a green light

to those who want to destroy the Amazon for profit.

Which critics say includes

the most powerful man in Itaituba.

At his riverside mansion,

I arrange a meeting with the town's mayor,

Valmir He's not shy about his past as a logger and miner.

According to Climaco's own election filings,

he's the subject of 45 federal criminal citations.

But his trouble with the law

hasn't hurt his popularity.

Mayor Climaco now owns cattle ranches

and farms cleared from the rainforest,

industries responsible for millions

of acres of deforestation.

Climaco was acquitted of some charges,

though he still faces pending trials

for alleged environmental crimes

dating back to 2012.

However, Climaco doesn't think mining and logging are hurting the Amazon either way.

>> In the Amazon, this is all a seductive

argument for those who stand to make huge profits.

But it doesn't mesh with the reality

I've seen in my time here.

With the help of the FBI,

Brazilian authorities eventually convicted

two ranchers of orchestrating Dorothy Stang's murder.

Climaco's own property lies alongside

the ancestral territory of the Munduruku indigenous tribe.

For Climaco, letting them manage the land

would be the real travesty.

>> Despite what Mayor Clímaco says,

Brazil's indigenous people are now some of the most courageous

defenders of the Still on the search for illegal loggers,

I'm going on patrol

with members of the Munduruku indigenous tribe.

We've been going in

further and further in for over an hour now.

They're actually looking for

signs that there's been illegal activity in this area.

I'm on patrol with the Munduruku

tribe trying to catch illegal loggers in the act.

All these cut branches that you see are clear signs that there's been some

sort of illegal activity.

Usually it's illegal loggers that come here and start cutting

the branches so they can go through deeper into the jungle. Look.

This is all evidence that the illegal loggers have been here.

Well, you can see a whole structure over

This camp has been set up in the short time since the Munduruku

last went on Chief Waru's

plans to confront the loggers

and force them out of Munduruku

It's a bullet case. 38 cal.

Brazil's indigenous people have increasingly come violent attack.

Even with the chance of an armed encounter,

Chief Juarez says it's time to move forward.

>> They've heard that there's people actually cutting down trees

about an hour from here.

So, he says we should keep going.

We'll try to go as far as we

>> As we proceed deeper and deeper into the rainforest,

it's hard not to feel completely exposed.

Criminals could be behind

any bend of the river.

After another hour on the water,

the chief stops our boat.

The loggers have clearly been here.

>> They come in with chainsaws

to look for trees like this,

and they left it behind because they realized it was actually going to fall into the river.

>> Even with fresh evidence of their work,

the chief says the criminals have slipped away.

But 2 days later,

I get a new lead.

After dozens of calls,

I finally receive a promising message

from a local contact

and a former illegal logger.

It's the access I've been working on for

But it's in an area with one of Brazil's highest murder rates.

I'll be miles and miles

from help if anything goes wrong.

And as I head out to an undisclosed

location, I have no idea

what or who I might find.

Okay, this is it. Running guys. Wait, do it.

The boss meets me at the access

road and says we need to hurry onto the truck so we're not spotted.

Okay, so we're going in the back of the

It's not an accident

that this is a bumpy ride.

Loggers cut narrow roads hidden under the forest canopy

to throw off aerial surveillance.

We just got stuck.

The big truck got stuck.

I have no idea how they

I don't know how they're getting it out of here.

The truck isn't going anywhere.

And on top of that,

we're suddenly The guy who's taking us in just left.

So we're stuck here.

It's super muddy and wet everywhere.

Stranded in the middle of the jungle

with potentially violent criminals

operating in the area.

And there's nothing to do but wait.

And we're stuck here.

Just us and a big illegal logging truck.

After 30 minutes, our contact returns.

And he's got some heavy equipment with

The rainy season is normally a quiet time of the year for the illegal

timber trade because of the difficulty reaching the jungle.

But these loggers seem to be working harder than ever.

But I mean, it's incredible.

It's just in the middle of this thick, thick piece of jungle,

and there's just this

And this is what they've done.

They've just cleared this all out.

The loggers tell me that just yesterday,

a member of another crew was killed during the part of the process I'm watching now.

They're saying it's incredibly

dangerous to be behind

uh where the log is going up because it's common that the cable will

break, and it'll fall on.

So, a lot of people have been

injured and and killed when this happens.

They're just These like

two cables that are pulling the log up to the truck.

This is all super sketchy.

I mean, they're barefoot, you know?

They're doing all of this A lot of them are

It may not be a high-tech

operation, but they work fast and efficiently.

So, they've done all of this damage that you see here, all this clearing,

in just the last 2 weeks.

>> Loggers usually take pains to avoid being caught.

Ibama raids mean crippling fines and destroyed equipment.

But insiders say the illegal timber trade

is operating more openly

than in years past.

They say they're going to cut down

another tree right now.

The men tell me how they clear the most valuable

trees first and are quick to spot which ones to cut next.

Yeah, so they're saying that

they think it's going to fall that way.

But when it does, when it cracks,

that a lot of sort of debris Oh my god.

You can Did you hear that?

Did you hear that? So that's it.

When you hear that first

that means the tree is falling. It's slowly falling.

And then you just No, Angie. Watch out. Watch out. Wow.

I mean, it's insane.

You can feel can hear the cracks incredibly

loud and then you can feel the whole

sort of ground shake.

Knowing that these trees could soon end up in a wood floor

or backyard deck somewhere in the US,

it's hard to Okay.

