From Small-Town Deals to Big-Time Risks

Ever wondered what it's like to live life undercover, balancing danger and deception at every turn? Join me, Michael Bates, as I take you through my rollercoaster journey in the latest episode of Whisper in the Shadows. Imagine securing a room at Jodie's place, only to face the peculiar challenges of maintaining a cover, like navigating a tense market scene with your spouse. Experience a nail-biting moment when you're offered drugs and must decide between blowing your cover or simulating drug use. Each scenario sheds light on the complex balance and quick thinking required to stay one step ahead in the undercover world.

But that's not all. Picture yourself trying to infiltrate a small-town drug network, dealing with awkward locals, unruly teens, and a young weed dealer named Darren. Despite your mission to secure more profitable drugs, you find yourself negotiating a deal for a pound of weed. Finally, just when things start to stabilize, an abrupt call from the covert squad shatters your newfound routine, pulling you back into the unpredictable realm of covert operations. This episode encapsulates the essence of readiness, adaptability, and the sometimes absurd reality of undercover policing. Don't miss this gripping narrative that captures the life of an undercover cop in all its thrilling complexity.

Chapters

• 0:00 Undercover Police Officer Shares Experiences
• 12:16 Weed Deal in the Countryside
• 22:09 Unexpected Call From Covert Squad

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to my podcast Whisper in the Shadows the true story of a real-life undercover cop. I'm Michael Bates and I was a police officer for 15 years in one of the country's state police forces. I was also an undercover cop for over two years, and all the episodes of this podcast are my true stories of what it's really like to be an undercover cop. Rather, I was Michael Bates, so full disclosure Michael is not actually my real name. It was my COVID identity I used on most of my operations. Everyone has a notion of what undercover policing is all about, whether you think they are a narc, a COVID operative, a dog or an undercover cop. Most people seem to confuse plainclothes police with being undercover. There is a very big difference, though. Most plainclothes police don't wear a uniform, so they aren't as obtrusive in public. Being covert is completely different, though. You become immersed in the world of your targets. When you're a police officer, part of your role is to investigate crimes. This means you try and find evidence to prove the person you have arrested has committed that crime. Now, this evidence can consist of physical, verbal, video and witnesses. When you're an undercover police officer, though, you are the evidence and you are the reason someone gets convicted of the crimes. That is both exciting and dangerous. So why don't we get on with the next episode? Welcome back to the Whisper in the Shadows podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:43

This is episode 20 and also the penultimate episode of this series. In the last episode I had taken up residence at the Club Hotel in a small country town, hoping to infiltrate a regional criminal group that was manufacturing and selling speed across the southern region of the state, including the capital city. I was introduced to my informant, stephen, who was skittish to say the least. One of the barmaids, whose partner was heavily involved in the local organised criminal group, had offered me a room to rent at her place. I'd been at home and decided I'd return to the town. I rang my controller and told her and she said she'd be back up the following day. I was not to do anything except sit at the pub, not even footy training. Reluctantly I agreed and I headed back up to the town. When I got back I was just in time to grab some dinner and have a drink or two. I got a call from my controller that night and she said I could move in with Jodie, but there were going to be strict conditions. Feeling somewhat elated, I found Jodie at the bar and asked her if the room was still available. It was, so I agreed to move in that weekend.

