{"id":126805,"date":"2020-12-05T03:45:47","date_gmt":"2020-12-05T00:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/"},"modified":"2020-12-05T03:45:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-05T00:45:47","slug":"pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"#Pimps, smugglers, AK-47s: &#8216;Trafficked&#8217; targets black markets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39c825a3fee\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39c825a3fee\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/#How_did_this_show_come_about\" >How did this show come about?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/#Did_you_learn_anything_that_surprised_you\" >Did you learn anything that surprised you?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/#Was_it_hard_to_get_people_to_agree_to_talk_or_appear_on_camera\" >Was it hard to get people to agree to talk or appear on camera?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/#Did_you_ever_feel_nervous_or_unsafe\" >Did you ever feel nervous or unsafe?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/#Youve_spent_a_lot_of_your_career_on_these_subjects_Why_do_you_think_theyre_important_to_cover\" >You\u2019ve spent a lot of your career on these subjects. Why do you think they\u2019re important to cover?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Pimps, smugglers, AK-47s: &#8216;Trafficked&#8217; targets black markets<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Mariana van Zeller takes viewers inside the world\u2019s dark corners and criminal underbellies in \u201cTrafficked,\u201d her new National Geographic docu<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m., \u201cTrafficked\u201d takes a deep dive into various underground industries around the globe, including episodes exploring the world of fentanyl smuggling in Mexico, scamming in Jamaica and counterfeit money in Peru.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Portuguese-born van Zeller, 44, is a Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist and correspondent for National Geographic and Fusion. Her previous documentaries include\u00a0 \u201cThis (Illegal) American Life,\u201d \u201cSoccer\u2019s Lost Boys\u201d and \u201cEl Chapo: CEO of Crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Van Zeller answered some questions for The Post about \u201cTrafficked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_this_show_come_about\"><\/span>How did this show come about?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve been covering the underworld and these black markets for over 15 years. And one thing that I started realizing is that there\u2019s so much information out there about the <em>formal<\/em> economy. There are TV stations and radio channels and magazines devoted to analyzing and studying every twist and turn. But we know so little about the <em>informal <\/em>economy; the black markets that make up almost half of the global economy. So I felt we had a unique opportunity here with this show to shine a light into these worlds and [to] understand how the power structures work.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Mariana van Zeller observes cartel gunsmiths in Sinaloa, Mexico, in &quot;Trafficked.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-16743406 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-04.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Mariana van Zeller observes cartel gunsmiths in Sinaloa, Mexico, in \u201cTrafficked.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">National Geographic\/Muck <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Did_you_learn_anything_that_surprised_you\"><\/span>Did you learn anything that surprised you?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Oh, so much.\u00a0 We think about black markets as h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening in these faraway places and hidden locations. But actually what this show will tell you is [that] they\u2019re all around us. And they often happen in plain sight. We filmed some of the season just a couple of miles from my house in LA. We saw a gun deal going down with a car being packed with AK-47s to leave that night for Mexico. I spent time with pimps and sex traffickers just a few miles from my house.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Was_it_hard_to_get_people_to_agree_to_talk_or_appear_on_camera\"><\/span>Was it hard to get people to agree to talk or appear on camera?\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For every \u201cyes\u201d that we get, there\u2019s dozens and dozens of \u201cno\u2019s.\u201d When we arrived in Peru to do the episode on counterfeiting, I had my whole team in place and we\u2019d spent months preparing for this moment. So we went and met with this family of counterfeiters that run a huge operation in Lima, where 60 percent of fake US dollars come from \u2026 And they said, \u201cTomorrow we\u2019re going to give you access into this world.\u201d And then the next day we showed up and waited for hours and they never came. So we had to start from scratch and go back to the US. Because we end up showing the access onscreen, you might think that it was easy or that everybody said \u201cyes.\u201d But it\u2019s not the case. It was incredibly hard to get people to actually talk to us.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Did_you_ever_feel_nervous_or_unsafe\"><\/span>Did you ever feel nervous or unsafe?\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There were plenty of times. We minimize the risk as much as possible, but there are moments where things don\u2019t go as planned. There was one situation in Mexico where we were going to a region controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel. We were walking into this forest area with these gunmen, and they told us, \u201cWhile you\u2019re with us you\u2019re protected, but if \u2026 there\u2019s a firefight, you\u2019ll be stuck in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Youve_spent_a_lot_of_your_career_on_these_subjects_Why_do_you_think_theyre_important_to_cover\"><\/span>You\u2019ve spent a lot of your career on these subjects. Why do you think they\u2019re important to cover?\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m fascinated by the people who work in these worlds \u2014 traffickers, smugglers, black market operators. I hope what people take away from this show is not that we live in a very dangerous and depressing world. Yes, depressing and dangerous things <em>are <\/em>happening around us, but there is common ground between even people that we think are the most different from us. If we sit down and listen to their stories, there\u2019s a whole lot that we can learn from the decisions that they\u2019ve made. It\u2019s a great conversation starter for ourselves about the opportunities that we were given in life. I truly don\u2019t think anyone is born wanting to be an outlaw or a criminal, but if you give them a chance to explain how they started operating, only then are you able to address the root causes of black markets around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Mariana van Zeller interacts with a tiger cub and a Myrtle Beach Safari handler in South Carolina.\" class=\"wp-image-16743424 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Mariana van Zeller interacts with a tiger cub and a Myrtle Beach Safari handler in South Carolina.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">National Geographic\/Muck Media<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/12\/04\/pimps-smugglers-ak-47s-trafficked-targets-black-markets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Pimps, smugglers, AK-47s: &#8216;Trafficked&#8217; targets black markets&#8221; Mariana van Zeller takes viewers inside the world\u2019s dark corners and criminal underbellies in \u201cTrafficked,\u201d her new National Geographic docuseries. Airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m., \u201cTrafficked\u201d takes a deep dive into various underground industries around the globe, including episodes exploring the world of fentanyl smuggling in Mexico, scamming&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/mariana-van-zeller-trafficked-04.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[82641,63761,6864,75840,72356,82765,1373],"class_list":["post-126805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-4-20","tag-docuseries","tag-drugs","tag-national-geographic","tag-sex-trafficking","tag-smuggling","tag-what-to-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}