Episode 12 - Escape

able to see him. He was going one way and I was going to the other. In retrospect, I felt like that was the lifehouse leaning to what I was going was when he was literally cool the other way. I'm Curtis Saint Jackson, and this is surviving our topo.

It's once you brought down the drug lie. I think we've all experienced these situations in life, maybe not to this extreme, but where everything is pulling you in one direction in your heart, you feel like you need to go in another direction, so you do what's right for you. Peter and Jay's father was their mentor in life. He taught him everything they knew about the drug trade. And how not to get caught someone you're supposed to love. Unconditioning now telling you that trying to do things the

right way is actually the wrong thing. For most kids, spending times with their dad is playing ball on the weekend, But for the Flores twins, it was doing drug rounds across the Mexican border, packaging weed and the gas tanks and unintentionally being a cover story to distract authorities from suspicious activities. After wrestling with it for twenty years, they were finally in a position where they had a chance

to write a new path for the Flora. Is now two weeks after the top of recording, and we get a car to Sunday. Our attorney wants a thought to us at early right ten eleven the morning around there. He said, you know, the US attorney wants to talk to you. He said, he wants you guys to train yourself in today. I won't even go looking into it, like wow, reality just hit us. Huh what I remember our attorney like he was more than our attorney, so

I was he was like he was family. And I remember he sat there quiet and he was like, guys, maybe you guys don't have to do this. I want you guys to think about this. I remember, they're like, it's too late for that. We talked to the d A and he said, you know, guys, it's time. We can't risk you guys anymore, and all this would be for nothing if something happens to you guys, and we want you guys to train your stuff into hours two hours.

Then he gave you two hours nights And I said, what about our family whatever, they're like guys like you guys got to get them out of there. And basically that wasn't the problem. We were like fucking like you know, we were upset like that, we were not being told these things that were like last minute, we're the ones in the middle, Like we're the ones there, Like what then do you mean two hours? Like what's your plan? Like, oh,

we can't tell you anything. I remember he also said, guys, there's a lot of people here betting that you guys are not going to do it. This has never been done. They didn't even believe what they had. They didn't believe that we're gonna change your life. They didn't believe we're gonna turn ourselves in. I was confused, I was lost, I was like now I was actually taking it in. I wasn't concerned about nothing else but about my well, my kids. One of the hardest things I've ever had

to endure in my life, Like that hurt me. That I could replain my mind over and over again, and I did for twelve years, was actually like saying goodbye to my family. The day I treat myself, I felt like I was abandoning the oka. I was supposed to be doing something good, right and I'm walking. I'm leaving them harm's way. I went and I told, Wow, it's time. They asked me to turn myself in. I don't think I understood. I think that was more in shock. We never knew how long it was gonna last, but we

didn't think it would come that fast. We had no exit plan. I didn't know what we were supposed to do, and I just wanted to like survival mode two hours, like oh my god. We had cameras all around the house. We had to get the security footage out. We have to get an anything with their name on it out. When we leave, the cartel is going to come and they're gonna go through our whole house and they're gonna try to find us anything that had her name on it.

Just trying to get my son's per certificates and papers and like trying to find everything that was just important. I'm worried about them finding us and papers and like anything with their name addresses back in the States, like Chico. I can lead them to anything. Yes, pictures. I was grabbing all the frames off the walls and just ripping the pictures out of the frames because I didn't want them to have pictures of us. Everyone like, what the

fuck is going on? Who is everyone? Like? The work is? What were you saying? And they said, boss man, she wants She says she'd leave me what she's my and she wouldn't be okay, sick. Why she's thinking something? Who knows to leave her? And they're seeing her like practically tear the house up, and they're like trying to help her anything, and just like okay, like I remember tone of go bring bring the car. She wants to leave. I'm not even concentrating on that journey. I'm not even

like I'm not there with her. You know, I actually had my son, you known people carrying him. Like I'm anything I'm doing, I'm trying to spend those last precious moments. Listen. It was just chaotic. Yeah, we have babies. I remember Peter and the coming over the house. I'll think it right next door and they're there with my niece and and they was sitting there in shock, and I'm just like running around the house, just running through the house. And I'm looking at her like why is she so calm?

Why is she not doing what I'm doing. They're gonna fucking find us. Why is she just sitting there? And like I'm going to every chore, every piece of paper, I'm taking like every picture, every video tape from the security footage, ripping everything on the walls. I'm just acting crazy, just like where's the kids, burth certificates? How do we even cross the border? Our kids were like born in Mexico, and we didn't know how we were going to get our kids across the border and venn that they stage.

We knew that we all be killed. I just didn't even take in that Jay's leaving in two hours. It was just I wasn't crying. I was just running around the house and I didn't even take it in. I felt like I didn't been the last two hours of my husband. I think it was like maybe ten minutes saying goodbye. It's all, thank God, because I was just so busy trying to think, trying to make sure that we're gonna be okay. What did you say to each other in the ten minutes that you had together. I

think we said much. I just we're not in at each other. And just that's when the tears just didn't stop coming down. Think I could talk our son. He was two years old, and he knew something was wrong. He was Jay shadow. He followed Jay around like everybody with every time they saw Jay, like they knew that they're going to see her son with him, and they would make a joke and call him a mom because they My son just wanted to be with him. Everywhere. He'd be in the bathroom, my son will be sitting

there reading him to come out at the door. And if Jay would try going anywhere, like he was just tied to his leg. And he said something was wrong because he was just seeing me running, running running, and Jake crying and Peter crying and baby crying, and he was just looking around and I just didn't understand what was happening. I remember carrying my kids and my baby. He was only two months old, and he was just staring. Did you say anything to him? And I was just whispering.