Speaker 1: 2:44

Now, before I get to this, a small background story which you might find amusing. Between my last operation and this one, my then wife and I decided we would go up the coast for a week to a family unit which was right on the beach. Ironically, we were staying in the unit when I had first met her about six years prior. It was a good week and very relaxing.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Now there used to be a community market on a Sunday back then and, given the hippie type community it was, it had all of the fun stalls selling things like bongs and other paraphernalia. So remember I was looking like a druggie shaved head, goaty beard, without a moustache, but it was long, pierced nose etc. My wife was very, very clean cut. Anyway, we're at this market having a potter around as you do. We come across this store selling said smoking paraphernalia and I stopped to have a little look, as one might. I find these two pipes which were actually quite ingenious. One was a self-loading pipe and one had a fine five cone rotating cylinder.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Now I thought they might be good things to have lying around the car and or a human on my next job. So I show them to my wife. Yep, no issues my money if I want to spend it on that, et cetera, et cetera. So I buy them, I hand over the money, they put it into a nondescript bag and the change is given back because cash was king back then. As I'm taking my change, the wife pipes up, and not in a quiet way you need to get a receipt so you can write them off in tax. I just look at her with a what the fuck look on my face. I turn back to the stall owner and smile and say don't worry about it. My wife pipes up again no, you can write it off on tax. I gently lead her away from the stall and have a discussion about how most drug dealers don't do taxes, let alone write off. Smoking implements. Her argument yes, but I was an undercover policeman, which she said a little too loudly.

Speaker 1: 4:36

Needless to say, we didn't stay at the markets too much longer. Nice story. But why is this important? I hear you ask. Good question. It would have been about three days after I'd moved into Jodie's place when her boyfriend Dave came around. It was mid-afternoon, probably about 3pm-ish. Jodie wasn't working that day, so we were just sitting around chit-chatting.

Speaker 1: 4:58

David came in enjoying the conversation and it seemed like everything was cool. After about an hour and a half he turns to me and, pulling an alf-oil package out of his pocket, says feel like a smoke? Okay, so here was a conundrum. As an undercover police officer, should I be smoking drugs? If I said no, would that throw suspicion on me? If I said yes, could I get away with simulating smoking it? Now, simulating is when you pretend to smoke by not inhaling it into your lungs and just keeping most of it in your mouth. Pretty easy to spot if you were doing it all the time and sitting close to someone.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Now I had these two pipes which had to be broken in as well. Okay, that isn't a reason in itself to smoke, but it was a good conversation starter. I went with the. I am genuinely concerned that this is a test and therefore need to go ahead. So Dave and I venture out onto the balcony of the house, we sit down and he opens the alfalfa package and there is a fair amount of green leafy material in it and you could just smell it. Jodie brought out a bowl and some scissors. Be careful with this stuff, it is very potent she said to me yeah, all good. I replied, whilst secretly having a conniption. So we decided to use the rotating cone pipe. Dave cut it up and packed the five cones and started the first one. I think it took me about three inhales before it started to hit me.

Speaker 1: 6:23

By the end of the second cone I was literally having an out-of-body experience. It went something like this Dave would say something to me like ask a question or just make a comment. I was hearing myself say Dave is talking. Okay, Dave has finished. It's your turn to respond. You need to say this Start talking now. Okay, stop talking. Look at him and listen to what he has to say. Take a puff, hand it back. Your turn to talk. Start talking now. Okay, stop talking. It was a very bizarre experience and I remember it like it was yesterday, and it is very, very so. Drugs are bad. Okay. Luckily, I didn't say anything stupid or give anything away as to my true identity and why I was there and got through it without an issue Well, except for being bloody hungry.

Speaker 1: 7:18

A few hours later, the next day, I met up with my controller outside of town and went through that whole story, it was decided that I needed to get a place of my own, as that was going to become a bit of an issue and possibly a security risk. Luckily, there was a block of four units at the top of town and three of them had become vacant. It was like a strip of them all ground floor level one bedroom, one bathroom types. There was a vacant block to the south in the railway line, and then, across the main road, was the top of the town business district. Down to the next corner was the club hotel. All in all, a five minute walk. The other good thing my controller already had a new, already had a unit there, and I ended up getting a unit right next door to each other, which meant that accidentally talking to each other shouldn't raise any issues or concerns in the community.

