The Best Buys - Part 1

Ever wondered how an undercover narcotics officer manages to balance trust and deception while navigating life-threatening situations? Join me, Jason Somerville, as I recount some of the most intense and memorable moments from my time working undercover as Michael Bates in this gripping episode of Whisper in the Shadows. From the psychological strain of betraying those I befriended to the adrenaline rush of narrowly escaping danger, this episode pulls back the curtain on the complex world of undercover narcotics operations.

In this episode, you'll hear the harrowing tale of Buzz, a drug addict who dramatically tested my cover by injecting heroin in my car, and the nerve-wracking moments when uniformed police officers intervened. Experience the intricate dance of trust and suspicion as I recount the operation involving Tommy Van Dang and the delicate maneuvers with young drug runner Nguyen. Every story is a window into the constant danger and mental strain faced by undercover officers who must become convincing actors in the crime world.

The tension escalates as I share the meticulous preparation and surreal encounters with drug syndicate figures Yakov and Bogdan in Betty's strategically arranged living room. With a wardrobe change and rehearsed roles, the stakes couldn't be higher. As the episode concludes, I extend an invitation for you to subscribe and never miss an episode. If you have thrilling stories from your own undercover experiences or know someone who does, reach out to whisperintheshadowspodcast@gmail.com. This episode is a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the life of an undercover narcotics officer that you won't want to miss.

Chapters

• 0:00 Undercover Drug Buys and Close Calls
• 8:26 Trust and Suspicion in Undercover Deal
• 15:27 Surveillance and Undercover Drug Deal
• 27:14 Undercover Encounter With Syndicate Brothers
• 37:08 Undercover Stories Podcast Invitation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Whisper in the Shadows podcast. My name's Jason Somerville. For two years I worked undercover using the pseudonym Michael Bates, who has now become part of me. The stories that you've been listening to were my stories of my time undercover. Well, now it's time for the best buys, that's right, the best drug buys I've done from the entire period. Done from the entire period, starting with Buzz, working my way through Tommy, even on to Betty. You'll hear all the ones that I had the most fun doing and hopefully you'll enjoy listening to them just as much as I enjoyed doing them.

Speaker 1: 0:36

I think one of the hardest parts of being a UC is human nature. I learned it is very hard to pretend to like someone on an ongoing basis and have that familiarity with them. You had to sacrifice a part of yourself each time you met with these people. You had to stop being a human being in some sense. It is hard to articulate even now how I felt. In one sense you were cold and calculating, knowing that by befriending them, making them open up, making them talk and thinking you were on their side, only to use all of that against them to have them arrested and very probably jailed. Then, on the other. You actually got to know them and while some, like Tommy, were dead set pieces of shit, some you felt sorry for. If Buzz thought I was a cop, then he wouldn't introduce me and he wouldn't sell to me. We would be dead in the water. We did the buy in a cemetery of all places. I picked him up on the side of the road and he took me there. The buy was pretty straightforward and again captured on my tape recorder.

Speaker 1: 1:38

This one went a bit different, though. Once we finish, buzz pulls out his kit and asks me if I mind if he shoots up. Now I was a little shocked. I hadn't actually had anyone shoot up in front of me before. It wasn't going to be the last time either. I prefer it. If you didn't, can't you wait till you get home? What if we get caught? I'm holding Buzz Don't worry, cops never come in here during the day said do you want to hit?

Speaker 1: 2:05

That was obviously a test, buzz mate, what have I told you? I am not going to have a hit when I'm holding and having to drive home. I am not stupid and I don't want to get caught. Besides, you know I only smoke it. I've told you this before. Yeah, he said, and with that he takes off his shoes and proceeds to shoot up between his toes. Now I don't know if you've ever seen anyone who has had a hit of heroin, but after the initial euphoria of the drug they become sleepy or go the not, as it's commonly referred to. He was a regular user and his reasoning for shooting up in his toes was so you couldn't see the track marks. I think it might be because his veins were collapsing in his arms, but that's another story.

