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Gordon takes part in a helicopter mission in Colombia with an SAS-trained anti-drugs squad, and joins a Metropolitan Police dawn raid on the home of a suspected dealer.

Gordon Ramsay travels to Central and South America to discover where cocaine comes from, and investigates how the drug is being combatted in the UK, where its use is rampant.

Primary Title
  • Gordon Ramsay on Cocaine
Date Broadcast
  • Tuesday 27 February 2018
Start Time
  • 20 : 40
Finish Time
  • 21 : 40
Duration
  • 60:00
Episode
  • 2
Channel
  • TVNZ 1
Broadcaster
  • Television New Zealand
Programme Description
  • Gordon Ramsay travels to Central and South America to discover where cocaine comes from, and investigates how the drug is being combatted in the UK, where its use is rampant.
Episode Description
  • Gordon takes part in a helicopter mission in Colombia with an SAS-trained anti-drugs squad, and joins a Metropolitan Police dawn raid on the home of a suspected dealer.
Classification
  • AO
Owning Collection
  • Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
  • Television
Languages
  • English
Captioning Languages
  • English
Captions
Live Broadcast
  • No
Rights Statement
  • Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
  • Documentary television programs--United Kingdom
  • Cocaine
  • Cocaine industry
  • Cocaine abuse
Genres
  • Crime
  • Documentary
Hosts
  • Gordon Ramsay (Presenter)
I saw cocaine quite a lot in my career. I've been served it, I've been given it. Had my hand shaken and left with little wraps of foil. I've been asked to dust cocaine on top of souffles, to put it on as icing sugar. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. But I've never touched a line of cocaine in my life. But coke's everywhere. It's spiralling out of control. I knew it was gonna be intense, but not quite like this. You look at the numbers of what comes in to this country. You're not messing around. That's big. Jesus Christ. Year on year, death after death, here and abroad. (BEEPING) That's the devastation, I think. And yet, no-one wants to talk about it. But they all want to fucking snort it. 'I've discovered that Britain consumes 30 tonnes of the drug every year, 'more than any other country in Europe.' The value of this? This is a kilo. About a hundred grand. Ladies, hello. 'For the first time, I've investigated cocaine use in my own restaurants, and found it'd been snorted freely in my staff and customer toilets.' I'm not asking you to shit on anyone, but how bad is it? People have been taking the side plates into the bathrooms and- So they're chopping up? Yes. Staff toilets, positive. Customer toilets, positive. It is everywhere. We're not prepared to have another casualty. 'This is personal. My friend and talented head chef died in a cocaine-fuelled accident.' I broke down, because I had no idea. I kick myself for not doing more. It's made me feel determined to get to the root of it. 'I've travelled deep into the Amazon jungle to discover cocaine's toxic recipe.' I'm appalled at what goes into it. The fumes and the smell coming off that is extraordinary. 'With more people dying from cocaine use than ever before, this time I'm going face to face with the dealers... ' It does smell. '..traffickers, even killers... ' Honestly, I'm shitting myself. '..moving this drug into Britain.' If they see us coming, they can arm themselves with knives, guns. 'I want to know whether this trade can ever be stopped.' How in the hell are the police gonna get back in control with the size of the problem? Able 2018 'I've already seen how coke is made in Colombia. Now I'm continuing my journey, travelling southwest to the epicentre of a new boom in cocaine production, supplying Britain. I want to witness first-hand the extraordinary, deadly war on drugs.' Gracias. 'So I'm joining the country's elite counter-drugs squad, the Anti Narcoticos.' Ear protection? No, I'll be fine, thank you. These are the military at the forefront of this whole drug war. Now, their job is intense. I mean, they're finding the cartels, they're locating these crops, destroying the crops, identifying the labs, taking the labs out. These guys here are responsible for stopping cocaine coming into the UK. The war they're fighting on a daily basis is... is huge. 