Let's go see that.

He's saying we can go and see it. The fallen tree.

It's not even worth anything,

which makes this whole thing even more depressing.

I mean, all of this

is wasted for for nothing.

Seeing this pointless destruction

reminds me of what I witnessed at the gold mine.

The Amazon is being ravaged

based on false hopes

by those in the trenches.

If there's one thing I've learned from reporting on the world's black markets,

it's that the people who are getting their hands dirty

often feel like they have no other choice.

Criminals on the bottom rung of the shadow economy

>> say they're simply trying to survive.

Holding those accountable for the murders in the Amazon

is seemingly an impossible task.

It's no surprise that so many of those killings have gone unpunished.

I may never come face-to-face

with those at the top,

but I have one last way

to expose the Amazon mafia.

I'm going to follow the timber.

>> Under the cover of night,

the logs I saw being cut down in the Amazon earlier

are transported here to this illegal

I still want to understand

what happens to timber illegally

harvested in the and if this wood will soon end up

in the hands of US consumers.

But nobody at the mill wants to talk.

Suddenly, I'm told it's time for us to stop filming.

A shipment of cut boards is heading out

and you've been explicitly

warned not to It's frustrating

to leave without tracking this wood any farther,

but I already know where a lot of it is headed.

>> Sometimes it's a bit of a reveal.

When you look at a shipment like this

and you open it up, it takes your breath away for a second.

You just be like, "Wow, that's not what I was expecting."

And you realize how big some of the wood is.

You do step back and you put that in perspective.

How How was that tree?

>> At a warehouse near the port of Houston,

agents from US Customs and Border Protection

are inspecting a new shipment from Latin America.

>> Some of the wood today

is raising red flags.

When we look at the documents,

the wood states that it's a certain age.

When we come here and physically look at the wood, it looks much older

than what's on the documents.

Therefore, it probably didn't come from the mill

that's on the paperwork,

and then we're going to look further into that wood.

>> As one of the largest

timber importers in the world,

the US is a prime target

for black market organizations.

But smuggling trees from the Amazon

is a federal crime

in violation of the Lacey

>> We attempt to catch everything that comes our way.

Due to the pure volume of stuff like that,

most likely stuff does make it through, but our attempt is to catch everything entering this country.

>> One estimate now puts the worldwide

trade for illegal timber

as high as 152 billion dollars.

>> We are seeing a larger increase in shipments coming out of the Amazon than previous years.

So, the problem isn't going away. It's only increasing.

>> There's so much responsibility

that we have to address our own contributions

to the climate crisis.

So many of the companies that are based here

are buying and selling the very products that are produced

in deforested parts of the rainforest.

It comes down to

how important is it and how important are we

insisting that it be.

I think it makes sense to think about the Amazon

as as a canary in the coal mine in the sense that

if we can't save we're doomed.

>> All these little red dots that are a lot of them,

um, all represent deforestation

that has happened in just the last five years.

>> 20% of the Amazon rainforest is already deforested.

So, we reached that level.

If we keep deforesting,

we may reach a tipping point.

>> So, the death of the Amazon as we know >> Yes, that's a possible scenario.

>> Carlos Souza is a researcher

for an environmental nonprofit called Imazon.

Through satellite technology, they're able to monitor

deforestation on a micro level,

including the illegal logging site I witnessed myself.

>> crazy to think that it looked so massive

at the time, and now to think that it's just probably a little tiny

tiny tiny little dot.

>> That's why it's so important

to do to have a real-time forest monitoring.

Because you can see the the most

active areas and go >> Stop it.

>> to stop it politically,

but we have >> is alarming. Dr.

Souza says it should be a wake-up

call for the entire world.

>> So, does that mean that this is it?

Where it's completely hopeless, there's nothing we can do about it? >> There is hope.

First, we have to make sure that they're not purchasing

anything from the Amazon that's

linked to illegal deforestation.

And then, we need more

international awareness about the problem

to convince Brazil to change this path to destruction.

>> The good news is that it's not too late.

And there are still those on the ground fighting against deforestation.

Looking at the Amazon

from high above, it's striking

that there are these islands of intact forest.

When you get closer,

you notice that many of those areas

are indigenous Before leaving the Amazon,

I returned to one of those islands,

the Munduruku I reunite

with tribal leader and activist Alessandra Munduruku.

Tonight, the village is having a meeting to discuss how they can fight back

against a new bill proposed

by the Bolsonaro government.

The bill would open up mining

in protected areas, like the Munduruku

The Amazon's hundreds of indigenous

tribes have survived conquest,

smallpox, enslavement, and assimilation.

And the future of our planet

might depend on them

standing in the way

of the Amazon mafia.

>> But for the Munduruku,

stopping powerful criminal networks alone

is too much to

Foreign governments will have to supply

And consumers will have to investigate

where the products they buy come from.

And if we are helping to protect

the we'll destroy it.

>> When we were going to do a story about

I honestly didn't think that we were going to be filming here in Los Angeles.

I'm about to meet our

Supposedly, he's found somebody who's willing to talk to us.

You want to come in? >> What's up? How you doing?

>> So, he's around here somewhere?

>> Yeah, he's still on the corner.

He's just a little nervous and a little iffy about it.

>> Is he nervous to the point that things can get ugly?

>> It's unsafe for us? >> Yes.