I was just whispering to him, like I remember saying, like I love you guys, and I'm sorry. And I had been whispering to them in the air when I would put him to bed because I already knew, like I I would I just apologize and that and I knew myself was going to be the one that was gonna affected the most. And you know, just able to take the moment and just it was weird, like, yeah,

I am thinking I'm doing something for them. I know, Mary, I guess it's like as a parent, I think that when you always struggle when you think you're doing something good for them, that they that's gonna make them suffer a little bit, but it's the best thing for him. And just just taking a little moment where I was just holding tighten, you know, that was important to me. I wasn't even thinking about prison and I was just thinking more like I wasn't going to be there. That's

all I could think of. You know, the Government's calling and back and forth. It's just they were kind of like pressing this a little bit like you guys gonna have to meet, you know, and at this time and I don't tell anybody to make sure you guys, and how they were more worried about that bringing the recordings with you. Did you still feel that you were doing

the right thing in that moment? I don't know. I do know this that when it was time for me to go and I say goodbye to so now we were tears and right say goodbye to my work is over there with us, m h by. Someone let me go, tellus that was struck. You kind of get him off me. And I remember just be emotional, just jumping truck. I can't hear my sun screaming dad. When I took the truck, like I questioned it to people, talk away from val leave from there, you know. And in no time did

she say, like you know, don't you know? I think we said to each other, it's gonna be all right, right, I'm kinda gonna do this. You're gonna be fine. We're gonna like h m, we're gonna be find We're gonna get to this. It was something it was it didn't feel right. It just it just didn't feel right. It just it just awful wrong. And I wasn't saying nothing, no, It's just nodding no, it's just nodding my head back and forth, like I just wanted to say no, don't go,

but I didn't. I was just nodding. I just didn't feel right. My son hat his scream, like his cry, like like we've never heard that from him, We've never heard that from him. And then Peter were there and they were just like blasting on in tears because I guess it was like a cry of like pain and suffering.

He was hanging on the door and I was like he was trying to open the door, trying to get wait from the door because I didn't want the people outside to know that they're dead left because like I didn't want them to report in fact there was something going on in the house because there was always security around and I didn't know who to trust. H h. That day they had started to raid these houses that we're in l A, these stash houses and all these

things were already in motion. Can I remember getting that call from like one of our associates saying, job, they just hit the houses in l A. And I was like, ship, I was still there in Mexico, still like clean up our pictures, like taking this stuff that we didn't want

to leave behind. It was so difficult to be thinking about all the stuff I had unfinished, you know, and like that I wouldn't have to leave viv and the kids, my baby and our family there, and that we didn't really have that plan set up and mente that like it was like in our minds but not like that moment, and I was sad. Man, it was hard. It was hard. Why do you think you didn't have that plan even though you knews come in. I didn't want to have

a plan. I wanted to like continue a lie to myself and not feel that was will be taken away from the people I love most. A so sad and I remember I couldn't even hope back my tears that one of the last things I did was change my daughter's diaper, and I can still imagine that they're like laying it down in that guests bedroom to change the diapend I could still like see blurry from the tears of her life that I heard so bad to leave Viana.

It's just a terrible, terrible day for our family, just trying to reassure everyone day, I don't think you're gonna be good. Yeah, the conversation with my dad, and you will never forget just so much, you know, I think for like trying to motivate me, keep me positive about something that sheep I was dealing with so much on her own. But it was hard because nobody was telling me, okay, you know, like you're doing the right thing. You know,

everybody seemed to be against it. What else dealing with It's so hard, you know, she seeing her seen the baby, like giving it back to bit. It was so hard. And then like thinking like I'm trying to tell my brother, come on, it's you know, we're gonna have to get ready to going. Remember here my little nephew christ so bad, like he just felt something. What was the last thing

you said to reach other. I don't think that we even talked as much, you know, I don't think that the tears allowed us to two let her, let us say our goodbyes. I didn't want to say goodbye to It was scary to think that, you know that, And I can't like losing her my family and everything and just trying to you know, scary toll known from for me and my brother as well, you know, and I'm looking at it to them, she was always worth it. I'm glad that. I'm glad I did it for her.

Glad it was her, Like she's the only person that would have probably ever I have been able to get me into something crazy like that. But walking away from my supposed to be terrible. I mean, like I said, like drowning emotional feelings and how would happen? And honestly, I could tell you right now that I was always leaving her behind. She was in the front of everything, you know, like she was like not behind me, but more in front of me and my future. You know.