Speaker 1: 2:50

So Buzz is going to nod in my car. Buzz, mate, I'm yelling out. He starts drifting in and out and mumbling nonsense or unintelligibly. He's slumped in the back of my car and I am starting to freak out. What if he overdoses? What if he doesn't wake up? Am I an accomplice?

Speaker 1: 3:07

With buzz on the nod, I get out of the car and walk a little bit away, all the while keeping an eye on it. I get out my phone and call my controller telling him what was going on. Thankfully, he calmed me down and told me to rouse him. Take him back to where he lived and get him out of the car. He also said if he did start to get worse or, god forbid, stop breathing, then take him to a hospital. I get back in the car and rouse Buzz. He starts to come out of it as it had been about 20 minutes since he's hit. He looks at me and says sorry, mick. Yeah, yeah, forget it, buzz. I said Just don't do that again, okay, oh it, it's not like you're a cop, nick, and you'll get into trouble if I OD. He said Buzz was testing me again and it wouldn't be the last time.

Speaker 1: 3:57

So the three of us were sitting in the car two scruffy-looking Vietnamese guys and a scruffy-looking white guy In a fairly expensive car, actually parked away from the majority of cars and people and just looking really sus, so much so that a marked police car drives up in front of us, parking us in and the uniformed police get out. Now I was fairly calm because, hey, even if I did get caught with the gear, I wasn't getting into trouble and would give me some cred that was lacking with Tommy. The two of them were talking in Vietnamese to each other and both seemed a little frantic. Hey, I said English. Okay, don't stress, just act calm. They don't know anything and I have the gear on me.

Speaker 1: 4:36

The police asked us to get out of the car and go to the front of it. I was able to slide the packet that I had of heroin into a hiding place I had in the car and got out. The coppers made us go to the front of the car, asked for our ID and then asked what we were doing. I said that these guys had told me about the bakery and that's why we were there. The coppers didn't believe me, of course, so they asked all of us to empty our pockets on the front of my car, which we all did. They then took us one by one to the back of the police car to obviously question us separately and also search us a bit more. Danny went first, couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could see him looking over at us well, me and the cop looking over at me and asking him questions. The cop had brought him back and then he took Tommy with him.

Speaker 1: 5:22

While Tommy was out of earshot, danny goes hey, mick, I told them not to search you because you're an undercover cop and I'm helping you. I said you said what he said. Yeah, so you don't get caught. I said fuck me, mate, I've hidden the gear. All you've done is made Tommy more suspicious. What if they say something to him? What if they don't search me? Now are an idiot. Don't ever tell anyone that again. Do you hear me? I was furious.

Speaker 1: 5:48

So the cop brings Tommy back and he then walks up to me. Now he doesn't take me anywhere. What he does is he just pats me down, says are you holding? I say no, and he turns around to his mate and goes okay, come on, let's go. I'm thinking to myself, righto. So we jump back in the car and tommy is really, really suspicious. He says to me how come you weren't searched? I go mate, how would I know he goes? Are you a cop? I've gone? No, dude, how would I know? Did you get busted? Did you get locked up? No, how would I know why I wasn't searched? You guys didn't have anything. Maybe they thought, if they, if these two don't have anything, he's not going to have anything either.

Speaker 1: 6:33

At this point it's been about two months after that first buy with Tommy and I get a phone call at about 2am one morning and the caller is obviously Vietnamese. I could tell that even though I was half asleep. I could also tell it was Tommy. He had a very distinct voice I going to kill you. You're an undercover cop, you dog, I kill you. And he then hung up so bleary eyed, I thought, fuck, that wasn't good. And I did what anyone else would do and called the number back. Now, tommy didn't answer, so I tried to get back to sleep. The next day I called Danny and couldn't get him either. I'd moved on from Tommy and further up the chain so I wasn't too concerned. Besides, he had no idea where I lived. It came time to close that first operation because I was getting married. In a matter of weeks, search warrants and buy bus were set up and executed. I'd heard that a few of the Vietnamese had been raided and that they were rounded up, but no one had actually found Tommy yet.