Cuz for you thought like it was a setup like he like if I

feel set up he like I'm killing you and everybody else

>> Okay, I'm stopping here for a second cuz I think before we meet him we should talk.

So, he's for sure an assassin?

>> Oh, I seen people pay 80,000

dollars in front of me.

>> For for a hit?

>> Yeah, I seen it. I seen it.

His attitude to me just like my porter like he just he could be

cool and a second he just

Yeah, that's one crazy right there.

>> As a journalist covering the underworld,

I've seen almost everything

that can be But there's one trade

that's always been just out of reach.

Where the product is death itself.

This is as black

as the black market

>> We have hundreds of gang members,

criminals, and people who love to kill for money.

>> In 2019 and 2020

alone, hitmen murdered nearly 3,000

people around the world

and the killing game

shows no signs of letting up. This isn't right.

>> You guys better block this out.

>> By covering you up.

>> Everything changes my voice, too.

>> We're changing your voice.

>> Voice is the only

chance you guys got.

I can easily take your whole crew out right now.

So, you know I get a little bit nervous, so

that's when my instincts start kicking in, you know? >> Yeah, you know.

>> But that's just me.

>> So, let me be I'm going to be blunt.

I'm just asking you the question.

So, you you you kill people.

>> They you to kill people.

>> That's what you want to call it.

As long as they got the money for it, I don't have to say no questions asked.

>> Is it always here in in the city in LA

>> No, I go everywhere.

>> All around the country?

>> Yeah, from New York, Chicago, Utah.

>> How many times have you done it?

>> I can't tell you that. >> More than 10?

>> It's been a few. Been a few.

>> Do you remember the first time you did >> You never forget. >> Is it easy?

>> Hell no, it's never easy. Never easy.

But it always gets done.

>> Do you do any surveillance beforehand?

>> I don't know how I do it, how I how it happens.

>> Yeah, what >> Now you're getting into details now.

I can't tell you that.

>> You have limits though or boundaries?

Are there certain people that >> Like what?

>> No kids, no girl no women, no no kids.

>> But a father is okay? >> Man, I'm good.

>> Do you have kids? >> Of course.

there is a part of you that has to feel a little bad

knowing that these are people who have people who love them, right?

They have >> I ain't never I ain't weak like that,

Don't get into my kids or talk about my kids anymore.

>> Okay, I won't talk about your kids

>> But now you I'm making a show about my kids now.

I'm getting a little bit

tired >> You're getting tired? >> bit irritated, yeah.

Well, I'm kind of short-tempered We done? >> Okay.

I mean, if you have to leave, you have to leave.

And just like that,

the interview is >> I have so many more questions,

so much more I want to know about hitmen

and what they do.

But assassins are paid to silence their victims

and to stay silent about it.

In my career, I've run into many people who kill for a living.

Sicarios in Mexico, gang members in Brazil

and Colombia, even a hitman in Amsterdam.

Would you shoot a journalist if you were paid to?

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for free.

>> It's a global phenomenon.

Hitmen make headlines around the world.

A hit squad pulls up and a hooded assassin unloads.

Yet, little is known about how contract

killers actually work or what drives them to make a living out of killing.

For that, I need to go to a country

where they thrive like few others.

South Africa, where news of the latest hit

is an almost daily occurrence.

>> Yet another whistleblower has been gunned down.

He was assassinated, ambushed by two

>> In the last 7 years alone,

assassins here have killed more than 1,000 people.

I want to know how that's possible.

So, how far are we more or less? about 1 minute.

>> Okay, so we should start getting closer to you guys here, right? >> All right. All right.

>> I'm on my way to the epicenter

of South Africa's assassination epidemic.

So, we're following the white

Range The two cars

are full of bodyguards, one in front and one right behind.

This is where things start to get a little

So, we have to make sure Oh, look. Look at that.

This is not gang territory or cartel country.

Incredibly, it's a minibus

taxi center, where I'm headed to meet a man

with a target on his back. Look at that. This is insane.

I mean, seriously, he's more protected than the president, it seems.

Okay, so I'm going to go out and meet

Ayanda, how are you? >> Hi, yeah.

>> Nice to meet you.

You're the most important person in South Africa, it seems, from all your security guys.

>> Yeah, I would say in this area,

I'm the most important person, yes.

>> Yanda is what is known in South Africa

as a taxi boss.

He runs a fleet of 500 minibus taxis.

A lucrative gig, but not for the faint of heart.

So, why so much protection

in what's happening around us?

>> I've been attacked five times.

>> You've been attacked five times? >> By whom? by the opposition.

There's always an opposition.

I've been told they are paid uh more than a million

to >> Try to kill you?

>> To kill me, yes.

>> In South Africa, the taxi game is big

The industry transports nearly 70%

of South African commuters,

with an estimated 10 million commuter trips every day.

Raking in around $4.7 billion a year.

And with so much money at stake,

the fights to control

the most lucrative routes is brutal. >> Oh my god. Oh, no.

>> Police have launched a massive

manhunt following a deadly attack on a fully loaded taxi.

>> A quick search online

brings up dozens of videos

and news clips that paint a gruesome

portrait of the industry.

>> This latest incident has highlighted

the problem of taxi violence.

>> Rival taxi syndicates torch each others Shootouts are common.

And for some taxi bosses,

hiring hitmen to take out their competition

is the fastest way to higher profits.

>> Streets have become hunting grounds for assassins

involved in an ongoing

taxi >> Taxi people only believe in one thing.

