It was the first class of the day at a local college. It’s a school for nurses, bus drivers and dental hygienists. Most of the students arrive via city bus. Harvard its not but perfect for those who want jobs. Antonio was no different. Seeking to better himself and get out of the ghetto he grew up in, his court order probation suggested he attend college. This is the new tact after the military banded felons from handling firearms. Antonio walked into the classroom and greeted several of his fellow students. He is an affable guy, friendly to most, deadly to a few.
He opened his backpack to pull out a pen for note taking. A benign task except when you have a loaded 9mm handgun stashed in the zipper compartment where the pen was located. The gun was fully loaded with 16, 175 grain, semi jacketed hollow point rounds. They are the kind that tear threw the flesh leaving gaping holes that can cause death. Many a gangster rappers talk about grabbing their “9”. Antonio is a gangster. The girl behind him saw the butt of the gun and secretly called 911. Two patrol officers responded and took Antonio out of the class. He went to jail without trouble, until he got to the holding tank.
“I know people who are cartel living in SD. I can give them to you.” That kind of information is useful. Two CIU detectives sat down with Tony after getting the facts about his current charges. Tony is a foot soldier for a local drug trafficking organization (DTO) with ties to the Tijuana cartel. He said he was the driver in several kidnappings, home invasion robberies and murders. He was willing to trade the information for freedom. Over a period of two hours Tony was debriefed by detectives and gave specific and verifiable information about the players, locations and intentions of the local DTO. If true it was frightening. The $10,000 question, is it true?
The police work with informants constantly. It allows us access to high level crime. Some informants (CI’s) are good, most are liars to some extent. After all they are crooks. Chucks as they are called are a necessary evil. When possible we believe them but only with verification. We look for secondary sources of information or independent facts to corroborate. When you send a CI or source into a dope house to buy drugs you photo copy the money, search them thoroughly and wire them for sound. This is all to validate their actions and ensure their safety. You believe with verification. Tony was building trust because we could verify the information he gave us. Now it was time to spend money and take action.
“I know where the cartel buried 4 people. They were shot and killed. I saw the graves dug.” We had no missing person’s reports but with the cartels and undocumented immigrants this would not be unusual. He described the location as Jamul near Lyon Valley road. “You turn left at the top of the hill, drive past the slow down sign, turn right at the white fence and by the tree with the three ropes the bodies are buried.” A team of detectives were sent that direction not wasting anytime. The call came over the Nextel…”the location appears valid.” Trust with verification is the motto. We established a full search team as the darkness set in. It was soon called off because of the darkness. Bright and early on a Saturday morning the DA, FBI, DEA, ATF, CIU and ICE went to the 500 acre area. Where do you begin to search? Cadaver dogs went in first for the enormous task of grave location. For two hours they ran like wild men through the dense, chest high weeds with their noses millimeters from the ground. Tongues hanging and tails wagging the pups found nothing except for the chicken fighting cages where migrants would bet for their favorite birds. A place of violent death, it seemed appropriate. Detectives marched through the rattle snake infested scrub brush looking for unnatural mounds of dirt. Nothing! It was hot and humid and tempers rose with the misery index. Finally someone yelled, “bring that idiot down here!”
Tony is 21 years old. He is 6’1” and solidly built. He was adorned in blue pajamas that look like doctor scrubs except for the heavy white stenciled “SD county Jail” vertically written on the left side. Silver belly chains with a handcuff on each side secured his arms and prevented violence. He stood by the tree with hanging white ropes. Where did you see the bodies buried? Tony marched directly to the west walking through the weeds and dried out brush that a magnifying glass would turn into a wild fire. It led to an opening where there was a box spring, broken beer bottles and an unnatural earthen mound of fresh dirt.
Vigorously detectives carefully removed layers of dirt and debris. 5’ down beneath the surface they came to the end of their journey. The cost to this point was large; 10 detectives, two sergeants and two lieutenants most on overtime. Ruined Saturday’s not to mention the human toll and disruption to a neighborhood. NOTHING! Zip! Zero! No bodies. Tony was in trouble and he knew it. He just did not know how much trouble. He just compounded his problems. Not only was he a felon in possession of a gun but he lied to federal officers and impeded locals. Not good. Worst of all he would now be branded a snitch with the new charges. Even though he led the police astray the cartel, his employers, would wonder how much he told. For Tony life would never be the same. He knows because the people hanging from the bridges in Tijuana were those thought to be police informants. When debriefed he admitted he lied. He did not think we would take the search to that extreme. He did not realize we believe because we can verify. He was no longer believable or useful.
The other day the National Geographic Channel had a show about evidence of the great flood. It’s always nice to have scientific evidence of things the Bible claim. It helps us trust through verification of fact. The Black sea according to core samples was a fresh water body of water but due to rising levels of water it became a salt water ocean about 7,600 years ago. They believe it was due to a world wide flood. It made me smile because it lends verification. God and his word is all together trust worthy whether or not man can verify it, but verification is important. The Apostle Paul mentioned this in Romans 1. “What maybe know about God is plain to them, because God made it plan to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that me are without excuse.” Next time you are pushed under by a powerful wave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U66qW7kBVnM
say I feel God’s invisible qualities; the next time you see the strength of a mountain you are witness to God’s power and next time the Aurora Borealis lights up the northern sky praise the Savior because it is the evidence that verifies God's existance. Yeah, trust with verification. God present and his salvation is real. Merry Christmas!
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