That's what I was searching for, like like I'm gonna go face these nightmare to like beet with her again. Yeah, but when you concerned that you got in that car with the agents and then what if somebody found out and it was all that because they weren't protected. Yeah, I was upset that they didn't have like an escape plan with my family. They just only concerned was get the two witnesses that and there was no like exit

strategy for none of us sat there. I remember thinking like them, like they look go now like don't wait, go now, Like you know, I'm saying, go down the plane and go. It was a bunch of us and then I mean there was no flights. I mean they told us the same day. We see this, you like thinking about we left food on the table. Yeah, we're at everything in the ever our clothes, every piece of garments and clothes and all kinds of stuff. We just

left everything. I took my baby and her diaper bag, and I was just like sitting on a sofa, like just we left our dream home, you know, lost without him. I didn't even know. I'm like, I just I just wanted to get the heart out of there. I just wanted to get out of there. And it was just so many of us, and everyone's like scrambling around, and I'm just sitting there just with my one little diaper bag and just saying, They're like, let's get out of here. We come to the trap to any things? Did you

guys mean the recorders? I guess, And we were emotional, It's okay, we're doing the right thing. And they started trying towards the airport. How many kinds of just too And we go to airport and we went on to like the private side where the private planes are in. There's a hangar and the military has a checkpoint and they access to school down. They don't want to know what to see us, and they showed the diplomatic ideas and they let us in. And we drove into this

like hangar where there's an officer. I don't want he was military what it was, but he was actually there. We stood in the truck, but they got off and they had the lights off, and I remember they were looking at the federal police and they're hiding from them. It said, told me that didn't trust them me and they're hiding from their actually driving buyer walking by it. You know, there's a live federal police and they're focusing on there's one plane. There was kind of big one booze,

probably planing and driving buyer walking by it. You know, there's a live federal police and they're focusing on there's one plane. There was kind of big one booze probably plane and wearing the dark and the hangar. We stood there for like a long time, probably now we're in a half and then between them just calling bounces, have you left it? Have you left it? It's those type of conversations are you okay? And she would be like they're asking for you, and I ask you for you.

I want to turn jail with the Chiel by time I'm going to meet someone in so helpless. So I started having a little bit anger, Like I'm having anger because I'm sitting this bulletproof truck with them and our family is over there, like this is for them, me being in dangerous one thing. And I was disappointed myself. I was I was angry. It's just like nerve wracking. Like I think I'm always how mentally strong, I just can't even so many thoughts and many things coming to

my my mind, and our phones are ringing ringing. A couple of cousin is calling because they just had rated one of them their stash houses in l A and they'd like, Kate, check on your guys. They just hit one of the houses. No, it's us that was getting as upset because we're still in Mexico. They had started like an operation that was the first house to hit that go to so many houses I think in Mexico, and we're still sitting in Mexico. I wasn't don't stop ringing.

We literally get bad or they don't stop ringing. We weren't even paying attention to you know. I had people that are calling me like those our antec and it's okay, No, she's she's all right, and she's upset, she's don't be right, she's packing up a car. Leave her leaver. Are you sure you want me to go ahead? No? No, no leaving, just making fit up. That was just the worst night, Marcus, the worst night might could think of, and the worst price. I felt like we were doing it. We were doing it,

we were the cause. And it took a few hours. And I remember a big plane lands and I guess that was a plane that we weren't going. The drivers up to the plane and there's a dry whatever you do, don't look anywhere, just go straight into a plane. Just they didn't want to know one to see us. The plane is like a cargo plane or something, because I remember has the seats this way like on a bench, like a bench, and I remember like it was dark like that. It was really dark inside the plane was dark.

So when I go, I'm the hank of nothing like going on the plane and there's like twelve fourteen marshals and agents and that they have guns on them. They have like rifles and they have guns down and turn the plane and they're like, hey guys, okay, you know, just talking to agent. They're more like operational mode. When we get down, we sit down and just where where our phones? You know, our bag of phones and we should have our bag of phones. And I didn't take

time for us to fly out of that. When j and Pa laughed, It's like I just all I could remember was just seeing their faces. They just look so lost. I just sparked something in me because I knew he knew, like there was just no plan for us. I couldn't get their faces, like the image of their faces out of my head because they're just the defeated and I knew that they were just only worried about us getting out safely. At that point, people are coming to the house.

M hmm. They're knocking on the door. They were asking from Shaye and Peter. These are the same people that would be at my house every day, always there, everywhere they went. We couldn't move around the city freely at that time. They had to keep tabs on them always, and like I just didn't know what to say, and the cloud was ticking, and I'm just I'm trying to get everyone together and trying to get all the stuff in the car. When asking me what's wrong, what's wrong,

and I'm like leaving. He said, you're taking a kid. So I'm like, I'm leaving him. He's cheating on me. And he's like, it's not true. We would never do that too. Don't take the kids like this, and are you going? And I'm like, baby, come with me, Baby, come on, and I'm trying to cut on the show. I need you to come with me. I'm so free because I'm like, what are we gonna say? Like why are we both leaving at the same time I would be leaving with all the kids. I didn't know what

to say. And I'm just like, maybe let's go. You're coming with me, And she's like a lot. She's like looking at me and she's just like frozen. She's not saying anything like come on me, but the babies in the car. Come on. I got in my car and she gets in her car and like just follow me. And we're loading bags in the car and she's just looking at me and she's scared. She's just nodding her head and like tears in her eyes, and I'm like get in the car. And then by that time other