They believe that in order

for you to control this, you must kill this person, you know?

Even the last incident,

I had uh one bullet

AK-47 stuck in my

>> And those are the scars

as you can see. >> I see it. Yeah.

And the people that shot at you where they hired hitman. >> Yes. Hired hitman.

We call them Inkabi.

>> Do you always feel

on edge when you're here in your place?

>> Always because whenever I'm here I'm not

I always have my firearm.

This is my >> So if you were to leave right now and walk outside

without your what would happen?

How long do you think you'd last before somebody tried to shoot at you?

>> Not more than 15 minutes.

That's a crazy way to live like that.

>> Zandile's rivals, the people who he says have hired hitmen to kill him,

have their base just around the corner.

And he wants to show me what happens

when he gets close to their turf.

This feels a lot more unprotected.

We're not surrounded by your taxis. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. That side.

That's where if we go there

cuz anything can happen.

>> Should we stay here? >> No.

Let's come a little bit yes. >> I'm with you.

I'll do whatever you say you're safe.

>> As you can see

those taxis parked there. >> Oh yeah.

All the vans over there that that's another parking lot and that's the other

that's his rivals the other taxi association

and the people who

he says have been trying to kill him. >> Yes, that's correct. Some are coming. >> Oh yeah.

They all came out with their guns.

Oh, this is so crazy.

Like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 armed guys right walking right towards us. That is crazy.

So now they seem to be

>> But you can see that

they're not helping you.

I'm in South Africa

with a taxi boss

facing down his rivals.

Rivals he says have hired a hit squad

to take him out.

Are we poking the bear a little bit too much here?

Are we >> Yes, kind of.

But this is our daily

>> Yeah, he's waving us away saying go go go.

And they were obviously not happy that we were there.

I mean, I can see how things can change

>> fast and this can become bad. >> Oh, anytime.

>> The taxi business accounts for nearly half

of all assassinations in South Africa

and it's become a breeding ground for a hitman.

How easy is it to hire inkabi here? >> Very easy.

In fact, they come to you and ask for a job.

Is there anyone we can kill for you? >> No. Does that happen? >> Yeah, that happens.

>> Have you ever hired a hitman? >> Yes, I have.

>> To kill somebody else?

>> To do the same thing that they're doing to me.

>> You were trying to kill the person who was trying to kill you? >> Yes, that's correct.

>> It seems to be a bit of a cycle, right?

Because somebody tries to kill you, you try to kill somebody else

and it seems like it's a never-ending

cycle of >> That's how it's it's been happening

and I don't think

anyone can be able to stop

>> It's a never-ending cycle of violence

that Yanda knows all too well.

But when I ask him if he could connect me with a hitman, he says no.

>> As they've got lot of enemies.

I'm their number one target.

Yeah, I'm not safe.

>> What he did tell me was this.

Some taxi bosses have a side hustle

running networks of assassins

that they hire out for high-paying

hits on whistleblowers, business leaders, and

We're joining an elite anti-gang

unit on a raid

as they close in on one of these assassin networks.

>> Uh we're heading for the house

that is believed to belong to a taxi boss.

It's a convoy of about 20 cars

and about 35 men.

>> We're in one of Durban's

vast urban created during the country's era of forced

racial segregation, known as

It was a violent

system designed to keep black South Africans

in poverty and its dark legacy remains.

>> There's information that this taxi boss has

in copies, commonly known as hitmen, that are wanted

staying in his premises.

So, we're just going to be vigilant.

>> As we pull up,

the SWAT team storms the Look, look. Oh, yeah. You see them?

They're in Ready and follow me.

>> Someone has a breaching tool.

>> So, they're breaching the door right

Okay, so he says that's the safest way to get in. Go closer.

Where a dozen men could be securing the premises,

watching all windows and access points.

Want to go behind here, yeah? >> Is it clear? >> Is it clear?

It seems to be clear right now.

So, they have the suspects here on the floor right here,

and they're still >> Is the rifle there?

>> So far, they've recovered three firearms,

and I believe they have one more suspect

being taken out now.

>> Police tell me the suspected

hitman was caught with an illegal automatic

weapon, and was dressed in the uniform

of a private security company,

which I've heard is a disguise

that hitman here often use.

That's because in South Africa,

licensed security guards, like Yanda's men,

are allowed to carry fully

automatic firearms, not available

to the average Oh, so that's the assault rifle?

What kind is it?

What >> a This thing looks like a R5. >> An R5?

>> is similar to a police

automatic rifle that our members carry.

>> Wow, how do they get their hands on these guns?

>> Uh well, we have to assume that they are stolen.

So, at this stage, we do not

>> South Africa is awash

with illegal more than 2 million of them.

And they're fueling the assassination

Unlicensed weapons are harder for the police to trace,

which makes it easier for the assassins

to do their work.

Globally, assassins are known to use car bombs, IEDs, and poison.

But firearms are their weapon of choice.

So, if I want to find an active hitman,

my best bet is to follow the trail of illegal guns.

I head north to the outskirts of Johannesburg

to meet a contact

who can >> Come on in.

You tell me how to get how to go, right? >> You turn left.

>> This guy that we're meeting,

what What can you tell me about him?

Is he >> he can organize weapons.

>> Oh, so he buys and sells weapons?

>> and sells weapons, yeah. Go right here.

Yeah, you can put down the cameras on me. Yeah.

>> so let's put cameras down, guys. We're getting close.