'Trained by the British SAS, this unit has been fighting cocaine production and the cartels for nearly 30 years. They encounter fierce resistance and have suffered serious losses.' (SHOUTING) (SPEAKS SPANISH) 'Today, they've identified a plantation of coca leaf, the plant that's used to make cocaine. They plan to destroy the crop with chemical spray.' They're flying 90 minutes away, up to the north of the jungle, and both helicopters will land those troops on there and then make the ground safe. Then we'll fly in with the sprayers. Hopefully, when we land the ground's fucking safe. What's the danger? The dangers we have confirmed now are personal explosive... Explosive? Yeah, at the ground. Right. So, like landmines? Yeah. Right. We have illegal groups, armed illegal groups. Right. Er, the population of this area will attack or knock the policeman. So, eyes wide open and be alert, as always. As always. There's still possibly, you know, a chance to come under attack and there's two guerrilla companies out there. One have handed their weapons in, one are still on the loose. Also, these farmers get agitated so they set up snipers, also, potential land explosives left to upset, you know, the police, so yeah, it's pretty, er` it's pretty grim. I mean, I knew it was gonna be intense, but not quite like this. 'In this area, police are sometimes kidnapped by coca growers, and recently, one was shot dead. This unit is on high alert and I have no idea what will happen next. We reach the target. Below are industrial-size coca fields, all believed to be cartel-controlled.' (CHATTER OVER RADIO) (SHOUTING IN SPANISH) Wow. That's unbelievable. The size of it. Jesus Christ! Major, I can't believe how much is in here. I can't believe the amount that's in here. It's everywhere. Si. It's very thick and very dense. Yeah. My God. (CHATTER OVER RADIO) So, their principal job is to check explosive, too. Wow. So the dog's checking out for explosives. (RADIO CHATTER) You found an explosive? Holy shit. (SPEAKS SPANISH) Wow. (SPEAKS SPANISH) So the area's safe? You can go in and start spraying now? Yeah. I cannot believe the size of this crop. It's un-fucking-believable. 'The men have to spray each plant by hand. A painstaking process. If they did this by air, it would destroy the forest. They're also up against the plantation's employees, who may be armed.' (SHOUTING IN SPANISH) 'They appear through the bushes to defend the business.' (GUNSHOTS) 'A warning shot is fired to attempt to disperse the workers.' OK. It's time to go out. Check. What's going on? (RADIO CHATTER) Er, farmers are starting to kick off and they're getting angry. 'The team will persist on the ground, but they can no longer guarantee my safety.' Let's get the fuck out of here. Time to go! Gracias. 'As we leave, I can see the farmers and the labs used to turn the leaf into cocaine. Hundreds of tonnes of the drug are produced in this area. From here, it starts the clandestine journey to Britain through countries like Brazil, Venezuela and Honduras.' That was incredible. I mean, I've been on some rides in my life, but that was just insane. Also, just the speed and how quick and professional the team were. Mind-blowing. The coca plant was almost like vineyards that were spiralling out of control, in a way. They were so dense. Now you start to get a grip on how big a problem it is. 'The job for the Anti Narcoticos now is way bigger than I thought.' It's intense. It's bloody intense. And there's a... there's an outright war going on. 'I now have a sense of the size of this business, the enormity of coke production in Colombia, which has gone up by 52% in just 12 months. I want to see what this boom in cocaine means for people back home.' In the UK, we now introduce 30 tonnes of cocaine, the majority of it coming from Colombia. The rawness of the war here and what it's doing globally, you know, we've got, er... ..we've got some issues back in the UK. 'Britain imports �2 billion worth of cocaine every year, more than any other country in Europe. I'd been to the source in Colombia and seen the thriving cocaine industry that supplies the UK. Now I want to meet the elusive criminals who distribute the drug here. I found a contact with criminal connections in the southeast of England and set up a covert meeting with a top cocaine dealer.' So I'm waiting for a pick-up. A guy's gonna take me to a hotel to meet a big dealer. 'He's a major player. He must be making a fortune, and responsible for a lot of it that's hitting the streets, so the chance of him getting caught... Is he armed, is he not? Who knows? All I know is, I've been told to be here at a certain time, hat, glasses, jump in the car and get dropped off.' So he's, er` he's all cool? He's cool. Straight up. Fuckin' hell. Where's the main source coming from? It comes in from the sea. That's why I'm involved with all the Colombians. Right. Bought a boat, an 80 foot fishing boat, and then we go get it, launch it in the water. We get a phone call, and then it'd be like, it's there, it's landed and then we go and get the boat and we'll go out. And we're talking a couple