people showed up. What's going on? And I'm like a thing. And at that point, I was just looking scared. I was just scared. I was scared out of my mind. I'm like, get out of here. So I'm like, oh my god. So I'm like, okay, I'm just leaving. And we just drove and I'm calling it to make sure my mother in law, my father law are there, and my nephews right there. Everybody's there like cool, like maing sure that the whole family is together, and and I'm like,

we're driving out the subdivision right now. We want to meet you on this street. We meet on the street where we're going. We're going, We're going. And at that point, if they've called her dad and him and my brother in lawkay, they flew in to the first place we went to was the airport to pick them up so you can help us drive back. At this point, there's like eat cars following each other, and I'm like, we

look so fucked up right now. I'm scared to separate, and I knew we should have separated, but I'm like, there's no way, because I was just too scared to drive alone. It's a twelve hour trip from Guadalajara to the border crossing at Larado. Every border town in Mexico it is carton infested because these towns are so vital to the massive drug phone to the US. Well, here we are and novel Arrado, which is controlled by a rival cartel, Settas, who are known to be the most

savage cartel in Mexico. They have committed some of the most brutal acts of violence like torturing people, beheadings to capitating. I remember just how terrifying it was, not knowing if I was going to be able to get there. The family were crammed into the cars val vv vv's dad and brother, Jane, Pete's mom and dad, Margarito Sr. The older sister, older brother, Almando, and his wife, plus three teenagers, a two year old, and three babies who were only

a few months old. The eight car convoy began its journey. Yeah, yeah, h I see the plane land. First of all, the ages are like, I didn't think you guys arena show up. I'm like, thanks, man, you're not helping me, Like I'm broken It on and then they're hiding us through the checkpoint. The military check went into the private hangars for the plane. Where waiting for the plane to land, and my brother and I heard that the plane was going towards Mexico City,

which is south of Gualajara. We're like, why let's go that way. I know, for whatever reason, we had to go to Mexico City first. I'm like, no, let's just leave here, please, let's just I felt that parallel, like I want to be out of Mexico, like we're not safe here. And no, we had to go to Mexico City and they had like a they had rented like a hotel, and they had like the whole all the whole hotel was like close up and there was like a lot of agents, like I'm talking about like fifty

sixty agents. I remember landing and I was still able to communicate with my wife, please please leave, and what are you guys waiting for? I was so piste up that Val was packing stuff, like what the fund is wrong with this woman? And I remember like that martial charge he seemed on the phone, that why is he still his phone? They bring us into this hotel room and they surround, wasn't there like again asking those questions and it was so like hectic. I we just want

to leave, Like my stomach hurt, I got sick. I'm throwing up all the way back. They're mad at me. I'm on the plane. It's miserable they didn't take us. The next morning, I'm just like, you know, just wanting to leave, Like I just want to leave Mexico. You know, the phones are blowing up, just like extended stay a little hotel crazy for about this. We have a house, a stash house two blocks from there where I have like three of my workers. City No, and I'm like

the fuck. And I guess they got a whole floor because I remember they kind of like covered us and we went up to the elevator and on the second from the ages were actually out. They have to like right for in their hands. They have a part of the whole floor hotel rooms and they put us in this room and a bunch of Marshall's coming. There's like

four agents and Marshall's in there with us. So it's like, you know, they've got two beds and it's like they're just sitting on the on the bed in different places of me and my brother Peters are sitting on the bed and we're kind of talking to each other like lane, you know, like what's going to remember He's showing me that the top was cousin and and then here calling like they don't stop calling, and you said, didn't answer,

checking up on ball. By the time we got to the room back, I had said that she was on the road, which it was like a big relief. I mean, it was relief that she was on the road, but it was like I think they were traveling like eight year nine a Carol eight or nine cars, all Lusry vehicles going to a enemy territory. That was scary to me, and I couldn't even say it, like what was I gonna do? It was like a risk anywhere, like any turn we talk, it was risky. And I just kept

calling her. It was just like where are you because she was not gonna have phone service, right, and please call me every times you get please call me, I would asked her the baby, right, I was exhausted, I could have those off. It was late and I be then I put those of them and I waking up and I had no calls. That worried me. It worried me, like it was like five six some money, no calls, Like I remember beginning up in the Marshal was a kind of somewhere up so dozing off and I'm just

like I'm gonna just wash up. I remember, like I'm gonna shower, you know, complete my last free shower, right and because I don't know what we're happening, was happening right before that anything, they're not saying nothing, and the bounds of colleague and she was like like more closer to a border and that was like a sense of relief. She like me, drove to the night. You know, I'm so tired. What are we gonna do that? Listen, just drive to a border. Just drive straight to a border.

