How I Laundered Money For Pablo Escobar's Cartel | A DEA Agent's Uncut Story | How Crime Works
Robert Mazur tells the full story of his time as a government agent investigating drug-money laundering. Mazur went undercover for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service intelligence division, and the Customs Service.
In Operation C-Chase, Mazur successfully infiltrated the Medellín cartel by posing as a wealthy, mob-connected businessman named Robert Musella. He established connections with Pablo Escobar's lawyer Gonzalo Mora and Escobar's trafficker Roberto Alcaino. At the height of its power, the cartel is estimated to have supplied over 80% of all cocaine shipped to the US, around 15 tons a day.
In Operation Promo, Mazur posed as an Italian American businessman named Robert Baldasare to expose money-laundering networks associated with the Cali cartel. At its peak, the Cali cartel is estimated to have produced 80% of the world's cocaine supply. It was controlled by Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Pacho Herrera, and José Santacruz Londoño.
Mazur is the author of "The Infiltrator," which became a New York Times bestseller and spawned a 2016 film of the same title, starring Bryan Cranston (as Mazur), John Leguizamo, and Diane Kruger. Today, Mazur speaks and consults on the issues of money laundering, drug trafficking, and corruption around the world through his company, KYC Solutions.
For more information about Mazur's speaking, expert witness, and consulting services, visit:
www.robertmazur.com/
Read his latest memoir, "The Betrayal," about his second undercover operation on the inside of the Cali cartel:
www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Story...
Read his first memoir, "The Infiltrator," about his time investigating the Medellín cartel:
www.amazon.com/Infiltrator-Ag...
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00:00 - Intro
00:48 - Creating The Persona
03:50 - Cartel Connections
05:22 - The Traffickers
07:57 - The Black-Money Market
11:00 - Collecting The Cash
14:43 - Layering
16:04 - The Surveillance
18:32 - Surviving Undercover
21:47 - Corrupt Banks
25:33 - The Middlemen
32:50 - Death Threats
34:24 - The Cali Cartel
38:39- The Betrayal
41:58 - The Future Of Money Laundering
45:18 - The Aftermath
46:26 - Credits
------------------------------------------------------
#money #dea #insider
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How Cartel Money Laundering Actually Works | A DEA Agent's Uncut Story | How Crime Works
These videos are always so interesting and so well put together
The only thing they need is an editor who puts appropriate music at the right times to make it 50x better
Thanks for watching!
Shouldn't you interview a politician... They are the best at money laundering
@@JuanGarcia-fd4guI disagree they don’t need it
No, it's perfect without music. @@JuanGarcia-fd4gu
Congratulations to drugs for winning the war on drugs
fr
Congratulations to Vice for putting that comment out there so it can be repeated on endless youtube videos for years.
It's Kevin Spacey.
yeah uncanny, the hair.
It's one of the clones. There are at least a few hundred out there of varying ethnicity, height, and personality variants constantly monitoring society. The creepy one is a distraction.
Yep.
Saw this 5 mins in and lmao
This needs WAY more likes
Another awesome tutorial video.
LOL
There will be a test on this later.
"I went in silhouette because they have a contract on my name", sir they already know who you are 😂
But they don´t know what he looks like nowadays. Hence the silhouette
@@Mukation ofcourse they do they worked with him for years, you think the DEA offers free plastic surgery?
If he had the contract from 98' i think nobody will recognise his face now🗿@@permabearxbt
it's, so others cannot identify him and tell the cartel, where they saw him.
@@permabearxbt dying your hair and growing a beard + plus gaining or losing weight. And it's not as if the cartel will send someone who has met him personally, they're in jail. They send random hired goons and those goons don't know what he looks like _today_
When u realize he spent those years and all those resources and money to arrest only 85 people and make no difference
Cool tho init
@@tombyrne3996 very
@@tombyrne3996hahaha
People died, too.