Speaker 1: 8:08

I moved in about three weeks after her and it was perfect cover. I was able to duck in the back door of her place and no one would be any the wiser. I also had a fair few dinners in her place too, which was good. So because there was no carport attached to this unit block, we basically had to park our cars out the front of the unit. Now, remember I said I'd been given a Toyota Lexus, which was basically the Holden Camaro with a Toyota badge on it. Everyone in town knew it was my car. It kind of stood out as it was maroon that I drove it everywhere to footy training, to the supermarket, to shop, sometimes to the pub, but never if I was drinking, didn't make matters any easier to not know it was mine.

Speaker 1: 8:50

Now, the football competition we were in was regional, which meant we had to drive to other regional towns for games, the furthest being about a three-hour drive. So it happened that I was one of the few players that actually had a license and I drove five of us out to the game and back. One day we lost, which was standard. But the point of the story is the following Friday night I out and one of the teammates made a comment that kind of shook me. He said something about going for a ride the previous weekend in a police car. When I looked at him quizzically he responded yeah, your car. I thought it was a police car, mate. It's a Toyota, for fuck's sake, as if the police would drive one of those and a car as crap as mine. I replied Just saying what it looks like he said. Now that threw me.

Speaker 1: 9:38

Not only was I not getting any introductions, I was starting to be questioned as to why I was in town and all sorts of rumours were being spread. Apparently, to date, I had information that one of the most recognisable guys in town was selling speed locally. To date, I had information that one of the most recognisable guys in town was selling Speed locally. His name was Snake and he was named thus because he had a very noticeable tattoo. Yep, you guessed it. It was a snake that wound around his neck, with its heads coming out under his chin. It was a very conspicuous tattoo, if you ask me. No one is going to remember that. Now. I tried getting into his group, but he too was suspicious of me telling someone he didn't trust me. No one is going to remember that. Now. I tried getting into his group, but he too was suspicious of me telling someone he didn't trust me. Then there was the information about the licensee's son selling speed across the coast. He I did have an in with, but again, I just couldn't get him to sell to me.

Speaker 1: 10:25

There was another guy who was literally like the pied piper of the town. He was about early 30s and he had all the teenagers falling at his feet, like the 16 and 17 year old girls. One day we were at the pub playing pool. One of these 10 girls who was 17 and he had this effect on her Her mother was a barmaid who worked at the hotel, so the girl was always in the public bar. Now she was a very good pool player. This day we were playing pool and he walked in. She went and swooned all over him and another few friends came in, including one of the boys I played footy with. He would have been about 19 or 20. So here I am with a whole bunch of literal teenagers playing pool.

Speaker 1: 11:07

After about an hour of pool, this girl suggested we all go to her place to hang out. I looked at her mum who nodded it was okay, but she also had a word to keep an eye on her daughter and not let her alone with Mr Piper. So we walk up to our house and there was a lot of conversations going on. One I did pick up on was this girl asking our Piper if he could get any speed. My ears pricked up and I listened intently. We get to the house and go inside.

Speaker 1: 11:33

We're all sitting around in the lounge room and I sit next to Mr Piper and asked him if he gave any speed to this girl. I said if you have some, mate, I'd be interested in getting some. I have money, so no issues with wanting freebies like she does. He looked at me with a smirk. She doesn't get freebies. Trust earns it. Yeah right, I said I honestly didn't want to know, but I persisted. Can you get me some? He said look, I don't have any on me, but I am expecting some more this weekend. I can probably get you some then, right? I said where are you getting it from? Wrong question to ask what Are you a cop? Why do you care? He replied.

Speaker 1: 12:16

Now I was thinking to myself. These people are very jumpy for a bunch of country people. There is more going on here. Nah, mate, no reason. I just have some friends on the coast who are looking for some more gear. Maybe you could help me out before I go over this weekend. So I was going to the coast that weekend. My favourite band, skunk Out, were playing on the coast and myself and one of the other UCs who was doing a job there were going to go. If I needed to introduce someone, he was the mate I would use. Yeah, not sure. He said I'll see what I get and let you know. Yeah, mate, all sure. He said I'll see what I get and let you know. Yeah, mate, all good. I said Just let me know.