of kilo at a time? You could get four, five, six keys. What's the value of that? Six key. Six key, we sell a key, a kilo, that's 60 grand. Fucking hell. So six sixes? Yeah. So 360 grand? Yeah. And do you have any on you now? Yeah. Fucking hell. Erm... That smell, what is that, that's er... ? That's the purity of it. The purity of it? Yeah. What's that worth now? That's 70 grand each. 140 grand? Yeah. So that can be cut` That'll probably be cut multiple times. And if someone nicked that, what would you do? If I caught 'em? Yes. The toys'd be coming out to play, wouldn't they? The toys? The toys, yeah. Oh, you mean like your... Well, we've got firearms, things like that. Right. How big a demand have you seen, in the last ten years? How much is it in demand now? Oh, everyone's on it. Everybody? Everybody, yeah. Doctors, police officers, anyone. Police officers, lawyers` Yeah, doctors, lawyers, everyone. Fuck. Everybody. It does fuck people up. Do you have any guilt on that? No. No. I don't have no guilt, innit. I'm not putting a gun to their head telling them to come buy it, am I? They're adults. But if you get caught, you could be banged up for life. Yeah. But I know that. In myself, I know. I know the consequences. It's a money-spinner for us. If more people want it, it's better for us. We earn more money. I'm fucking shocked. You know, just walking around with that amount of coke. I think the money is the addiction for him, now. And I think, by the sounds of things, he enjoys the fucking danger. 'Cocaine is a dangerous game. The production boom in Colombia means cheaper wholesale coke here. More people are competing to get into the trade, meaning violence is on the rise.' NEWSREADER: Gangs across the country are increasingly turning to deadly weapons. 'Putting ordinary people at risk.' The gunman turned up and shot a mother and her seven-year-old son. The pair caught in the crossfire. 'I want to see first-hand how the British police take the fight to the dealers. Detective Sergeant Bob Dolce of the Metropolitan Police is battling over 200 gangs in London alone.' This is Operation Rayon, which is basically a spin-off from a job two weeks ago which resulted in a number of arrests and a number of seizures of Class A drugs. 'This morning, we're raiding the house of a suspected street dealer.' Would you normally start this early, Bob, in terms of stunning them at five in the morning? Yeah. We always do an early raid, just because we want them in bed. If they're up and about or see us coming, they can flush drugs away, arm themselves with knives, guns... So we always try and get them when they're most vulnerable, which is when they're asleep. We always tend to stop short of the address and we'll walk up. It's as much of a surprise as we can. Shall I go with you, Bob? Yep, OK, stick with me. Pretty intense, isn't it? It's a two bedroom flat. You can see how many officers we have to bring. There's 30 of us here today. Shit. Is this normal size? Yeah. Shit. It's all about the risk. Yeah. Jobs like this, he might be 21, but we don't know how he's gonna react. Is he gonna pick a knife up? Are there gonna be ten people in there? I mean, you would shit yourself if you looked out your window and you saw an army of these guys coming towards... Certainly not gonna make your day. No. (THUDDING) (SHOUTING) Shit. And that's how we do it. Shit. We're police officers. We've got a warrant to search these premises for drugs, all right. Where's your boy? Not here? No. The suspect is not home. We're just gonna search your boy's room. The hunt begins for any evidence that could lead to a conviction. Big window sill. Come on, up. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Well, that's an X-reg Mercedes. Bloody hell. Not bad. Yeah. Doesn't work. 21. 21, he's got a better car than me. So he'd have that in his trousers. My God. And that is, you know, that'll kill you. Yeah. Bloody hell. People carry a knife instead of a gun because you won't go to prison for a knife on your first occasion. A gun, you get five years mandatory, so... And that does just as much damage. A knife? Easily. Oh, there you go. So, there's another knife, wrapped in cling film - Jesus Christ. ..so they don't get no fingerprints on it. Find it, then. Find it. 'This police dog is trained to detect drugs, firearms and money.' It's an indication there's something there. That's amazing. Wow. That was quick. Well, there you go. Shit. Good boy. That's a wad though, isn't it? That is probably a grand, there, yeah. So that'll now be seized by us. He's not getting that back. If I catch him in that car, I'll take his car. This is gonna hurt him. Everything we can do to disrupt these people is a result for us. They operate between 15 and 20 raids like this a day, sometimes even more. That was effective, but more importantly, the message is out there. They're on the cases and they're cracking down big time. 