Just when you get to just explained to you know who we are. And I think we were making calls like you know, my brother Mano, I wasn't born in the US, so he can't just come across my father. It's in the same situation. I hate the future. Oh was trying to make cause and closed so like to our journey to you know, trying to use the I

want going to do. We could do guys, like you know, I feel like they're paying tingents that I understand that they had like going out, but their main focused was me and my brother as it's always been, right like everyone else, just you know, their easy way out is like they always have the easiest plan, like no feelings too bad. And I get it right, I guess they're not concerned about our family, concern about their owner, their

case or whatever the case is. And since they want to think all we would say like this is for our family, they have to be the center of you know. I always thought that they would understand that, and now just a bunch of cause and just cares. Once it was like nineteen in the morning, we left the hotel and they take us back to the hangar and now it's you know, like it's alive, right, people everywhere, workers,

you know. I guess it's like a cargo type of airport in that sections, like just all kinds of people. So they literally they needs in the truck. I'll take you for like at least two hours. We're sitting there in the truck, nervous, right, and we're still calls. We're tired and and I know that valand I'm going to all to a hotel almost too scared. It's just me in the car with my two babies in the back. It looked like this whole like entourage. And we had to drive well the hours to get to the border.

I would drive to the border all the time, so I knew the roads and you'll like the back of my hand. But I'm like, they gotta passed all these towns. He looks so fucking crazy, and it's the night, and it just looked like we had flashing lights just like the spotlight on us. And we drove to the whole night. When he stopped. We stopped one time for gas, but I was like, it's cool, let's cool, let's cool, let's gool. It was freaking out. What everyone's freaking out, and everyone's

confused in what do we do? I kept saying, what do we do? Like we go, we go, we go, It's cool. When I've seen him scared scared me, I think I was just more scared because I felt like, h oh, what the fun going to? I I know it just like everybody was like at me to figure it out to be the strong one. I'm sitting there like good, I know. I don't even have any interruption. We had an old ful service. I couldn't call j I couldn't ask him what to do. And I just

kept going and my adrenaline was going. I wasn't even tired. We didn't sleep, didn't care. Just let it get to the border. I just wanted to get there. And then my mother was like, we're gonna go to the hotel. We knew exactly what hotel we're going to. It's the same one we always go to. The hotel. It's right there at the border. We could literally see the border from the hotel. And he's like, we got to go to the border, like my dad can't. We can't cross us.

And I'm like, what do you mean. He's like, we can't cross we have no papers. They're not gonna let us. Then we can't go, Like I can't leave it here. He's like, wow, we're gonna have to wait. We're gonna have to stay. We're not gonna be able to get across the border. And I'm like, then we're all going to go to the hotel. And we went to the hotel and I remember it was early morning, still dark outside and maybe like five six of the more. And we get there. We're like okay, and then mine was like,

I'm gonna check in. I'm gonna get rooms. I'm like, all right, we're gonna sit, we're gonna wait, and we're gonna make sure they're gonna let us cross. They're gonna us into the into the US. And then he's like okay. So we go to lay down, and then not too long afterwards, my phone is ringing, ringing, ringing, and I jump up and it's Mandol. He's like about my nephew called his girlfriend and he told her that we were at the border, and I'm like, how would he do that?

Why would he do that? He's making I'm nope, he's talking to his girlfriend and he was telling her by and he said that we're at the border and I'm like, I'm gonna know, we're here. We gotta go. He's like, I know, we all got up. I think we weren't even there for a half hour. I'm like, we gotta go, we gotta go. You can't be kicked in, no, we're here. Kind of paranoid because my nephew's girlfriend, her family's in the cartel. Yeah, I mean, he's like, we can't eat

mon though, Like they're gonna switch hotels. We've gotta get out of here. I'm even switch hotels. So as we're gonna leave, I'm so nervous and scared that I remember that I hit the side of the it's safety sopiz, which is kind of like slows you down. I hit this tide. It was like a steel one and it justesn't ripped my tire off the rim. And so we're in the middle of the street, on the busy street. We could see the borders. They got the next stop right,

and I'm like, the fucking tire, the fucking tire. So my nephews jumped out and their model jumped out and they're trying to jack the car up and put the spare tire on and O He's like, let's go, let's go, let's go. And I was like, no, I can't eat the car. Get this one's under my name. That car was under my name. It can't beat the car. She's like,

look that car. Let's going. Like no, they're going, we're going, And they're like hurrying up and it's dark but the sun is starting to come up, and then they're like, no, we got it. We got Le's goal. We got it.

So then we jumped back in the cars and mind you, we're like in the middle of the street at this point, and we just look so fucking crazy because there was just so much commotion going up and so can we drive up to the border and we get there and they asked us for our papers and I'm giving them my passport, I'm giving them kids papers. I was like the first one ticket there. They're like hold on, hold on, because I'm like, go, go, go, go go. And they

were like stop, Low, you can't come in. Stop what are you doing now? And I'm like, no, you gotta let us in. They're coming for coming out the office and they're like stop and I'm like no, they're gonna kill us. I jump out of the car and say baby, and she's sitting in the car freaking out. And then he's like, you can't come in. You can't come in, and you gotta wait. Everyone gotta wait. I was like, no,

we can't wait. We gotta go in. He was like no. Nobody moved the cars and at this point we're all lined up and if the cars are stuck, and I'm like, they're gonna kill us. They're gonna fucking kill us. You've gotta come. You called called Chicago, call the day, called the U. S. Government, like, go us some when they're gonna kill us. We gotta get out of here now. And they were like what A pulled to the side,