Speaker 1: 12:56

I decided it was time to get out of there, as it was all going downhill very quickly. The two teen girls had decided they would be giving a fashion show and the clothes got skimpier and more revealing. One of them was wearing a see-through plastic dress. I did not want to be there and have that come up during any court case, so I bailed. I went back to the hotel and told the marbae what was going on. She just shrugged and said okay, she says she gets in wet knickers when she sees him, so I guess she's showing off. Thought to myself this is a 17 year old daughter she's talking about, and this is why country kids don't finish high school and never leave these towns. They're all pregnant at 16 or 17.

Speaker 1: 13:35

I bailed and walked back to my unit. As I got there, a group of guys were standing in the street. You see, snake lived just down the road in one of the houses and he was letting some of the local lads crash there. Mick one of them yelled out yes, mate, what's going on? I said as I walked up to them Not much, snake's missus has just kicked me out. Don't suppose I can crash on your couch, can I? He asked. Mate, I can't. I'm off to the coast tomorrow, and not that I don't trust you, but I don't want any parties or anything, and you tend to get drunk and invite people to party. I said. He genuinely looked hurt, but it was not an option. Any idea where I can get some speed before I go over? I asked I was starting to get desperate for a target and it was showing Nah, not really, maybe snake. He said yeah, I tried that. I said so I was 0 and 3 or 4. So I was 0 and 3 or 4 or maybe 5 anyway. Steve had not been into town since our discussion and I was getting nowhere. My controller was having her doubts about this information and his ability or desire to intro me to anyone. So was I.

Speaker 1: 14:45

That Friday night I was out and about again as I usually was. Steve actually came into the club hotel and was sitting at the end of the bar. He clocked me as I walked in and called me over. Mick, how you going? He asked. Steve haven't seen you for a while. Are you good? Yeah, I replied. Yeah, I've been busy. He replied yeah, I guess you have been. I said Just then I noticed a young fella sitting with him listening to the conversation.

Speaker 1: 15:13

How are you, mate you alright? Yeah, I said to him. Do I know you? He was about to speak when Stephen piped up. Nah, you don't, mick.

Speaker 1: 15:21

This is Darren. He's someone who I know, who has an issue with getting rid of some plants he has Now. By plants, I assume Steve meant weed. I'd come to this town expecting to get intro'd into a speed syndicate and instead was being intro'd to a 20 year old weed dealer Mate, I said, as I shook his hand.

Speaker 1: 15:41

Now to Steve, I said what do you mean? Plants? He has a couple of pounds of weed he needs to unload. Steve said there was no skittish like the last time. Yeah, steve said you might be interested in buying some, as you have friends on the coast who can move it. Darren said Is that right? Did Steve tell you that? I said, looking around at Steve. Yeah, I did, because it's true, isn't it? Steve asked me. I thought to myself True isn't it? Steve asked me. I thought to myself I so want to punch you in the head right now. I turned back to Darren Mate. Sure, why not? How much? Oh, three grand for the pound.

Speaker 1: 16:26

Okay, so a little bit of weed economics here. A pound of weed is 16 ounces. An ounce is 28 grams. Weed is usually sold by the quarter ounce, ie seven grams, half ounce or an ounce bags. A seven, which is a quarter ounce, is about $100, a bag A half ounce about $200, and an ounce about $320. So, worst case, you can sell the weed by the ounce and you're making about $2,000 on your $3,000 investment. By the half ounce bag and you're making about $3,000. By quarter bags, you're making about $3,500. Not a bad little earner, provided you didn't get caught carrying the bags and you could find a market to sell it.