'Ultimately, there was no evidence to prosecute this suspect for the supply of cocaine.' Bloody hell. Right, let's go. 'But Bob's unit, Trident, will continue to work around the clock, pursuing dealers and those involved in gang violence. Trident is responsible for London, but its officers now chase down armed drug criminals all across the UK. Bob has brought me to meet his boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Kevin Southworth. He has the challenging job of bringing violent dealers to justice.' (BUZZER) Good morning. Hi. Good morning. Gordon? Good to see you. Thank you. Thank you. So this is HQ? It is. This is Trident's main office. I'm seeing it, in my business, almost as a given. It's hip, it's trendy, it's cool and because of the glamorised side to cocaine, is that making your job harder? Absolutely. Here in London alone, we see extraordinary levels of violence, gang crime, shooting and stabbings. All of which are linked to the cocaine trade, which, of course, anyone who uses cocaine is contributing to, by driving that demand in the first place, driving that trade, which draws young people into it. We've seen record-breaking seizures of firearms over the last two years. Over 700 lethal barrel weapons have been seized each year for the last two years. That's two a day. It is true to say that over 70% of those weapons that we do recover in those circumstances are found with a stash of drugs and usually cocaine or crack. Yeah. Which indicates just how closely the gun supply in this city and gun usage in this city sits with the cocaine and crack cocaine supply. How do you stay on top of it? In fairness, it's always gonna be a war of attrition and suppression for us, cos there is a very high demand. Anyone who thinks that the use of cocaine is in any way victimless is living an absolute lie. Yeah. 'Now I want to meet the customers who buy cocaine. Without them, this insanely dangerous trade would not exist. Finding somebody willing to speak, however, has been very difficult.' One lady has very bravely agreed to meet me, because this lady's life was destroyed by cocaine. Rachel. Hiya. Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming to see me. 'Rachel is 38 years old, and used to have a well-paid job in finance.' How did your cocaine... your addiction start? I'd say it was like early 20s, with my mates. Just, it was a laugh, do you know what I mean? It was like social, a social sort of drug. Right. And then we were taking it all the time, like, every single day, every single night, but I was still doing my job, a good job. I was a management accountant. But how did you hide it from work? I was doing it at work. You were? Yeah, have one about ten o'clock in the toilets, have one at lunch time, just to get through the day, cos obviously you've been up late the night before. I would say to myself "That's it, I'm not doing it no more." The next day I'd do the same thing. How quick did you get it? It's like ordering a takeaway. Like ordering a takeaway? Yeah. Literally? You could never not get it. I never had a time in that 12 years where I couldn't get it. It was always available. What were you spending per week? At the beginning, probably about �800 a week. So that's �3,200 a month, on average. 40 grand a year. And that's been for ten years? 12 years. Yeah, I know, I could have been a millionaire, maybe. Well, there's half a million. Yeah. Half a million. Spending all our money on coke. Nothing else. You know, when I started out, we had a mortgage, new car... Right. And at the end of it, nothing but a TV to my name. But I have been two years clean now. Good. And life's good today. She is your typical user. If you saw her in the street, you'd never think she'd have a habit. The way she talks, the way she presents herself, you'd just think it's a normal, hard-working girl that has a bright future. Who knew what was going on? What a lonely place she was in? She's out of that mess, and the good news is, Rachel's clean. 'I want to find out exactly how tonnes of cocaine get from South America to the shores of Britain so people such as Rachel can order it like a takeaway. My contact at the National Crime Agency has already give me some intel on how cocaine is smuggled here.' The UK, we're an island nation, so it's almost a 360 degree target. Cocaine comes to us from all corners of the planet, basically. Production is here. Largely in Colombia. 