 How you doing, Raúl? Muy bien, amigo. And you? I hope you brought all my stuff. Of course. It's right over here. You don't mind if I take a little look, do you? Como no. Be my guest. Quítate, quítate! Where you gonna hide that stuff, Tomás? You know, it's very dangerous around here. That's my problem, Raúl. And I'll handle it. I guess it's all over. Gracias, señor. Gracias. Now, why don't you and your guys hide Taylor down here? And don't you even think about coming back? Because if you do, you might get hurt. OK, Tomás. OK. But you want more stuff, you call me, OK? We'll bring it right to you. Yeah, I'll sure do that. Hasta luego, amigo. A veros. A veros. Hasta luego, Raúl. Another slow day to do your ninja. Yeah, let's hope it stays that way. Look at all the bundles I found over here. Hey, be careful. No telling what's in those things. Yeah, I think I found the load. Watch out. That thing might be booby-trapped. What's wrong with this picture? A simple question, isn't it? One we used to answer all the time in the games we played as young children. But in regard to what we've just seen, that simple question takes on a whole new meaning. Because its solution may someday mean your survival as a law enforcement officer. Now let's go back and see what really should have happened. Because of the staggering profitability in the illegal drug trade, traffickers have begun to use booby traps to protect their interests from other thieves and smugglers. In your career as law enforcement officers, you may encounter these hazardous devices. And your life may depend on your ability to detect them. Be careful. No telling what's in those things. Once these traps have been detected, your next step is crucial. Don't be a hero. Avoid the trap and call off your search immediately. Then call the bomb tricks. Notify the explosives experts and let them disarm the device. These experts are readily available. And they're located all along the area of the southwest border. Operation Alliance. The name indicates a cooperative program. And that is exactly what it is. Operation Alliance is a multi-agency law enforcement program located within the four state area of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, which utilizes the combined resources of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to stop the flow of illicit drugs and other contraband across the Mexican-American border. It is the most widespread interdiction program in law enforcement history, covering the entire 2,000-mile land border between the United States and Mexico, as well as adjacent waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. The purpose of this videotape is to familiarize you with some of the more common type booby traps used by today's drug dealers and encountered all along the southwest border. There are many types of booby traps used by today's drug dealers all across the nation. It should be emphasized that all explosive devices are in violation of state and federal law. They come in many different shapes and sizes and are set for many different reasons. To protect the drug dealer's product from thieves or mules. The destruction of evidence in a drug bust, for instance. Reprisals against competition within a drug ring or against another ring. Early warning devices against law enforcement drug busts. And terrorism or diversionary tactics. As you can see, specific booby traps have been designed for specific reasons, but all booby traps share one major purpose of design to stop anyone from interfering with the drug dealer's trade. Mostly these traps are set to deter other drug dealers or thieves. But as you have just seen, law enforcement officers run just as big a risk of encountering them. Which brings us to the purpose of this videotape. To make sure that you understand that the possibility is very high that you will encounter booby traps sometime in your career. Also to ensure that you remain on the lookout for these booby traps at all times. And to emphasize that once you find one, there is only one correct action. Call the experts. The first thing to learn then is what to look for. Usually there are telltale signs in and around an area where a booby trap has been set. During your investigations, keep your eyes open for things that look unnatural. Look for items out of place. This may signify that they've been moved to accommodate a hazardous device. You should also be watchful for peculiar alterations to otherwise commonplace items. This is often a sign that a trap has been set. Unexplained electrical devices or equipment in and around the area of your search should arouse your suspicions. So should an odd package and a load. As in this example, where only one bundle out of the many was wrapped in duct tape. Documents, books, or magazines with explosives and other hazardous devices as a subject matter is another telltale sign that booby traps may be near. Early warning devices like this one are actually manufactured products and are readily available through mail order houses in some states. Also, during any search where a suspect is present, note that suspect's behavior. If he seems unduly nervous or excitable, it may be an indication that he knows something is not right. And of course, any items or devices that you do not recognize or understand could very easily be a trap. In each of these cases, although the temptation may be strong to continue your investigation, remember that there is only one proper next step and that is for you to call for a hazardous device team to investigate further. And remember, that simple decision, no matter how trivial it may seem at the time, may save your life. To give you a better idea of the types of booby traps used by drug dealers, how and where they're used and how to search for them, let's take a look at a few dramatized scenarios. In the first scene, Coast Guard and U.S. Customs officers operating in the waters off Galveston, Texas have stopped a small craft for a routine inspection. Although there is no evidence of drugs, what looks like a scuttle charge has been detected in the center of the hold. Scuttle charges are explosive devices designed to blow a hole in the hull of a boat large enough to sink it very quickly. If the owner of this craft had been carrying any drugs or illegal contraband, he could have triggered the device, scuttled his craft, and destroyed the evidence before he was intercepted. Upon closer scrutiny, the officers confirmed that there is definitely a hazardous device on board. Following proper procedure, he moves topside to contact an explosives expert to disarm the device. Our second scenario involves a routine patrol by two border patrol officers along the Arizona-Mexico border. While driving down a remote road, they encounter a tree lying across their path. On closer inspection, the officer uncovers a wire across the only available path. It's attached to a post. Drug traffickers use booby traps such as