I was nine years old the first time I conducted surveillance for DEA. Not directly, mind you. But surveillance nonetheless.
My father got word through an informant that a large heroin dealer would be meeting with some of his lieutenants in Chile. The meetings were to take place by the pool at a popular hotel in Santiago. My father wanted to document the meeting, and hopefully being able to generate some intelligence on who was there and what was being discussed. At the time, my father was the only DEA agent in Latin America, with no backup. A single man sitting alone by the pool was sure to draw attention. So, my father had me tag along for the cover.
My father and I made the two-hour flight from Buenos Aires and checked in at the hotel, which just happened to be across the street from the U.S. Embassy. My father left me in the room while he crossed the street for some meetings at the embassy. By this time, I was well-versed in hotel living, so I quickly dialed up room service and ordered a hamburger, fries a slice of chocolate cake and an orange soda, along with a scotch and soda for my father upon his return. When the food was delivered, I somehow convinced the server to head down to the newspaper stand at the end of the block and get me a stack of comics, which I also added to the room bill. By the time my father finally got back, I was passed out on the bed in a sugar coma surrounded by empty plates and comic books, with a warm scotch sitting on the dresser.
The following morning over breakfast, my father explained to me our mission. He told me that we were there to watch some bad men who would be sitting by the pool. He explained to me that the game was that we would watch them, but that they could not see us doing so. Kind of like hide-and-seek in plain sight. He also told me that another part of the game was to try to hear what they were saying.
As a kid, I was thrilled to be on this important mission with my father. I fantasized about being able to discover what they were talking about and providing this information to my father – together, we would save the world.
After breakfast, we headed down to the pool where we remained for the better part of the day. The trafficker and two of his men arrived at around 11:00 am and sat almost directly across the pool from us. We had a great view of the men sitting and talking, but at that distance, could hear nothing.
Being the snoop that I am, I dove into the water and swam across the pool to where they were talking. From my new vantage point, I was able to hear their voices clearly. Unfortunately, they were speaking French, so I had no clue as to what was being said. Frustrated, I swam back to my father and spent the rest of the afternoon under the umbrella sulking.
After a couple of hours, the meeting ended with the men leaving one-by-one. The dealer was the last to leave. While my father was happy to document the meeting and had recognized the other two individuals – one of which was a government official – I was somewhat dejected. I had failed at hearing any conversation and the men had left the pool without being arrested. The world was no safer and I had failed on my first attempt at surveillance.