'Traffickers use an extraordinary web of secretive routes to get it from Colombia to our shores.' You've got this Latin American coastline which enters the Caribbean Sea. That's important, because the Caribbean Sea is a gateway, not only to West Africa but to the UK, as well. Countries that get exploited through this ` Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras ` these countries are generally less developed, they are vulnerable and they're exploitable. These are the places where bad things happen. 'If I'm to understand the cocaine trade, I need to track down the multi-billion pound trafficking business. I've been told my best chance of meeting a major smuggler is in Honduras. It looks like I'm on the international cocaine trail again. This time, it's Central America.' Now, I've never been to Honduras, but what I do know is that it's one of the most dangerous countries anywhere in the world. 'Honduras is an international staging post for wholesale cocaine. Here, no-one is safe from the cartels and criminal gangs who control the trade.' I've been in some vulnerable situations in my life, but I've never been in to something as grim as this. - (GUNFIRE) - I'm shitting myself. 'I'm touching down in Honduras, one of the world's most dangerous countries outside of a war zone. This nation serves as a clandestine port for Colombian cocaine before it's trafficked to the UK and across the world.' Just arrived in Honduras, known as the world's warehouse for cocaine. They say it's up to 300 tonnes a year of cocaine out of Honduras with a street value of close to �10 billion a year. That's a lot of coke. From my point of view, this is like the epicentre. I think it's one of the most dangerous times ever. 'I'm gonna be spending time with the country's most famous crime reporter, Orlin Castro.' (SPEAKS SPANISH) 'Orlin's covered over 430 murders in the last two months alone, the majority linked to the cocaine trade.' (SPEAKS SPANISH) 'I'm hoping Orlin can get me access to the criminal underworld and give me an insight into the violence that's consuming this country.' (SIRENS) (SPEAKS SPANISH) Thank you so much. How was your trip? Bloody hot. On the way to meet Orlin, my driver fills me in on the current state of play. Cocaine, it comes here first. It comes here first. This is the bridge, this is the, sort of, the hub. Yes, because it comes from Colombia, the whole country is filled with cocaine. And the crime? I mean, it's escalating at all times. Yes. Yes, we can easily have six bodies a day. Six bodies a day? Yeah. I wish that I was wrong, but probably in your stay here in Honduras, you're gonna find someone who's been violently killed. They're basically fighting for territory to sell more cocaine. Jesus! Some neighbourhoods, you have to roll your windows down, especially these kind of cars, with the tinted windows, because you can get shot at easily. Why? They're gonna kill you because they don't know the car, they don't know who is in the car, so the gangs are gonna shoot first, ask second. Jesus. 'Suddenly, we hear that somebody's been assassinated in rush hour traffic up ahead.' I can't believe it. 20 minutes in and already there's been a call with a body. So... Jesus Christ. (HORN HONKS) Shit. Look at this. (HORNS BEEPING) What is going on? (HONKING CONTINUES) Just come to the crime scene now. Flashing lights, cars everywhere. (HORNS BEEPING) I find Orlin already at the scene. If you guys come here, you can see the body. Where's the body? (HORN HONKING) (SPEAKS SPANISH) (HORN HONKING) Yeah, now I can, yeah. I can see the hands. 'Orlin believes this is a hit by professional killers known as sicarios.' The media from Honduras, they don't want the broadcast, the reality, the raw reality - Don't shout. Don't shout. Talk, don't shout. OK? Thank you. This has really, really happened, and you are witnesses. You are witnesses. It's all starting to kick off. A guy's shouting over there, about the government, this is what's happening, and how corrupt it is, but it's insane. Crazy. And look, around, underneath the bushes, in the trees, there's kids everywhere. Do you really want to bring your kids to a place like this? It's an everyday occurrence, it's nothing new for them, just another... another death. (HORN HONKS) Honestly? I'm shitting myself. (CHUCKLES) With this cocaine warehouse, it's such big business that, how do you slow this thing down? Hello! (LAUGHS) Bye. Good night. Have your daughters come to realise what kind of things you report on TV? 'Orlin's next assignment is at the local police station. I'm curious to see how the authorities deal with violent criminals here.' Guys with jeans and T-shirts and balaclavas running around. Right now I'm not too sure who's fucking who. They've discovered a gang member from one of the largest gangs in Honduras, and they're gonna parade this gang member now, from one of the biggest cartels. 