All a scam
I envy people with this kind of inner drive... Because, let us be real here, he "uncovered" 0.00001% of the total money being laundered every single minute... Dedicated his LIFE and family to it - but ultimately did not make as much a the tiniest "ding" into the global cartel operations.
And now we know why the borders are wide open, why fentanyl is pouring in unfettered
PS: i forgot to mention that there is NO doubt in my mind that this "hero" has many millions stashed away in untraceable places (his expertise after all...). At least I HOPE SO, because otherwise the "inner drive" I mentioned earlier could easily be translated to "inner stupidity". And ONE thing this man is not...is stupíd. So...I hope he is enjoying life to the fullest......
@@mkprivate7523 a raging cartel spotted..
So do nothing then? You must be American,,,,the land that gave us trump and cheese in a can.
@@mkprivate7523 these agents are under major scrutiny. Even with his experience it would be difficult, and when acting under identity protection they monitor your finances closely.
this guy is crazy asf. not only for telling this story but for going back UC into the cali cartel?? this foo lives for the action. some of these players are alive and well today
I ain’t scared until they start coming for KZhead comments, I mean what could happ
He retired in the 90s so these event occurred 40-50 years ago
@@DR-dl5reYou're not an accountant, are you?
@@cliveadams7629lol 😅😅😅
The movie 'the Infiltrator' which tells this story, was one of the best movies for me at that time.
How cartel money laundering works… literally walk into a HSBC branch with a duffel bag full of $10 bills. Tell them you’d like to deposit it all and they can keep a cut of the money. HSBC says ok, see you tomorrow with another duffel bag and we will try to make the counter a bit easier for you to pass such big piles of bills over. True story! What is the number of HSBC executives in prison for this blatantly obvious money laundering?… 0
This dude for sure has a stash somewhere to get when he retires or SHTF
Sniff sniff I ain’t got nothing sniff sniff here take a hondo and stfu
EVERYONE falls victim to greed, except him. He got bonuses.
it is absurd how VAST the criminal underworld is. never fails to amaze me.
Look up (former) Sheriff Jamey Noel Clark County Indiana ....
Just the opposite of govt.
The demand for drugs in the USA is insane.
@@brinohosey7498its really not tho tbh
Bryan Cranston killed this role in 'The infiltrator'
Thats why I cant get past the first 15 minutes. Just like Breaking Bad the most over rated tv show in history.
I love these videos. So well done and captivating from start to end.
Yes
I honestly feel terrible for the lives of people on the street who’s lives are ruined over $10-$20. The power of money and the desire to feel different or high is far greater than any legal action will ever be able to solve.
How does this guy take down the Medellin cartel and then turnaround and do the same to the Cali cartel!? I got a more thorough reference check for my job at a burger flipper at McDonald’s 😂😂😂😂😂
Is this a re-upload? I definitely remember this…
Yess, I too remember it
This is a longer version of a previous video!
@@Insiderthis should be a pinned comment, Insider.
Wow, great content guys
Thanks for watching!
Imagine a movie where 2 cops are so undercover and they spend their life trying to put the other in prison just to find out they're both undercover lmao
Have you watched The Departed? Lol
You’re a brave man
This is awesome, but didn't he already give this interview/expose on this youtube channel
I Think so yeah
Yeah, but this is the uncut version. It's more detailed
One of the first things he said is "Im back to tell the whole story"
@@65MaX73 yet it's clearly the same footage.
Amazing video.
Thanks for watching!
Always watching from Georgetown Guyana south America 🇬🇾🇬🇾🇬🇾
nobody cares
Same🇬🇾
I really like this guy. He’s as real as you can get.
As a bank employee, I would say it is a great educational video in training AML.
Nice story and very interesting.
Interesting. I’m going to have to look 👀 for his books.
You took them down, then other's instantly took over.
Its all good man!
The Infiltrator...great movie. Bryan Cranston plays this guy(Robert Mazur "Musella")
Really interesting!!! That Dea agent has such a nice voice and a highly admirable moral compass. Imagine what he would be capable of if he was on the cartels side!