The organizer, who we'll call Vusi, is running late.

And when he finally arrives,

he explains >> Okay, so

um you went to the police station, is that right? Why?

>> Uh the person that I'm working with

in the police station,

he wanted to give us something.

>> So that the 9-mm

you got that from the

Say they arrest you with a gun today,

that gun they're going to sell to somebody like me. >> All right.

Vusi tells me that he's bought dozens of handguns from the police.

His source for heavy weapons is equally shocking.

>> These assault rifles, these ones are from the army.

>> You get them from the military?

>> And what kind of weapons are you we talking about?

>> Uh maybe an R5, R4.

>> The R5 is the same model assault rifle

I saw the police confiscate

from a suspected hitman.

Most of your clients use it for which for what?

>> Armed robbery and assassinations.

>> We really want to meet

a an an inca

an assassin hitman who's currently active.

Do you know anyone that you could introduce us to?

>> I don't know if he will agree.

But there is one.

>> Unfortunately, his assassin turns us

But I get lucky.

Another local source comes through with an introduction.

But this is it, disaster.

Many weeks trying to get a hitman to talk to us.

And looks like we finally have one who's agreed.

It's still surreal to me that this profession even exists.

That someone kills for a living.

I'd feel more comfortable

if assassins remained a Hollywood trope.

With their cool detachment from death.

Their effortless mastery of weapons.

And their impressive Old Testament

>> And I will strike

down upon thee with great vengeance.

>> I do this for a living.

>> But the reality is much less slick.

And in a way perhaps more scary. So, Jojo, right?

>> It's okay if I call you Jojo. >> It's fine.

>> Well, how how did you start?

How did you get into this business?

>> There's always a killing that needs to be done.

Every day somebody needs to die.

Whether drugs, taxis, even politics now. It's busy.

Constantly people need to

>> I'm in South Africa

investigating the world of professional assassins.

Jojo, did did you go to school?

>> Yes, went to college.

It was very hard to find work.

Then there's no money coming in.

you get yourself involved with the people selling drugs.

You feel like a hitman for the person selling drugs.

>> And how many people do you think you've killed in your life? >> In total?

I'd say close to 30.

>> Close to 30 people?

>> Yes, I would say.

No, how about this?

Killing is is is is part of our routine.

You don't even want to know what he did

or who he is.

As long as he has money, we don't care.

>> How much do you get paid per per head?

>> If it's 100k, you end up getting roughly 25 or 30k.

>> So, that's about a thousand

four hundred dollars, more or less.

>> Who gets the rest?

>> I don't go alone.

You know I don't work like that. You need backup.

>> So, how many people do you work with?

>> Three, and then the driver.

If I kill you,

I have to kill your backup, too.

Your brothers, your They must also die.

>> One thing that we've heard is that the police are sometimes even warned when

there's going to be a killing.

>> Yeah, and most of the time they know.

If you have police under your your payroll,

they'll tell you say.

Then you just go in and then you do the

>> Why do you think the situation

is so bad in in South Africa?

You know, South Africa is not a poor country.

It's just that the rich people keep the wealth to themselves.

Then the below average people would be struggling to

>> Jojo reminds me of some of the other killers I've met.

Mostly young, always poor,

driven to crime because they believe

it's the only choice they have.

In Mexico, these young men saw it as a shockingly normal career path.

In Amsterdam, this hitman grew up in a violent drug-dealing family.

>> It's just my brother.

And my I didn't know I had a brother.

My cousin from the next street.

>> They're all They're all killers? >> Killers and dealers.

>> It's a grim reality.

And as I heard in Los Angeles,

too, it often starts young.

How old were you the first time?

>> I was about 18.

That's what I saw.

Growing up, the gangbanging,

the killing, the drug sales, all that. I survived.

I had to fight a lot.

I had to do what I had to do.

It's the way life is.

You either survive or you die.

You as an average person

is either you die

crying or you die fighting. It's your choice.

>> Do you mind me asking what your parents

>> Well, they passed away when I was very Both of them. >> Were they killed?

That was the turning point.

I started carrying a knife in my pocket because

your parents are your protection.

Now I don't have protection anymore.

>> What did you think of the person that killed your parents?

>> I wanted to kill them very badly.

>> So you do realize

that you're doing the same thing to other kids, right?

You had a really hard life because your parents were killed

and you're basically doing the same thing to other children.

>> Yeah, I never thought of it that way,

>> You never thought about this? >> Never. Never.

But most of the time

make myself feel better cuz I know

the people I'm going after are also bad people. >> But are they?

Do you consider yourself a bad person?

I've been in this thing for a very long

I think along the way

I lost who I am.

>> Uh yeah, I mean it was a

It is horrible what he does.

It is horrible, horrible.

It's the worst thing you can do as a human being is to take

another human being's life.

but at the same time

you hear his story and you can understand

how people fall into this

pattern and this cycle of violence

of his parents being killed and then

himself becoming a killer.

Um as controversial as this may

I felt sorry for him.

Yeah, but I you know, I feel more sorry for the people

that he's killing and for the families of the people that he's killing, of

course, but yeah, it's it's a really

a really hard one. Yeah.

>> I don't want to die.

>> Still, the next stop on this journey is

If I really want to understand

assassins, I need to understand

the damage they do.

>> I heard the gunshots.

Uh then I started panicking. I rushed outside.

That's when I found him.

>> Johanna Benya's husband, Eric,

was assassinated in October of 2022.