Speaker 1: 17:09

Speed, ecstasy and coke were taking the markets by storm and were much cheaper drugs and easier to hide and sell. That said, I had a financial incentive to buy the weed, so I could try and haggle on that. I decided against it and agreed to the price. Darren gave me his address and I agreed to go out to his place the following week to pick up the wheat Deal done. Now I had been buying powders and had no idea how much a pound of wheat was going to be size-wise. Obviously, I knew a pound was going to be a pound, but that was going to be next week's problem. Later that night I bumped into Mr Pied Piper and again I hit him up for that speed, but to no avail. My other options were becoming less and less interested in selling to me as well.

Speaker 1: 17:55

It seemed that the weed deal was about all this operation had going for it. Well that and I was getting some intel on what we believed was the speed syndicate. They were believed to own a pub in a little town further out into the country. It was also believed that they had a property not far from the pub where they manufactured the speed and it was then distributed out of this pub. I took a drive one day out that way with Steve where he pointed out the places he believes it was being manufactured on this property, etc. The pub had a large number of the syndicate's particular means of transport parked out the front that day, so there was no way I was going in for a drink to suss it out. I'd made some notes and passed these on to my controller. Anyway, back to the weed.

Speaker 1: 18:39

The next morning I caught up with the controller and told her about the proposed buy, told her I would do it Tuesday during the day and where the address was, etc. I also told her about me striking out with the speed angles Whilst I was over at the coast enjoying myself. She would organise the cash for the wee buy and also do a recce on the property I would be going to. After a very big weekend I just managed to make it back to my unit on the Sunday night. The next morning my controller and I had a chat and she gave me her thoughts on my buy. She didn't see any issues. She had identified Darren and had a good idea of who he was. So it was decided I would go and do the buy.

Speaker 1: 19:16

I spent most of Monday recovering and didn't venture too far from my bed, to be honest. The next morning I woke up feeling much better, caught up with my controller, got the money and then organised to meet Darren at his place about 11am. It was going to be about a 15 to20 minute drive out of town to his place. It wasn't a farm or anything more like a larger out of town block. The driveway was right off the highway and I turned in and drove down. Now I decided to record this by with a recording device, so I was a little bit nervous, as I always was when I was wearing a recording device. There was no real history for Darren, definitely no violence history, but it was just one of those normal butterfly feeling type feelings I had going into a new buy.

Speaker 1: 20:02

I pull up outside this low set brick house that had a garage. Separate to the house. There was a couple of car bodies that looked like someone was trying to fix up sitting around the house. It looked very, very South American, south America, deep South. You know what I mean. As I pull up, darren sticks his head out of the door, obviously making sure who it was. He comes out to the car driver's side Mick, good to see you. He says as I'm getting out. Yeah, mate, you too Nice and secluded out here. I said to him yeah, it is, which is good. I then said so, do you have the weed? Yep, do you have the money? He asked me. So, do you have the weed? Yep, do you have the money? He asked me. It was now a game of Russian roulette. Who was going to show? First? I do, mate, go and get the weed and you can have the money, I said. He looked at me and then he turned and walked into the house. I won.

Speaker 1: 20:55

Now I was a little bit worried that he could go inside get a weapon and that would be me, but I also knew he didn't have a history of doing that. He came back out with a garbage bag that was full. Now I don't know what I was expecting. An ounce of heroin was only small. A pound would be maybe the size of a softball, but this was huge. It's like when you take out your old clothes and put them in a garbage bag to take them to the vinnies bin. It was that big. I opened the boot of the car and he proceeded to put it in. Now I couldn't say, gee, I wasn't expecting that, as I was supposed to be a dealer. But I was slightly taken aback as I handed over the money. I said I'll take this over to the coach this week and see how it sells. If I get good feedback, then, mate, this will be a regular thing. Yeah, sounds good, mick, he said, and with that I got in the car and drove back to my safe house. When I got there, I take the bag out of the car, went into my unit front door, out my back door and then into my controller's unit in one go. We weighed it, we photographed it and we bagged and tagged it. That night I did my notes and we finally had a buy and we were on our way.

