[narrating] When Pablo Escobar killed you, he wanted everyone to know about it. But the Gentlemen of Cali they did that differently, too. They wrapped your body with chicken wire and dumped you in the Cauca River. When you bloated and your body expanded, the wire cut you into little pieces - for fish food. Not very "gentlemanly," but it did the trick. And that's all they wanted. You and whatever your beef with them was vanished. Forever. No body, no crime. No murder statistics, no problem. I suppose that's for the best. It makes it easier to look the other way. To let them fucking slide. To pretend that these guys weren't just as evil as the guy that came before them. And to a country that had seen enough of the drug war, maybe that worked for Colombia. It certainly worked for the Cali godfathers. Because God forbid anyone thinks they're the bad guys.
[narrating] Money makes the world go round. Legal or illegal, good guys and bad guys, we all chase money. For the DEA, it's about budget meetings and kissing the right ass to keep the funding flowing. But if you're a trafficker, getting the money is easy. It's holding onto it that's hard.
[narrating] The Cali cartel is an almost-perfect organism. Even though we had cut off its head, the body kept right on going, making and selling cocaine. They stuck to the plan. And for a long time, that plan had worked for them. But no plan is perfect. Especially when you deal with a substance as volatile as cocaine. At some point you're gonna make a mistake. And your enemies are watching and waiting. They're gonna see your weakness and make a move. See, that's the thing about plans. No matter how perfect you think they are, however brilliant or audacious they may be, [large explosion and fire] well, they can still go to shit when that one thing goes wrong.
[narrating] Things don't always go according to plan. You can use every hope and prayer you have, take your shot, and everything still goes to shit. And when that happens, it's almost like you never had a plan at all. That's when people get desperate. And things get dangerous.
[narrating] Now why would a Cali godfather come out of hiding and risk getting captured? Because what good is being the king if nobody knows it? The biggest thing to come out of Cali wasn't cocaine. It was salsa.
[narrating] Cocaine cartels are about succession. The number two guys realize that the number one guys are on their way out. So they decide to speed things up. With Gilberto Rodríguez in jail, there was blood in the water. And blood begets more blood. I told you that Cali ran their empire like a business. Well, when your business gets too big, you start selling franchises. Cali basically allowed traffickers who would normally be their rivals to work under the umbrella of their political protection. To use their cocaine distribution network and to take advantage of their muscle when shit got heavy. In return, they demanded loyalty and a hefty cut of the profits. And for a long time, that was cool. But, as brilliant as Cali's surrender plan was, it didn't take into account that nobody wants to retire in second place.
[narrating] War make for strange alliances, putting you into business with people that, under other circumstances, you wouldn't even shake hands with. The same is true of your enemies. They will unite when they need to.
[narrating] In law enforcement, your only real power comes the strength of the system you represent. You gotta believe it has your back. But sometimes... Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's so compromised, so corrupt, that you can't trust it. What do you do then? When it tries to play you? You for a way to play it right back.
[narrating] Another deal. A compromise. A charade. A way for governments who don't give a shit about the war they're supposed to be fighting, to go on pretending they're winning it. But it can't be won. It'll never be won. At least not until people see it for what it is. Not until they know the truth.
Navegante, you've been working for Gacha for many years. I'm sure in that time you've earned way more than we are giving you. So tell me, why do you want to betray him?
NNavegante
That fucker's crazy. He's gonna get us all killed. [leaves]
Because we have 23 agents with outdated weapons waiting in Barranquilla. And he has twice as many men with brand new weapons. And frankly I'm tired of sending young men to face certain death.
Peña
So then we have to be smart. We have to create a trap. If we catch him alive, he'll give us Escobar. And the Ochoas. The entire cartel-
What are you risking? These aren't your men. You have no family here to lose. If this goes badly, there will be more widows and orphans, and I'll have to carry that on my shoulders.
You want Escobar. Why? Why? Because you want to parade him in your DEA jackets? You think this is a game, right? This is Colombia, and our people want peace! This is not a fucking game!
[voiceover] As part of Escobar's surrender deal, Search Bloc was disbanded, and Colonel Carrillo was transferred out of the country. For the time being, Carrillo's war was over.
Javier Peña
I don't see why they're sending you to Spain. It's not like the cocaine war is over. Galeano and Moncada are fronting for Escobar.
Jail? I know you gringos aren't allowed to do flyovers, but um I got some photographs, courtesy of the Colombian military. [shows pictures] I want you to look at 'em, tell me if this qualifies as a jail.
Escobar is moving more coke than ever. Without the Colombian government breathing down his neck, all he's gotta worry about is the Cali cartel. Let's face it, fellas, he won.
Narcos · 112 quotes
Javier Peña