Witnesses say two hit men opened fire on Eric's car

minutes after he dropped his children off at school.

>> I still have flashbacks

of him laying the car the bullets holes.

You know, I tried to

call his name, you know. wake up.

Like and like he >> I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

>> Johanna and Eric ran a technology

company that was working with the government on a project.

When they noticed a government

official trying to steal funds,

Johanna says her husband reported the fraud to the police

and then testified against the official.

His honesty proved fatal.

Joana and her children are now in hiding

afraid the hitman will return to kill

>> My daughter was like, "Mama,

what kind of a life are we living?"

Because after we buried my husband,

they were still following us.

They went to their school.

I remember covering her.

I'm like, "It's fine.

I can die, but like

God let her it's hard living in fear.

My kids are in pain. They're fatherless.

Um they miss their dad. I miss him.

I I miss my best friend.

>> There's some nice houses here, huh? >> Very nice.

Shopping, movies, you can bring your girlfriend here on a date.

>> Jojo wasn't involved in Eric's killing.

But as I ride with him through Durban,

I'm very aware of the parallels.

>> So if you do have a target

who would live in a neighborhood like this, how would you go about it?

>> You will first have to learn their routine,

trace them through social media,

look at the places they go to,

the people they usually tag in their

Everything has to be discreet, you know?

It has to be

If it's a residential

neighborhood like this, there's many ways

you can go in, you know?

You can be dressed as police,

knock on the door.

>> Wait, dressed as police?

How do you get How do you get a police uniform?

Is that >> Oh, yes, it's easy.

We would have one police who can just sell us a few.

>> Do they know what it's for? >> Yes, they know.

is that your preferred method?

>> Yes, the easiest and most preferred

I will pop right here. >> Right here?

You know, as they're talking,

they're not suspecting like that.

I walk right If I feel like greeting them or greet

just shoot them in the head. Chest and head.

Head is to make sure that they're definitely gone.

>> Have you ever shot

uh women and children >> Women, no.

There has been situation

where there were kids.

>> But that you >> killed the father and you left.

>> But the kids were there in the house as

>> I I I don't want to think about it too.

I'd rather get drunk.

That's our coping mechanism.

Can't be sober every day doing this.

>> It's hard to hear these details

and not think about what Johanna and her children

are now going through.

But it's telling that she doesn't blame the hitman.

>> I blame the police. They failed us.

They knew the suspects.

They could have done something about it.

>> Following Eric's assassination, the police tracked down the hitman.

They found the cars they drive

and an address where they're known to frequent.

>> They know the suspect

and they're not doing anything.

>> So, nobody has been arrested.

Nothing has happened to anyone big. >> No.

You think that it's related

to the business deal with the contract that you >> For sure.

>> 100% 100% >> Time and again,

this is what we've

>> You should have police under your your payroll.

They do as you say.

>> So that the 9 mm

you got that from the

>> But I want to understand

how deep the corruption goes.

And for that, I need to speak

to someone on the inside.

>> They told us to meet him in P6.

And hopefully he'll be there.

What you're doing is not only risky but incredibly brave.

>> That's why I'm putting the mask.

Because of the target that is very dangerous.

I will be killed.

>> Because there's so much risk in doing this, why did you want to talk to us?

>> Police are scared of criminals,

but the truth need to be told. >> This is Torrance.

It's not his real

He spent over 25

years in the South African Police Service.

>> I've seen so many times the police

themselves giving the criminals

their own uniform to kill people.

>> You actually saw some of your colleagues

give their uniform to criminals

to hit The police

themselves when they recover the guns, they go back and sell them.

>> Have you seen that happening?

>> Yeah, I've seen so many times.

>> With your own psychic sight?

>> With my own eyes.

>> They know full well that these are assassinations

and people are going to be murdered.

They've got the rotten police inside.

They don't advise those criminals.

They'll tell those criminals what to do, how to do.

>> Do you know police officers who also became hitmen? >> Yes, there is.

>> So, they work for the hitmen and some cases they're hitmen themselves? >> Yeah, definitely.

If you are arrested,

you'll buy the police inside the prison.

>> Wherever murder goes unpunished,

contract killings become a tool of the

A way to protect corrupt interests.

That's true in Mexico

when drug cartels slay journalists.

>> Four journalists have been killed in Mexico

in just the past two months.

>> In the Amazon when illegal loggers

kill >> A Peruvian environmentalist

and three other community leaders have been killed in a region bordering Brazil.

>> Or in the Netherlands

when drug gangs silence

witnesses before a trial.

>> Mafia-style murders in Netherlands

has led to questions

about whether drug gangs

are threatening the rule of law.

>> The fear of assassination

becomes a powerful tool of control.

Especially when the institutions

supposed to be fighting back

are in on the take.

>> This is not just a handful of cops that are corrupt.

You're talking about systemic corruption.

How far up do you think the corruption actually goes in South Africa?

>> Up to the top level.

Nobody can stop it,

no matter how much they try. >> Why not?

>> Because of the people that are inside.

>> So, every single person we spoke to for this story has mentioned police corruption.

This is Bheki Cele,

South Africa's Minister of Police.

>> Your job is to enforce the law.

>> Once an activist who spent time in the same prison as Nelson Mandela

and survived an assassination

attempt at the hands of the apartheid regime.

We've heard police selling guns,

police being involved in assassination plots. It's systemic corruption.

What do you say to that?