Speaker 1: 22:09

About a week later I was out having breakfast with a girl who had gravitated into my circle of friends over the previous few weeks. She was a barrel rider and boy could she ride. Anyway, we were having a late breakfast when I got a phone call. I answered it, not actually knowing who it was. Remember back then you had 10 stored numbers without names and there was no caller ID like today. You had to remember who was number one, who was number two, who was number three.

Speaker 1: 22:36

Anyway, it turned out it was one of the sergeants from the covert squad. He basically told me I had to drop what I was doing, go back to my unit, pack it up, clean it up and be back in the office. That afternoon I asked why and I was told you'll find out when you get back here. There was not much else I could do. I made my excuses, dropped her home and went back to my unit and got to packing and minimal cleaning. Let's be honest, I literally disappeared into the night, except it was day. My controller had already packed up her unit and was waiting for me to take my keys back to the real estate. I packed and cleaned as quickly as I could. It wasn't a real good job, though. We drove out of town and I was back in the office by about 4pm that afternoon. We drove out of town and I was back in the office by about 4pm that afternoon. I had a quick debrief and my car was changed out. I was told that the close down would be in three days time and my controller wouldn't be going, but one of the covert sergeants would be, and he was going to drive me up the day before the raids. We would be staying in a motel one night and I wasn't allowed to go out the next morning. We'd be there when they did the raids and then we would drive straight back that afternoon. That was all the information I got. Two days later, I was driven back to the town. We left after lunch and didn't take the usual direct route. We went through a number of back roads and properties to get into town. We even got chased by a bull as we drove down some off the track dirt road. We went to the police station and then straight to the hotel or motel. Rather, I wasn't given any real information. I mean, we chatted and talked but when I asked about what had happened it drew no comment. The next morning I was up at 4am. We went off to the police station and they were doing a briefing on the raids. I gave as much information as I could on the targets they were going to hit the licensees' son Darren, mr Pied, piper Snake and one or two of the other people I had identified as possibles, plus some they had wanted through a reason to raid as well. By mid-morning the raids had wound up and I had about six people in custody with a multitude of charges. That was it. After lunch we drove back to the city and I was done. The job was closed abruptly. I never found out what happened, but from the information I was given, I think someone said something and I was blown. I must believe it was Stephen doing a backflip and trying to cover his tracks. But I never found out. Nor will I ever. As for Stephen, I have no idea what happened to him. From that ignominious closure, I had about another two months with the squad whilst I did my final paperwork and tidied up all the bits and pieces. I was able to go and do an investigator's course, which was a two-week course. I actually had to live in at the academy to do the course, which became a precursor to leaving my wife. That's another story. I grew my hair out, I shaved my beard and I took my earring and nose ring out. I was back wearing a uniform, as if the last two and a bit years had not happened, given the issues with certain previous UCs demanding payouts from the government. I was given three sessions of a psychologist intervention to make sure I could readapt to normal policing life and then, on a cold August Sunday morning, I was back on the beat being shown the ropes by a young female who had literally finished her first year training two weeks prior. As a welcome back to policing, the universe decided to make sure that first shift was a shit show, with a car accident, an attempted suicide and a dead body my first three jobs. I lasted another nine years in uniform before I decided to pull the pin. I lasted another nine years in uniform before I decided to pull the pin. That, however, will all be explained in the final episode of the Whisper in the Shadows podcast, the true story of a real life undercover cop who is me, michael Bates. I look forward to telling the final chapter of this story next week. Until then, goodbye. Thank you for listening to Whisper in the Shadows, my true stories of a real life undercover cop. Until then, goodbye. Lastly, if you're an ex-COVID operative or undercover police officer, I would love to chat to you about your experiences or, if you're feeling dangerous, tell your stories on my podcast. Please get in contact by my email, which is whisperintheshadowspodcast at gmailcom. I look forward to you joining me next time.