Probably either be dead or doing a long stretch in prison by now tho.
He was... That's what he was capable of.
Shout out to drugs for winning the war ,😂
it's what the people wanted! or is it ?? :/
They just hand it over to HSBC or at least thats how it used to work until they got found out recently 😅
I just can't grasp the idea of being so freaking dedicated for nothing...
Spot on. If the USA really cared about the addicts who are living on the pavement of every city, they would fore-go their '''right'''' to live on the streets and force them into care. They would use some of all that confiscated cash to care for them. I am not into drugs of any kind; however, I do believe the whole issue, is jealousy of the cartels having all that money, it's not about the concern of the addicts. IF, the cartels were holding guns to anyone's head to buy, Then I could understand the '''war on drugs''''
I Scrolled down looking for this reply.
@@deidradahl2802 Its not possible to force someone to clean up. Its only possible when the patient wants to get sober, period. The US is trying to force people with drug court but its just another govt racket that became an industry. That should be proof that you cant force a person to sober up.
What do you mean for nothing?
@@LlywellynOBrien-- He risked his life, his freedom, and his whole family for nothing. Drugs for massive profit is still going strong. Without the guns manufactured in the USA for profit, and the ready market provided by the addicts, the Mexican security could easily have crushed the cartels a long time ago. Also, when their cash is confiscated, they recover it by robbing banks. So, it's all for nothing.
This man is very wise based on his structure of phases @ 4:20
The way the bank was like "Yea we do this all the time, how can we help you?" Lmao
The movie based on this is worth watching, I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and recognised the story from this interview.
Setting up LLC's as we speak! Thank you, Insider! 🎉
Give this man a movie
The cartels mission in the intro sounds a lot like the cia.
Is this a reupload? I could’ve sworn I watched this video months and months ago because I remember him saying “I was addicted to getting information”.
So he put his life on the line and the drug trade is flourishing as ever? Congratulations to drugs, for winning the war on drugs.
The world needs to replace the *beep* with silence.
Re-upload?
Could you do a video on how to sell counterfeit spare parts for -80 degrees medical grade deep freezers, I’d find that very interesting and useful given my current situation. Ta.
Hi Mr spacey .
it’s crazy. Feds acting like they doing justice but they are just protecting their own interests and at the same time shaking down.
The war on drugs is a waste of money. Nobody from Iran Contra went to prison. There’s justice and just us.
I’d like to see this guy review Ozark
said addicted to information
If there was no demand, there would be no supply. I wonder if 50% of the funds spent on the “war on drugs” was instead spent on educating on the danger of using them if demand would drop 50%, 90% or whatever.
Drugs are fun stay mad
Hes definitely railed a line in the name of duty
oh nice after the scandal Kevin Spacey is a silhouette actor now awesome^^
Hes def the narrator from the movie The Sandlot
“He got me out of the biggest pickle I’d ever been in my life..” 😂😂😂😂
Its done a lot different these days. Has been much different for the last 15 or so years.
How so
DEA IS THE REAL DRUG CARTEL, CHANGE MY MINDE
Marty, is that you?
I'll tell you how to money launder and win: become DEA 🤣 I know a couple agents retired after only 10 years into Eastern Oregon. Bought beautiful ranches, trucks, side-by-sides, fricken everything, but with cash it was peculiar 🤣
It’s called credit meathead if they did steal cash they would get caught especially buying toys you really think our government agencies are total morons ? If so cross them and test you theory
Don’t doubt that at all. I knew California CHP, sheriff deputies and Arizona HP and deputies that were all just waiting for the perfect “traffic stop”. Either large amount of cocaine or cash, preferably cash. They would just take it and say “Have a nice day” full well knowing there was so much of both that nobody would ever come looking for it. Traffic Lottery is what they called it. This was 80’s and 90’s so there weren’t cameras everywhere. Yeah, bunch of them retired early.