so they allow the cars to come through. They pull us aside and we're past the first light, but they're just the second light that we can't come through. We're just called to that side. And then I'm like listen, I said, we have to get out of the country. We have to get back to the US. Were US citizens and they're like, well, where's o the papers to make my kids they were born in Mexico. And they're like, well, they can't come in because if you don't have the

right paperworker said, no, you don't understand. You don't understand where U. S. Citizens My son is. He's a U. S citizen. He's got dual citizenship just by me being the U. S citizen. He's a US citizen. I just don't have the paperworking yet. But they can come in. And he was like, no, we have to make phone calls. And we're calling. We're calling Milwaukee, we're calling lawyers, were calling everyone that we could pass it call and I

remember my phone ringing. I don't know if Jake and in contact with someone or what, but my phone rings and I'm like hello. They're like, this says I think his name is Matt. He's the one that was in charge his use attorney from walking. He's like, listen, it's okay. Can like, you know, we're stuck here and they don't want to let us it and my kids don't have papers and we don't know what to do. You have to tell them that you have to let us come in.

And he's like, yes, don't worry. You need to calm down. You need to calm down. Everyone has to calm down. Just listen to me what I'm telling you. And I'm like what. He was like, We're gonna take you into the office and you're gonna show them all the paperwork you have, and they're gonna let you come in. Making phone calls, we're calling. Do you see we're calling? They're trying to let you guys in. And I'm like okay, I'm like, but and you it's cuts right. He's like, yeah,

you guys are okay. You guys are gonna be fine, I promise. And I'm like okay, So I hang up and then I'm like, baby, get out the cars. Come on, let's get out the cars. We're going into the office with the kids and it was like cold outside, I remember, and we're taking the babies inside. We get in there and I'm like, here's our papers, this is what we have. And they're like, do you have any guns on you? Do you have any money and you And I'm like what.

I'm like no. They're like, okay, well we just have to ask and we need all the keys of the cars because we had to put the cars on the X ray machines to make sure that you can guys are not bringing anything back with you. I'm like, going, fucking kidding me, Just let us in and they were like, oh, we just have that. This is routine. I'm like, it's not routines. What I called back the U. S. Attorney from alwalking and I'm like this is bullshit, Like what's happening?

Why are they doing this? Was like, can they just medicine? He was like, it's routine. They have to just they have to search the car. They have to make sure that nobody's bringing nothing back. I was like, I said, you don't understand. My brother in law, my father in law, my mother in law is still back at the border. My nephew called girlfriend, that's a switch hotels, like they know we're here. Thanks. He's just held them to medicine. Don't worry, you're gonna be coming in. They just need

to like check everything first. And at that point I knew, I just knew this was our life. It didn't matter whatever Champagne didn't properated. I knew at that point that we are always going to be treated that way. They were going to always look at us like criminals. I knew it, and I just I felt like we need such a huge mistake. I just felt like, these are the people are supposed to be helping us, These are the people are supposed to be keeping us safe. You

felt like you've made a huge mistake by the corporation. Yeah, because no matter what, they were never gonna never in mind, you had a six week old baby in your arms to the point I was two year old. I must have been really distressing. Yeah. I didn't understand why agents didn't allow member them at all. My father in law, I didn't understand why they didn't let them come in. I didn't understand why I didn't make a cause. I didn't understand why they didn't do anything to help us.

I don't understand. My brother laws out there for two days, three days before they could help him, and I remember when they finally let us through, I was just like, oh my god, we fucking made it. H kind of believing make the city. They put us on. They have like a big private jet. We're on the plane with a few agents, one than being the agent for the gym. He tells me, he said, this is just so crazy. I'm like what he said, you know, my whole family

knows you. I said, huh. He said, you grew up in twenty six straight and my family has a business that you would go to. He didn't want to tell me what business, Like I knew you as a kid, and I was like, like, you know, I spent the time like just giving him different businesses that you know. I think it was a hardware story. I just have a feeling he was just asking me questions, you know. But it's weird because he was asking us questions but about about our life, but not because I was cooperating.

It was more like talk like curious to know things growing up on twenty six ships. My neighbor next to me who the owner construct it was a construction company or like electrical company. He on. The house had burnt down. They turned it into an office and it was like the house right next to us on the north side. My neighbor to the north and uh, the neighbor would always be nice to me and my brother. He would

buy us like toxicles and always talked to us. And he, you know, his truck will roll up and he would leave it open and go in the office, you know. And they had like a big window, and I see him all the time. Man, I remember his family, not quite like I remember he had a family. I just don't remember like back then you know their faces. But while I was cooperating, a new agent head came into the the team that was like I guess was handed

in our case over the years. And I remember like she came in to me, I felt like she looked familiar, and I just kind of like look at her. But I guess I was just used to seeing different agents. And she said, you know my dad, And I said, huh, like do you know my dad? Do you remember who used to buy you popsicles? When when you were a kid.