I I think the

I I think it's exaggerated.

>> There are very very corrupt

and dangerous dangerous cops,

but that number does not surpass

the number of the good police.

That there are many good cops.

>> Some of the things that we've heard is that the police have been

clearing the area for assassinations

to take place, renting

their own uniforms for the

hitmen to disguise themselves as police.

It's more than just corruption.

It's that they are actually actively

involved in these killings, in these

>> And it's not denied.

>> So, that you have

knowledge that this is >> Exactly.

No doubt about that.

People are >> In 2016,

South Africa created a special task force to address its assassination

Since then, Bheki Cele says 337

assassins have been arrested.

>> Unfortunately, among those people that you have arrested for those matters are 47

members of the South African Police

>> Well, that's an enormous number, but that doesn't

make you feel any safer to think that those are the people that have been arrested.

So, you can only imagine how many are out there.

>> There have been often, no doubt about

but it it would be unfair

to say the government is not fighting

back on this case.

We have Everyone know

are we doing something? Yes. >> Mhm. Okay, very fair.

Minister, one more question.

Um you have fought hard for

democracy in this country.

You yourself were an activist.

You were arrested while fighting for democracy in this country.

Is this the democracy

that you envisioned when

you have widespread and systemic corruption like you said,

but also when people try to fight it,

um they can be

I spent time with

this woman and it's a story I will never forget.

Um her name is Johanna Peña.

I'm with Becky Chetty,

South Africa's Minister of Police.

Her husband and her

started exposing corruption within the government

and I started receiving death threats.

Uh she went to the police,

gave them all the evidence.

The police did nothing and a few weeks later

her husband was killed.

So, what what would you say to people like Johanna

and there are many of them out

South Africa has a very high

high degree of murders.

But there are many of them

that have been prevented to be hit.

Unfortunately, those stories don't make

their way to the media.

But >> So, you know about this case?

>> I have heard about it. Yes.

>> Because I think the message that it sends is more than just killing one person.

It sends a message of fear.

>> No, you can't accept that.

The effort Let me admit not adequate. It's not enough.

Yes, we have a problem,

but we are fighting it.

>> Ultimately though, fighting this black market

is more difficult than most.

There's no product to bust,

no supply chain to track.

Just a simple agreement

between a corrupt client

and a willing contractor

desperate to be selling the unthinkable.

>> Jonathan, do you think that the

the people that did this, do you think they're aware of the

what they did with the suffering? >> care. They don't care.

They are just sitting, they are just they are working.

And for them it's to make money.

>> I don't even think of these people.

I don't want to lie.

I don't even remember their faces.

I'm just trying to live.

Just trying to >> I sense

that the only way Jojo

and some of the other hitmen I've met can justify

the savagery of their work

is to convince themselves

that they have no other choice.

That there's no going

>> Whatever they're trying to make you see in the movies and all that, it

just doesn't work like that.

I got to save my ass.

You got to remember that.

If I got to go to jail,

ain't nobody going to be there to feed

Nobody going to be there to take care of

I got to take care of my own.

>> In time, killing becomes the only thing they know.

Whether that's in South Africa,

Mexico, or Los Angeles.

>> Would you want to get out of this if there was another way of

making as much >> Honestly, no. >> Why not?

>> It's kind of fun. I like it.

>> So, you're not just saying this because we've got cameras.

You actually feel this way. >> This way. I like it.

And I got real good at it.

>> In South Africa, hitmen perform a traditional

ritual, bathing in blood and bile,

to protect themselves from the spirits

of the people they've murdered.

>> If there's one thing I'm afraid of, that's God.

I feel bad thinking of

my last days, you know, judgement day.

Problems from the past will catch up to

If you kill somebody,

people are looking for you. That's guaranteed.

>> I can't imagine choosing a life

like the one Jojo has chosen.

Assassins wield the power

of life and but they're also vulnerable,

expendable, and infinitely replaceable.

They're part of a culture of killing that grows in places

where corruption and greed rule.

Places that have little respect

for the rule of law.

>> To be quite honest, none of it is worth

You know, I've had to run for years.

I had to go in hiding.

It was not easy.

And I have been wanting to stop

for a very long time.

sometimes you're in too deep.

>> It's a vicious cycle.

When assassins kill, they do more than silence a person.

They silence the truth,

instill fear, embolden the corrupt

and powerful, and leave the poor

with fewer and fewer choices.

>> He's crying saying, "Please stop.

Please >> Why didn't you stop?

>> Because he didn't send money.

>> This is a story

about a new kind of >> It's called sextortion.

>> One that feeds on loneliness

and thrives at the crossroads

of desperation and greed.

>> I send this your wife.

I send this your son.

I send this your family.

>> They are familiar in how to befriend,

to build the trust and relationship to their victims.

>> All it takes is one message from a stranger,

one moment of trust,

one compromising photo to change everything.

>> Nine months ago tomorrow,

I lost my 17-year-old son to suicide.

>> This is a journey

from the bedrooms of America

to the back alleys of the

as I search for some of the most ruthless

scammers on the planet.

>> You got to think we need to we need to look.

It's not safe here.

>> No, you did not.

>> He was going to college.

He was about to graduate

to become a teacher.

The weekend before he came to my house and stayed.

We went to a soccer game and we just had a lot of fun.

And then Sunday he left

to go home and

that night is when the trouble started.

>> Jake was at home when he received a private message on Facebook.

The message was from a beautiful

young woman, sweet and flirtatious.