'This man's apparently a member of the 18th Street gang, who deal in coke, racketeering and extortion.' So they've just walked him back. They've taken him out of his cell, put him in the middle of the car park and now they're walking him down across the car park in front of the Honduras media. I mean, what a routine this is. What the fuck's going on? 'This, I gather, is a naming and shaming exercise. Suspects are paraded for the cameras daily.' (SPEAKS SPANISH) 'Orlin tells me this man is a foot soldier. Big time cocaine traffickers are rarely captured.' This is surreal. I mean, he looks about 18. Look how young he is. Be safe and I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you. Good night. (HORN HONKS) It's just so intense! It's hard to gauge that sat on your arse at home, but I'm... M eyes are everywhere. If it's not a fucking cat up a tree, or a car drives past with darkened windows or someone who shoots past me on a motorbike... I'm, er, yeah, eyes all over the place. How in the hell are the military or police gonna get back in control with the size of the problem? I mean, it's just insane. 'In Honduras, all is not what it seems. By day, the cities are bustling with everyday life. But thousands of people are secretly employed in the international cocaine business. Orlin's agreed to introduce me to people in this underworld.' Hola. Gracias, Orlin. You good? 'He's taking me into one of the most violent neighbourhoods to meet sicarios... ..freelance hitmen hired to eliminate anybody who stands in the way of the cocaine business.' In terms of the questions, and what I can say and what I can't say, how far can I push it? Honestly, I actually feel quite sick. Shit. Here we go. (MUTTERS) We here? Si. (SPEAKS SPANISH) (MAN SHOUTING) (BARKING) So we just arrived, he's jumped out. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. (CHATTER IN SPANISH) Orlin. Si. Hello. (CHATTER IN SPANISH) 'These assassins charge as little as �50 to murder somebody.' He's ready. (CHATTER IN SPANISH) Mucho gracias. Thank you for your time. De nada. How many people do you think you've murdered? Do you ever think that you wanna stop this? You and your organisation are religious. How do you wake up the next morning with a clear conscience? When will you take out your next victim? When will the next assassination take place? Are these your gentlemen? Hola. (SPEAKS SPANISH) Sorry. Hola. Erm... So... That's the... That's the weapons you use? And is it possible to have a look at the gun? If I can have a look? (SPEAKS SPANISH) Yeah, like that. Yeah. Si. Er... Wow. So there's one in the chamber? Yeah. Jesus Christ. Gracias. Mucho gracias. Hola. Una banana por favor. Gracias. Thank you. It's fine. Gracias. Look at that smile. Si. That's the most intense situation I've ever been in. Just the fixation of his eyes, it was cold. Really cold. Everything's relating back to business. Everything's about the money, about the coke, about the survival, and what this... this powder has created. This substance may be bright white from the outside but, from the inside, it's fucking full of blood. 'This is Honduras' Caribbean coast. The cartels use this area to store up to 300 tonnes of cocaine before shipping it out. I've been trying to track down the elusive masterminds who smuggle the drug to Britain.' I'm on my way down to the coast and there's a bit of a breakthrough because we've got access to quite a senior smuggler. The strange bit for me is that he's agreed to meet me on a remote part of the beach, which sounds slightly fucking dodgy. Hola. I'm gonna jump on a boat, and I'm gonna meet him on a part of the shoreline, so... Fucking hell. Caribbean shoreline down here is notorious for, you know, smuggling this cocaine out, so this guy's on his own territory and I'm going to his manor. Hola. 'I've been informed that Carlos, the smuggler I'm about to meet, does business directly with the Colombian cartels. He made his first deal aged just 17.' That should be Carlos... sat underneath the coconut tree, and it looks like he's got his face covered. Yeah. That's him. Carlos. Hola. Gracias. Hola. Good to see you. All good? How does cocaine hit the streets of the UK coming out of Honduras? Wow. Models? That first transaction, how much money did you make on that? So the multiples are incredible. Big business for you. Dealing with so much cocaine is a very dangerous job. Are you confident you can stay alive? How do you manage to stay alive for so long? So you've been paying people off to protect your interests and keep yourself alive. Have you made a lot of money? Mucho? Mucho. Mucho. And thank you for your time. Mucho gracias. Mucho gracias. Fuck me. 