And the minute she said that, I mean maybe because I also knew her last name, I put it together, he's your dad and she was like yeah, like oh my god, Like I remember being a kid and sitting down the stairs just waiting for him to show up, like every day, you know, around that two o'clock, especially in summertime, because she would always like, you know, crack a joke and say hey, really nice man, you know,

and she's like, that's your dad. I grew up. But while I live right now see you, And I'm like, wow, you know, like sometimes you can't make this stuff up. She's actually probably still in as part of the case,

part of that team. And it was around because that she knows a lot of money childhood that her dad definitely and you know, you know who my family was and how we grew up and here we are, you know, so there's a chance I do see that that here's our neighbor, right, he's an agent and we're drug traffickers. People do make it. People do good things. You always are known for like the bad people, right, Like if you think about Chicago, oh, the violence, you know, it

just seems like the negative always. It's going to be what I would remember for how you're perceived was seing that plane. I just remember like being tired, and we're just like making small talk and we still have our phones, wheels and stuff like that. The whole night in our phones were just going off steadily, steadily. Everyone is calling our workers from the States. We land in Dallas. I remember we kind of taxi like close to another hangar.

Let me wait there for a little while, and I see that, you know, Customs comes you know, to the plane to bring the stairs and comes to the plane and they're like, all right, let's get off. Weird to feel relieved to land at Dallas Airport, To feel relieved to land in Americas like in the USA. It was so weird, like finally feel like, okay, we're not in Mexico,

but having that thought about where is my family. We are walking down and I see he has our birth certificate, you know, an I D like I D picture in his hand. And when we land, she it's a lady. She checks the document. Okay, and she's okay, and uh, I remember I took the last step and I just like stretching out my legs a little bit and my brother gets behind me, and he's like okay, and they're like all right, turn around, it's excuse me, you can turn around, put your hand, me on your back, and

they hit me live. Put the heck sis. That was weird, like my brother, and then looking at us like this is their life for now on. No that goes the shackles. They read me my rights and it's like they took the bone. They started searching us. That was like reality just hit me all that as came to this in a way, I was like, well, what they expect, right, And again I'm supposed to know this. I'm supposed to

I'm supposed to think about these things. And I can't even tell you, like, yeah, you were thinking like prison, But I didn't crossed my mind, not even that day, not even me you know, landing. But it brought me back to reality that no matter what, no matter what I did, no matter how much a sacri prison, you know, I was still gonna be, you know, a prisoner, right. I was still I wanted person, and I was gonna have to pay for my mistakes for sure. You know

that I'm having those ankles. I mean, they shackled me. I was like, I do you have to shack for me, like yes, just keep telling herself that we're doing the right thing, asking the ages over and over, bleakly, just checking my family. It's weird to be like yeah, expressed like a brand and GEF five, you know you as Marshall's jet speaking towards just take a prison. It's not just the steel on your on your legs in hand.

I think it's more like the meaning right that when I think the guilt kind of started like coming and like I have to pay right for everything I did. So we sit there for a while, probably refield and jump back down on the plane distempt shackled and handcuffed, and it was just different now. The rider was different. It's a little quieter, you know. Me and my brother, I think we were just right that this is what

we signed up for. And we end up flying into small airport right out north of Chicago that actually we used before to transport money and landing the airport on I remember when the plane landed, were looking out the window and I just saw nothing but police lights and lots of exacting. When the door opens, it's called like it's it's really colder and the door opens and it's like the ages walking. I remember tapping a foot outside

the airplane and standing there. I just see the sea of like blue jackets like d E A U S Marshals and I just started getting like pictures flashes, the pictures being taken and when I saw the cards and like all the agents in marsh was just like staring at us. I think it was the first time I ever felt like, holy ship, I'm not just the drug dealer, right. I had no idea to me, I was just selling drugs. I was just knowing what I did. It was like reality, like why are we doing this? How a weet? Right

in the middle of us recording this podcast. Yeah, okay, so we're gonna start. Phones started to ring. Val and Viviana rushed out of the room to take the calls, and very quickly the mood changed. You could feel this nervous energy as j and Pete realized something was wrong. Fifty and I had left the house to give the family some space. An hour later we returned to try and continue recording. Things felt very heightened. Can you say what is happening today? Or would you rather than not? Um?

I think I think that I think that our fear of the revenge something else we that we don't touch on as much as I think that we should. Charlie, I think that we don't touch on them. The fear of retaliation from the cartel for what Pete and Jay did is a constant threat in the lives of the Flora's family. But it's not just the cartel that they're afraid of, you know. We pray for the best. I'llcome for our family, you know, and whatever that that is.

We're trying to, you know, start fresh and starting new life with so many things like demons, like chasing behind us, like scoutary feet. I feel like we do live in fear. I feel like we're always going to live in fear. I feel like our life is never going to be normal. Only a couple of months after the twins came out of prison, Val and Viviana were arrested in their own homes. I see thems around my house, and they came in with the slat team and army garpens, she guilt and

helmets and a R fifteens. I couldn't believe that they came and ready to knock the door down when I seen them coming and look like a bunch of soldiers in front of my house and they're marching up the street to come to the house, and I remember running to my son's room, my daughter's rooming and waking them up and telling them the Feds are here, the Feds are here. Both of them were released after a few days, but they have pending charges against them for money laundering.