Speaker 1: 7:30

I was on my way to do a by-bust of another target with a group of marked and unmarked cars in tow. I was driving down the main street of one of the inner city suburbs when I spotted Tommy crossing the road in front of me. Yes, he stood out that much. This street, even back then, was a main arterial road and there were a lot of people walking and a lot of cars coming and going. When I saw him, I sped up and literally almost ran him over, screeching to a halt in front of him. My window was down so I reached out, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the window. The look of shock and terror on his face was cathartic.

Speaker 1: 8:04

When he saw it was me, he was a little less worried and scared. I said call me a fucking police dog cunt. I will fucking kill you if you ever say that to anyone. He's gone. No, mick. No, it wasn't me. I don't think you are police. I said it fucking was you, you little cunt. If I hear you have been saying I'm a police to anyone, you are dead. Do you understand me now?

Speaker 1: 8:26

All the while I was looking at my rearview mirror for the marked car that was following me. As soon as I saw it get close, I said fuck, coppers. I looked him in the eyes and said remember what I said. Then I literally pushed him down into the middle of the road and took off at a million miles an hour. As I was doing so, I had the detectives on speed dial, called them them and said hey, the guy in the middle of the road that's Tommy Van Dang. The marked car grabbed him, arrested him and took him back to the station Once the rest of the busts and raids had finished. Detective then says so, you do know Mick. Tommy says yes, tommy, mick is an undercover police officer and you sold him heroin on a number of occasions. To which Tommy replies no, I not sell him drugs. He give me money. I go and get drugs and then give to him, but I not sell them to him. At that time I'm at that point. I'm ushered out of the interview, trying not to laugh.

Speaker 1: 9:22

So Nguyen was this young guy. He would have been early to mid-twenties. He drove one of those stereotypical Asian cars, a hatchback with a spoiler and a turbo that made that horrible sound every time he changed gears. There was one particular bio I remember making from him. That would be just out of a movie about Asian drug dealers. Now, for some reason, ewan didn't like being in my car.

Speaker 1: 9:47

The buys with him were not simple either. He was more like a runner than an actual dealer. Well, that was my thought process. I mean, he was dealing a lot of gear but he was never holding. I had given him a call and asked him if I could get on wanting to buy two grams. We agreed to meet at a train station car park. I set off and had my trusty tape recorder set up and ready to go in my internal light cavity, as I've previously explained. This was an absolute gem of a place to hide it, and every word inside the car was recorded. Mind you, I was always remembering to turn the radio down very soft. It's funny that no one ever asked me why I had my radio off or on softly when they were in the car with me.

Speaker 1: 10:30

We get out and stand around in my car. He asks me if I have the money, to which I replied yes, mate. Of course, on the previous buy he had had the gear with him, but it was only half a gram. So he says to me we're going to have to go and get this gear. Why? I asked, look, just because I don't have it on me, righto, I said we can take my car. Nah, man, nah, we're taking my car. Not that I don't trust you or anything, but we need to be in my car, he said to me. So alarm bells start to ring a little bit Now.

Speaker 1: 11:05

You were told try and never get into a situation where you don't have an escape or where you don't have an advantage. There is always going to be a situation, though, where you have to go in someone's car, go into someone's house or somewhere deserted to get the deal done. I just looked at him, like really, he just looked back with a look that said up to you, if you want the drugs, we do it my way. So I grabbed my wallet and jumped in his car. Now I was going through all the things that could go wrong. Firstly, I had a thousand dollars on me. He could be driving me somewhere to rob me or taking me somewhere for someone else to rob me. He might want to interrogate me because Tommy had been spreading the police rumor and it had gotten to him. There were a number of options about what I could be in for there. And, lastly, there was a possibility he or his suppliers had found out I was a UC and he was taking me to get killed.

Speaker 1: 12:00

Now, the last was quietly unlikely and was only a split second thought process, but it did make me feel even more uncomfortable, and there is nothing worse than that feeling uncomfortable with a criminal next to you and trying to act calm and collected and not seeming stressed or worried for a prolonged period of time. Where are we going, mate. I asked Not too far, just to get the gear, he said yeah. But where I asked, don't worry about it, mate, you'll know when we get there. Okay, so what have you been up to? I asked this and that have been able to get onto some really good gear, though, he said. He said now I was trying to concentrate where, on where we were going, as well as listen to the conversation and interact when I should. He was taking me south towards the area I used to work before I became a uc, ie as a uniform cop. This was even more unsettling for me if we went to that area. What if I've been to that house in uniform or pulled the targets over? I tried not to show it, but I was really starting to stress.