But the conversation quickly took a

>> This is his phone.

Do you mind if I see it?

He says, "Go face a big mirror and take a full nude photo

of you or a video.

If you can't do that, then we can't play."

And then he asks, "How do I know I can trust you?

You and me are just going to play and have fun.

No need for trust

And then he does

take it at one point.

Oh my And immediately,

it was within seconds,

they said, "So just added

and save all your Facebook

friends on my laptop.

I am going to send them your nude photo and post it all over

your friends' Facebook timeline

and also to your job.

But I will not do that if you can send me money right now, okay?"

>> Jake has become a victim of sextortion,

a blackmail scam in which the criminal coerces

someone into sharing sexual

pictures or videos and then threatens to release them if they are not paid.

The person chatting with Jake

gives him instructions for making an in-person wire transfer.

Only then will they delete the photo he

>> And they're pressuring him and pressuring him.

"Are you going now?

Don't take Don't make me wait any longer or else."

>> It's like they were hounded him every step of the way.

>> So he didn't have time to think it through, you know?

And then he sends a photo

of the money, >> Now he's asking, "Can you please delete it?

I am a college student and I don't have that much right now.

I can't live the next 2 weeks with you blackmailing me.

You are ruining my life, please."

"You are my slave now."

>> Jake's blackmailer continues to taunt and pressure him.

And after dozens of messages

back and forth, Jake

reaches a breaking point.

>> "I have decided that if the picture posts, then I will end my life

so I don't have to go through the pain and embarrassment

as I lose my job, my education, and family.

I hope when you find out that I am serious that you will feel guilt."

>> So, the next day

he ended up eating a shotgun.

he took his life, so

this happened from until Friday.

>> Do you have the letter that he

left for you, too?

>> It says, "Dear Mom,

I love you so much and it pains me to write this.

I am sorry for what I've done, but I have nothing to live for anymore.

I have made a mess huge mistake

that I can't live with.

I lost my way and I couldn't get back.

You were a great mother, never doubt that.

I love you dearly, Mom.

You'll always be my mother

and I will always be your baby boy." "Love, Jake."

In such a short time destroyed my son.

>> It's the most devastating

loss a parent can face.

And Cindy is not alone.

Sextortion is on the rise.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children says that sextortion

is one of the primary

dangers that kids face online right now.

In 2022 alone, 7,000

reports were filed with law enforcement in the US.

And more than a dozen cases

resulted in >> The blackmailers

demanded $3,500 or they'd spread his provocative photos around town.

>> Teenage boys are most at risk.

Experts say they aren't used to being targeted in this way.

They may be more likely to take a blackmailer's

threat seriously and more fearful

of asking for >> He was just too ashamed.

>> But Jake refused to let his blackmailer

have the last word.

Not only did he keep all the messages,

but in his letter to his mom,

he told her exactly

where to find his scammer.

>> Look at my phone

and read the messages

that are in the Kik app.

>> The sender, does he have a name here? >> Yes.

Yes, it will reveal >> First name Mariz, last name Abril.

>> I think he left

the information and I believe

he wanted me to be able to do something.

>> With the clues he left behind,

local authorities were able to trace the money

to a small town in the Philippines.

But the effort stopped there.

After reaching out to authorities

in the Philippines, the sheriff's office claimed that there was nothing else they could

do because the perpetrator

was outside their jurisdiction.

>> It's happening over and over

and it just feels like nothing's

being I understand that my son

pulled the trigger, but they pushed

him to do that.

It feels like a murder.

>> As a mother of a young teenage boy,

Cindy's story has really affected me.

And as a journalist, I want answers.

Who are the scammers

pushing American teens to suicide?

And what can be done

to stop this crime?

I've come to Manila,

the capital of the Philippines,

to try to track down Jake's blackmailer

and learn more about this

>> To extort them, the amount

of ransom would take as high as 500

to 1 million pesos.

>> I'm talking to Fernando,

an investigative local journalist

who's covered cybercrimes for over a decade.

He wants to remain anonymous

out of fear of the criminals he reports on.

>> This is a calling. This is passion.

And this is no easy job cuz it's risky. It's really risky.

>> The Philippines is a major tech hub

and a hotspot for cybercrime.

Why is the Philippines

such a center of sextortion?

>> First thing, we're an English-speaking country.

They are familiar in how to

to build trust and relationship

to their Number two,

they can easily, you know, work

without authorities noticing them.

>> Since sextortion scammers can work from anywhere

on any device, these criminals

are particularly hard to catch.

>> How can you, you know, raid this

industry, this huge industry?

You can't just do it overnight.

>> Now, one of the stories we've been following

is um an American

young man called Jake who committed suicide.

And the name of the person he sent money to here in the Philippines is Mariz Abreil.

Did you ever hear about this name? >> Not really.

>> It's not a name that's come across your radar at all?

>> Mariz is a common name in the Philippines.

The perpetrator of this extortionist

might be using a pseudo name.

They can just use fake IDs.

It's not difficult in the country.

>> So, where's the center of this all in the Philippines?

Where where should we be spending most of our time in?

>> But it's scattered all over the north. >> North of Manila? >> North of Manila.

>> Fernando directs us to Angeles City.

This city has earned an international

reputation for sex tourism.

Hundreds of women and girls are trafficked

into the city each year.

Everywhere I look, I see Filipina

girls with older white men.

Prostitution may be technically

illegal in this country,