these as early warning devices. Upon finding this hazardous device, the officer immediately suspends her search and returns to her vehicle to call experts to come and disarm the booby trap. Mitch, we got a problem over here. There's a booby trap. You better call it in. Six-five, thirty-two. Six-five, thirty-two. Yeah, five-two-five. Once the hazardous device team has arrived, the members immediately fan out to search for any other booby traps that may have been set in the area. One of the officers heads for the already discovered trip wire. While investigating the wire, officer Porter discovers that it leads to a shotgun shell device hidden behind the post. If this wire were tripped, the shell would be fired, warning those in the interior of an intruder and possibly hurting or killing the person who pulled the wire. Meanwhile, officer Stock discovered an overhead booby trap. This device is designed to shoot the unexpected intruder walking under it. Officer Stock proves it's a good idea to look up as well as on the ground while searching an area where booby traps are likely. Walking through the underbrush, officer Bebo finds something peculiar. The grass in front of him has become discolored and disarranged. Upon closer inspection, he removes the grass and finds a man-made hole. At the bottom of the hole are pungy sticks. This booby trap earned its reputation during the war in Vietnam and continues to be used today by drug dealers as an effective deterrent against intruders. Down another trail, officer Porter, having already cleared the trip wire device, discovers one of the most sinister of all booby traps. Designed as another deterrent against intruders, this booby trap operates like the carnivorous plant it was named after, the Venus Fly Trap. The unsuspecting person will most likely step right where the trap has been laid. The weight of his foot brings the center of the trap down, which in turn sends the jaws up in a hinging fashion. The result is a serious wound to the lower leg. After disarming the overhead device, officer Stock discovers another booby trap. A fish line has been drawn across a path and attached to two trees. The harm these hooks could do to the face and eyes of the person encountering it is obvious. The hazardous device team will continue to investigate until all booby traps are found. Once the area is secure, a safe coordinated effort can then be made to search for possible suspects in the area. Our third scenario involves an inspection at a port of entry. An American citizen entering the United States from Mexico is detained in secondary. He's carrying a load of pipe, which intelligence has revealed to be a likely place for hidden contraband. During preliminary questioning, the customs inspector detects suspicious behavior on the part of the driver. Taking this into account, he begins searching the back of the pickup. The pipes seem empty, but upon closer inspection with a flashlight, it's revealed that there is something inside one of the pipes. As he begins to inspect the pipe, he observes that the suspect has become extremely nervous. He soon discovers why. Attached to a package of contraband is what appears to be a hand grenade. He immediately stops his search and holds the truck over for further inspection by explosives experts. Our last scenario involves a raid on a suspected stash house. Investigation has indicated that it may be an unoccupied warehouse containing large amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Often, these houses are heavily booby-trapped, so our Operation Alliance team must use extreme caution. During an informal briefing some distance from the suspected stash house, the raid team, consisting of federal, state and local police officers as well as our explosives experts, prepares to begin the investigation. After they are notified by the surveillance team that all is clear, they embark for the house fully prepared to proceed with caution and look out for the booby-trapped devices. Once at the location, our team members break off individually and each begins to investigate a part of the building. Customs agent Fergus and Deputy Sheriff Duffy inspect the rear of the house. They discover what looks like a tripwire leading into an electric device feeding a large outdoor light. It's a tripwire that goes right up over your head. This may be an early warning system used by those inside to alert them to intruders. ATF agent Salaya is inspecting the east side of the house. Looking through the window, he discovers some mercenary soldier publications on the kitchen table as well as some electrical devices and tools. It looks as if someone has been building electrical booby-traps. In addition, he sees chemicals in and around the kitchen sink. On the opposite end of the house, Detective Caduce of the Tucson Police Department and Deputy U.S. Marshal Hardiman are making their way to the living room window. Here they discover some guns in the corner of the room and some more explosive instruction manuals on the coffee table. They also find an object attached to the knob of the front door. This could easily contain an explosive device. Illicit drug manufacturers have been known to permanently booby-trap the front door and use the side or back door themselves. Deputy Hardiman hastily radiows a warning to Deputy Sheriff Toohey, who has been searching the front of the house. She heeds Hardiman's warning, but she did not need the call to be suspicious herself. She had already noticed a tripwire leading across the entrance to the front porch. Attached to it was a tin can containing a grenade. In addition, DEA agent Huling discovers a cardboard box located at another entrance with a wire running out of it and hidden under the welcome mat. The box could very easily be hiding another explosive device connected to a pressure plate release mechanism under the mat. As you have seen in the four different scenarios presented to you, booby traps are dangerous devices which can kill or maim. As law enforcement officers, it's important that you understand that doing your job doesn't mean that you have to be a hero. If you detect or even suspect the presence of a booby trap during any of your investigations, remember the proper procedure is to stop and withdraw from the investigation immediately. Then notify the proper authorities to come and remove the device and search for others you may have missed. These specialized technicians have the skill, training, and equipment to handle almost any situation. Taking these sensible and responsible steps is not only good police procedure, it may save your life. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is developing additional video training modules designed to orient federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in specific operation, alliance techniques, and procedures. To join, become involved, ask questions, or request additional information. Please write or call