The Medellin Cartel is no longer active (since mid 90s). Even judges and prosecutors who dealt with the Medellin Cartel, and even the coronel who allegedly s*** Escobar who still live in Colombia, are no longer blurring or covering their faces. His safety is not in jeopardy.
He literally said he had an active green light on him.
He literally lied, Medellin cartel no longer exists, it died with PE
@@user-zc7yx7su6ino it didn’t, lol.
Imo, this undercover activity would be harder to pull off nowadays. AI can track international movement faster.
can you do chicago
I'm trying to figure out who the criminals are, the chicken or the egg?
So you’re telling me this dude got paid by the US to be a member in a cartel?!🤔🤔 Thats a little sus😂
This guy needs introducing to Neil Woods
So how does it feel looking back and knowing that you wasted your entire career on a failing war on drugs?
Stop it already bien & trump are not good for economy you know what’s funny that drug money saved the economy in 2008
But is it really though for him? He likely made a six figure salary for years plus likely has a very nice retirement package. Likely travels coast to coast with his retirement
@@28ebdh3udnavprobably enjoys lots of things he says nothing about. He’s no dunce.
@@28ebdh3udnav He probably has bales of cash stashed.
@@28ebdh3udnav And a contract out on him apparently. I'm guessing these cartel people hold serious grudges.
7:13 5,000 kilos thats over 10,000 lbs of cocaine...😮
Its not an illegal drug problem. Its a money control and taxation problem.
Sheesh...and I thought money laundering was just buying Walmart gift cards n real estate....
and folks this how commodities work.
The story is that the only liquidity in the 2006 crash was by the cartel deposits. They saved banking and Wallstreet
The whole thing, ay?
This is a re-upload or was uploaded to another channel before I’m pretty sure
It's Verbal kint
well i think regarding to crypto that it will be a legalized normal payment method in the future of some sort.
what if robots only accept payment in a code, like a bitcoin or other coins?
This guy holds a high paying, high skill job with the cartel, as a person on government salary? Assuming he can't take a salary from the cartel, why would someone do this risk and work for a relatively low government salary? A guy with a multi million dollar ceo skillset that can be legit, plus a master actor, on government salary. Doesn't line up.
Because he doesn't get to do what he does as a CEO. You aren't working on high-stakes, international undercover operations leading up to legal cases which show up on the front pages of major newspapers as a CEO. That's what he feels his intelligence and skillset is best at. The work of a CEO is completely different. I think it's completely understandable and lines up perfectly, people don't just go for money, they go for the challenge.
@@Blashmack Appreciate the reply. I get it, sort of. I would argue that he needs to know international finance laws and regulations, plus knowledge around getting around the system, plus he needs to act the part. Whatever skill title is put on it, CEO or other, it is seriously high skill he is no slouch. I get the challenge and money isn't a driver. Part of the point of the original post I suppose opens the dialog of what law enforcement goes through which one has to appreciate. Still though, very high risks for I assume a ~100k salary current day salary for a skillset that can get paid is a tough program to recruit agents; I would imagine. All thoughts said with appreciation for law enforcement, but the cartels can replace resources easily and cheaper in comparison to the FBI Agent's salary. Such an uphill battle.
Maybe he is just a good cop who wants to do the right thing? I know lots of people who could earn far more but that isn't what drives them.
Pre-bitcoin crime is like interpreting cave paintings..
Reality not much has changed. the attempts to obscure Bitcoin transactions and end points by moving things through different wallets, exchanges and in and out of the blockchain is really just the whole money laundering process in microcosm online
well still usually you need structures to buy abything with crypto. and public chains usually dont make it much better
lol, do you think crypto mean’s untraceable? it’s 2024, no one is that dumb.
