Chapter 95

Happy Thanksgiving. This posting is a day early.

They were sitting off to the side. I knew there was no need to try the conversation in English; even if they understood, they would play ignorant - so Spanish it was.

“Where are you delivering the petrol to?” I asked.

Quiet, nothing. I kicked him in the groin as hard as I could. He screamed and doubled over in agony. He would be that way for a while. I hated to do that - I would have preferred that he talked - but I needed to set the stage that I wasn’t putting up with bullshit and that I meant business. Above all, that they meant nothing to me - expendable.

I moved over to the next one, before I could ask, “Las Norias, I make the trip twice a day when gas is running. Some days it’s diesel,” he said.

“Who gets the money you collect?” I asked.

He started to hesitate until I stepped in front of him.

“Bruno Hernandez ends up with the money. He likes to be called ‘The Bull’. A runner meets us in Las Norias each night to collect the money and deliver the next day’s drugs for this area to the drug runners for Bull’s enterprises,” he said.

“What time and where does that happen?” I asked.

“Six at the cantina on the north side of town,” he replied.

“Where do they come from to get to Las Norias?” I asked.

“From the south - Los Tres Palos,” he said.

“How many vehicles do they come in?” I asked.

“Four most of the time. He likes red,” he said.

“Which truck is yours?” I asked.

He pointed to the tanker.

“Where can the Bull be found?” I asked.

“We have been told he has a villa outside Ciudad Mante.”

Larry Thor had been standing by me while I was questioning the four men. He had walked away while I was questioning the last one. Satisfied, I went to find Larry before we went back to Apple 1.

I found him with the 802 pilots and several of his captains pouring over a map.

“We are twenty miles from Las Norias, by tomorrow evening the pipeline inspection crews will have passed there. I know you are out to take everything you can for the drug lords. The 802s can fly high patrolling the road from Las Norias to Los Tres Palos.”

“When they spot the group of red vehicles leaving Las Norias they can call for us to send the Blackhawks. When the Blackhawks are close the 802s can drop down and disable them. The Hawk men can finish them off and pick them clean.”

“Should be quite a haul of money and drugs; sounds like a resupply and pickup the days proceeds. That should put the icing on the cake after all the proceeds we collected in the last couple days,” Larry said.

“Show me on the maps; if you think it’s doable and successfully, let’s go for it. I want to cut them off at the knees every chance we get,” I said.

After the group finished with all the plans, I gave approval. Backup Blackhawks from Apple 1 were on the way with men to take control of the road.

“I’ll go with the Blackhawk group,” I said.

“No! Not only no but NO from the commander in the field. You pay us to do these things. The Hawks will meet you at Baker 2 on their way back for you to sort out the mission and whatever else and handle the political fallout. You should be there in the MRAP about the time the Hawks get there. It’s ten minutes on the ground, no more,” Larry said.

He was right - I didn’t need to be there - so I let it drop.

The two 802s from Apple 1 were moved to Baker2 just in case any problems arose.

The day was all but gone by the time the MRAP carried us back to Baker 2. The girls and I listened to the action on the aviation radio.

It was thirty minutes later when the Blackhawks landed at Baker 2. There had been six vehicles, not the expected four. It made no matter; one strafing run by the 802 put an end to the vehicles and everyone that was in them.

The haul was another thousand kilos of cocaine, heroin and pills and bags of cash. From the dying statements this run was to be the last in the area until new routes and new methods could be developed.

That was why this run was so large with the drug flights over in the area and the fuel revenue diminishing daily, Bull was pushing the limits to deliver to customers and also satisfy his boss and the supplier.

Eric and Frank had already left by the time we had returned Baker 2. I called Eric again and we discussed the issue of the new drugs haul. We decided that we would hold a news conference at the Washington DEA offices displaying all the drugs and money collected so far in the operation on Thursday morning before I testified.

All the girls were going. I had reserved seats on my side of the table for them to sit behind Curtis Warren and me.

We were heading back to Washington tomorrow afternoon. In the morning I had a meeting with the leaders of Matamoros. I had decided to build the first prison 5 miles west-north-west from Matamoros.