Jacob Diaz

The proceeds would then be collected and transported back to Texas.

Diaz watched as Ole's operation, consisting of himself and two worthless 20-somethings, generated over $2 million in cash proceeds for the Gulf cartel every month.

The 18-year-old couldn't help but wonder, if an average-sized city like Orlando could sustain at least one Ole, probably more, how many could Atlanta or Houston sustain?

For the first time, Diaz began to grasp the magnitude.

Three tons of coal were delivered to a warehouse in Reynosa operated by the Zetas.

Over the course of several days, multiple Ford Duallys were disassembled and 300 kilos of product was packed into their wheel wells and door frames.

The handsome former Mexican military officer, Z-14, called his girlfriend, a naive U.S.

Customs and Border Protection agent working the Hidalgo, Texas port of entry.

Z-14 had been sleeping with the agent for several months, thereby compromising her effectiveness as an agent.

They spoke briefly, and she indicated it was possible she'd be working the lanes during her shift that day.

One thousand yards inside the Mexican border, a skinny boy stood atop the flat tar roof of a ramshackle house holding a pair of military-grade binoculars.

The young spotter watched as the crooked female border agent walked across several lanes of traffic, stopping at lane two.

She looked south and ran both of her hands through her hair.

The boy recognized the signal and spoke into his headset.

Lane 2, he informed the driver of the first dually to attempt the border crossing.

Lane 2, now!

Go, go, go!

The vehicle slowly crossed over the yellow lines separating several lanes of traffic, eventually arrived in lane 2.

Minutes later, the female agent gave the truck a cursory inspection, then waved it through the port of entry.

It was the first of several duallys she'd waved through, out of a sea of 20,000 vehicles, that would pass into Texas over the Hidalgo border that day.