That first guy doesnt look even slightly like Kevin Spacey blacked out lol 🤔
42:45 😂😂 nothing but jokes democracy is he serious
It's Burial
Why is the silhouette in this video but you have other videos where he's not including one of those triple videos and we already know his name is it MAZUR that's just is undercover name
The feds are a machine. They don't run out of time or money
I get the silhouette but won't they remember the name Robert Musella*? especially because he doesn't fake an accent or any identity that's not himself...
probably a pseudonym
He said in the beginning he spent a year and a half creating the persona of Robert Musella. So it's not his real name it's a cover identity. Then he said later on he discovered the identity among a bunch of others in various stages of being built.
The Medellín cartel doesn't exist anymore. So his safety isn't really in jeopardy anymore
@@ericwray8805 the old members still alive no? And the enemies he made along his cartel journey too
@@multatuli1Probably, and the orders for his assassination were most likely paid for in advance.
Egos get people hurt/killed and probably worse.
All this effort and the guy couldn't just say f it legalize and tax drugs so the criminals no longer profit from it
anyone else notice that we never ever hear a story from the guy or people who were infiltrated, this was over 30 years ago. some must have gotten out
This sounds like the show ferry lol
Until you prosecute the DRUG USERS, drug trafficking and money laundering will continue to prosper.
✔️ 32:40, unfortunately it’s not that way anymore in our own government. The level of corruption has increased substantially
massive -drug- laundering problem.
What's drug laundering?
@@whyyouasking9744 -drug- as in XXXX scratched, erased
@@whyyouasking9744you’d need to be in Bolivia to understand probably.
One cartel stealing from another cartel
haha he sounds like Bryan Cranston too
I never know 100% for sure who's telling the truth in these interviews and who's not. However, by the way he told his story, I think he's on the up and up; the real McCoy.
There's even more he doesn't know given they've been at war with the cartel for almost 2 decades and haven't done anything 😂
14:54 additions are just as bad if it’s drugs or information. You will do thinks you normally wouldn’t do for any additions. It’s the endorphin high both are looking for!
Thanks for the truth....! Shine the bright light.....!
This guys is stashed up and cashed up. He's got an easy out.
one of Pablo's man latter became President of Colombia: Uribe
Balls of steal I wish I have that I will rule the world 😂😂
Title: Operation Simpleton [Opening scene: A dimly lit room with screens displaying surveillance footage. The Oxygen Forensic Detective is focused on his computer, analyzing data. The NCA agents are lounging around, sipping tea.] Detective: [excitedly] Look at this, we've got them. The Long Mac and Cigar Brigade, along with the London and Liverpool branches of OCGB, are all armed and dangerous. NCA Agent 1: [sipping tea] Armed to the teeth, huh? What do they have? Detective: They've got those new lip service devices, SmartGrass and iGrass. They've created a network that's nearly impenetrable. NCA Agent 2: [raising an eyebrow] Impenetrable, you say? Remotely locked in, huh? Detective: [nodding] Exactly. And behind these devices is the core evidence of a conspiracy to distribute drugs. We need to act fast before they disappear. NCA Agent 1: [putting down his tea] Alright, let's move in. We can't let them slip through our fingers. [Cut to the prison yard where the Long Mac and Cigar Brigade are now in prison tracksuits, vaping and smoking spice.] Long Mac: [laughing] Can you believe this? We thought we were untouchable. Cigar: [nodding] Yeah, but now we're just silly sausages in prison tracksuits. [The NCA agents storm in and arrest the Long Mac and Cigar Brigade, who are now walking around the prison yard like spastic kangaroos on pogo sticks.] NCA Agent 2: [handcuffing them] Looks like your little operation wasn't so impenetrable after all. Long Mac: [defeated] It was the lip service devices, they were our downfall. Cigar: [chuckling] Yeah, I guess we were a little too cocky with our SmartGrass and iGrass. [NCA agents lead the Long Mac and Cigar Brigade away, as the Oxygen Forensic Detective prints out the evidence of their crimes.] Detective: [smirking] Looks like Operation Simpleton was a success. Another day, another criminal conspiracy foiled. [End scene]
Kinda like, the USA giving money to Ukraine, Ukraine giving money to FTX then FTX giving money to politicians…….