This all goes back to when Pete and Jay turned themselves in back in two thousand and eight. Valen Viviana collected drug money owed to their husband's Pete and Jay's older brother, Armando, was also involved and is named on the same indictment. The calls that Valen Viviana received whilst we were recording this were to tell them that Armando had turned and to save himself, had decided to cooperate

with the government against Vow and Viviana. Syvianna and I are looking at up to ten years in prison, and that's a real number. It's part of the reason why we wanted I wanted to share the story. These decisions we make, no matter how they are or whatever we try to fix, is coming at a cost. To this day, we're still trying to make things right. We're still trying to correct our wrongs and and you know, we might get something right on one end and and failing and

somewhere else. Everything comes to the price. We're sharing the story, not to glamorize. If anything, we think they'd be like, wow, you know what, they're doing the right thing by sharing their stories. You can see how much suffering is. I guess no one really understands that now that our husband's cooperation really made people upset. They had p I is in front of our house, and nobody understands exactly what. You know, what we've been through because of our husband's cooperation,

and I feel like we're still letting do it. There's this morning yeah on the lad thinking that we were seeing how four ls were sitting there discussing some issues, and at that moment of the bathroom scenario came back into our minds. You know what worry talking about coming in and cooperating. I guess what we're actually staying at, like the bathrooms, like right there, and we were actually talking.

We did have a laugh about something that wasn't so good to hear and battery point, Hey, it seems like we're stilling that Washington, you know, the we're sitting on the bad and we're talking and we're like talking about today was court, and we're talking about mine and the Vianna sentence and my brother in law and where it's just like trying to wrap her head around it, and I'm like, guys, this is exactly where we were Mexican two.

It feels like it's kind of where's you down a lot to just keep continue going through things and do not not only now, but throughout the whole sentence and through everything. And I looked back sometimes and I look at my brother. I think the other scenario was just like this sentence wise back home, don't like live your life and let me and my brother justus do what we're doing and just whatever it happens happens. Becausepecially, I

don't know if that would have been any better. I'm grateful for my family, but you know, that situation is always like that question when we have been worse off

of when ye have been better. My attorney today, I had a conversation with him this morning and he just was trying to put everything into perspective, and he was just saying that it's just really hard to understand what me and Viv being mothers, being wives, and everything we've been through, and our husband's basically have a life sentence because of the way that we have to live our lives. It's never gonna go away. And for us to be facing the time that we're facing, he just can't understand it.

It's just hard for anyone to fathom, right. I definitely feel like it's a life sentence for all of us as far as um present time. I feel like that hurts even more because the crazy thing is is I think that at some points how we've always, like Jay said, lived with fear, and it's almost like it's part of our life. I feel like I don't have any regrets. I feel like this is where I'm at, this is where I'm supposed to be, and I take responsibility. I

take accountability for all my wrongs, all my rights. I think that it's made me into a stronger person. I feel like it's made us all, you know, resilient and strong. But I think that it's just us not being together is the scariest part of it all. As things stunned at the end of production on this season, the trial for Viviana Evolve is set for mid Keep It Here the epic next season has come. On the next season of Surviving El Chapo, the twins who brought down a

drug lord. Here the next part of Pete and J's story and find out what happens as the Florest family continue to face the consequences of their decision. As soon as I said to one of the door they lack it. It's a special unit for cooperators. They take me there and I'm like, excuse me, for how long am I here for? And she said for good. Here I am transferred to new prison and I get putting in style and I was supposed to be alone, and then they came like, oh, you're gonna have a selling make room.

He should be here any minute. When he gets here, I look at like, oh my god, I know you. I'm with Sammy the ball. It's the worst place. The food is cooked by the inmates. So every time they send the food trades up, they come with a little special surprice. I'm talking about every time if it's going to be a dead rat, roaches, who knows what they do to the food. It was like that in terms of a week. I remember that she gets up to call the baby bottle. We're rinsing the bottle in the bathroom, right,

so Peter, I'm gonna come in. I remember, just walk into the bathroom. I just missed her so much. Yeah, so we got busy in what happened to that man. He was taken to a tennant ranch. They found his vehicle and it's a threat. It was called I'm nervous. I'm like, I can't find my comfortable spot, I'm cold in my mouth is so dry. And I could see like the defense table off to the left, and here comes the juror and they walk in and then right away soon as they walk in there they're looking at

the witnesses. They don't stop staring at you. I'm sitting there like nervous, and they're not looking I see that they're They're landing Choplin and my staringtist like he smiling, saying hello everybody. He calms and he turned around. He staring right at me. He's just staring him. M h. And we'll bring you all the latest with val and Viviana's trial. There's only somebody can take. Make sure you follow and subscribe to the podcast to be the first

to find out when season two drops. Stay tuned Surviving l Chapo The Twins Who Brought Down a Drug lad is hosted by Curtis fifty Jackson and me Charlie Webster. Our producers are myself alongside Jackson mcclennan. Research and editorial support is from Casey Hurts. Edit and sound designed by Nico Palella. Original score by Ryan Sorenson. Executive produced by Curtis fifty cent Jackson and myself Charlie Webster. If you'd like to know more about this story, head over to

lions Gate Sound dot com. Curtis fifty cent Jackson presents a lions Gate Sound and G Unit audio production exclusively for I Heeart podcast m