'Carlos uses a legion of extraordinary smuggling tricks. Private planes and secret runways to fly the cocaine in from Colombia, human couriers, boats and even submarines to transport it across the world.' Other 17-year-olds, back home, would be playing football or focusing on exams. That guy was off striking deals with a cartel in Colombia, so what a pair of bollocks. 'I set up businesses, you know, and I work my arse off. Here, you know, it's pretty incredible when you see how sophisticated they are. We're dealing with big bucks. There's a lot of money coming in. He was paying off the police, paying off the military to stay alive.' He's outsmarted the system, he's kept his neck above the water, but he's also responsible for a lot of the shit hitting the UK shore. 'I've been shocked to learn how people in this business use bribery and murder to protect the distribution of cocaine worldwide. And I've learned how the war on drugs is seemingly unwinnable when the UK's demand for cocaine is so high.' I never thought I'd be this embarrassed. I mean, going back home now with my tail between my legs. I'm concerned about this shit coming into my restaurants, about the shit that's happening to get it to my restaurants, the consequences of taking this shit drug. You know, and everyone thinks it's a party zone. It's not a fucking party zone, it's a war zone. 'After what I've seen, I can't just do nothing.' The size of the problem is fucking immense. You know, I'm just one man. So what I can do is put my own house in order. 'I've spent my entire career surrounded by cocaine and have now discovered evidence of cocaine use amongst my current employees. My ambition is to rid my restaurants of cocaine permanently. So I've gathered together my senior staff. My industry has been turning a blind eye for years. Time to confront this dirty secret head on.' Has anyone ever been in a situation where you've been with your mates and they've said "Come on, we're gonna do this. Take some"? I have, first off, let's get that right. Anybody else? I respect your honesty. It's not just us, it's a problem across the industry. There's about five of you in the room that was with me when we lost David Dempsey. I had no idea that he had a cocaine habit. I was totally oblivious. If only I knew David Dempsey was on it, do you think I'd be sat having dinner with him the night before he died? He'd be in rehab, immediately. Honestly, from what I've seen and what I've witnessed, to lose somebody else now is not an option. That's not gonna happen. Service! 'My first instinct was to drug test staff and fire anyone who tested positive. But I feel responsible towards these guys. So, instead, I'm rolling out a plan to tackle cocaine use on the job.' We need to stick together. We need to help to stop our industry losing talented individuals. So here's what we set up. We have a system in place that is there to offer support and help. So you're not isolated. 'My managers will be trained to identify the signs of drug abuse and staff will be offered professional, confidential counselling and even rehab. I'm gonna help those who want to be helped. Persistent offenders will be fired, and can get the hell out.' I need you to be strong and honest with yourselves because if you see it, hear it, or maybe have indulged in it, there's help there. 'I don't want coke in my restaurants any more.' Customers taking side plates into the loos to snort cocaine off... How fucking rude. That shit has to stop. For every line of coke taken, the devastation behind the scenes is fucking horrific. You know, deliver that message to that individual. Agreed? ALL: Yes. Thank you. I'm not gonna change the world, but what I can make is a difference. And that fucking difference needs to start somewhere and it's starting here. 'On this extraordinary journey... ' God. '..I've witnessed the devastation that cocaine brings, the violence, and even death.' How can it possibly be cool when someone, somewhere, may well have paid with their lives for the cocaine you're about to shovel up your nose? 'Whilst demand in the UK has rocketed, it's made dangerous criminals ridiculously rich... ' Five-four, go with it, go with it. '..while the authorities struggle to get a grip on the problem.' Every fucking line taken, and every step that I've crossed... Fuck me! If only they knew. Honestly, I actually feel quite sick. 'Thousands think that coke is a bit of harmless fun. No-one quite understands now the damage it causes before you take it.' But if one person can stop using cocaine, knowing now what goes into it... ..job done. Subtitles by Deluxe
Subjects
  • Documentary television programs--United Kingdom
  • Cocaine
  • Cocaine industry
  • Cocaine abuse