Speaker 1: 13:09

So when he said he had got onto a new supplier, my ears pricked up really. How good is it? I asked, feeling a little bit calmer now. I had something else to focus on. Oh, you know, when you get that chemical taste on the gums, when you rub it to see what it's like, he said yeah, I replied, not being 100% sure what he was talking about. I thought you only did that with cocaine, but apparently not Either. I was learning something new or I was being tested. Well, this, this stuff, is so good that chemical taste it just lasts. It tastes like you're in a hospital, he said. So that means it's pretty pure. Then I asked him, trying to not sound too dumb Very pure man, you're going to love it. He replied, looking over me, over at me, with a big smile on his face and clapping me on the shoulder. It was only a small thing, but it immediately put my nerves at ease. He was just going to sell me the gear to make his money. Nothing more sinister than that.

Speaker 1: 14:07

We'd also taken a turn that meant we were heading away from my old stomping ground as a uniformed copper, which further eased my stress, but not my level of observation. So we come to this shopping centre, and not like a Westfields mall or anything like that, but more like a shopping strip. By that I mean there was a grocery store, a fruit shop, a news agency, a fish and chip takeaway, a real estate agency and some other odds and sods shops, and this big open car park just off the main road. This shopping centre would later I think maybe the following year or two become infamous for a number of Asian gang related incidents, including shootings, stabbings and a murder. We pull into the car park and he asked me for the money. Nah, mate, I said you give me the gear first, not how it works, man, you need to give me the money and I'll go get the gear for you. My person wants to see you and make sure you're okay before I can sell more weight to you. He he said I had a choice to make. Do I give him the money and he could do a runner, or do I trust you? I was, after all, in his car. He had to come back for that, I surmised. Fine, but next time none of this cloak and dagger shit. Okay, I said. It'll be cool, man, don't worry. He replied, and with that I gave him a wad of cash, being $1,000, made up of $20 and $50 notes, all of which which had their serial numbers recorded and had been photocopied.

Speaker 1: 15:27

Ewan gets out of the car and takes off towards the shops, saying wait here. We were parked facing the road, which meant that to see where he was going, I had to turn around, which even then didn't give me a clear view, as we had driven to park. We had driven past the front of the shops around the car park the long way to where we ended up parking. At the time I didn't think anything of it, but when Ewan got out and went off I understood why I didn't get to see where he actually went to get the gear. I assumed it was one of the shops. I don't think he went in the front of any of them, so I guessed he must have gone around the back. He wasn't gone very long, maybe five minutes. I could see him in the rearview mirror sauntering back to his car with his sunglasses on and a smile on his face like he didn't have a care in the world. He gets in and says miss me. Sure, why not? I said How'd it go? Did you get me the gear At that? He produces produces a small wrapped alfoil package which he slightly pulls apart to reveal a whitish colored rock. I like the look of that, I said. He wrapped it back up and gave it to me. There you go, man, he said. So where'd you get it? I asked, hoping he might slip up and tell me If I told you that then you wouldn't need to buy it through me. Would you, was his reply. If I told you that, then you wouldn't need to buy it through me, would you? Was his reply.

Speaker 1: 16:47

My neighbour at the time had been a bikey in a former life and whilst that originally caused friction between us when I first moved in, we sorted it out on the understanding that what he did in his house was his business and vice versa. Now, apparently, one day a car had pulled up outside my real house whilst I was away. Inside were two Vietnamese guys. They had been sitting there for a few hours when my neighbor got home from work With his background. He always kept a keen eye on what was happening around his home and so he noticed I'm still there half an hour later Now. He knew I was a copper, but he also suspected what I was actually doing. I had longer hair, a goatee, was rarely around and driving different cars. Also, I had my nose pierced, which apparently stood out like a proverbial.

Speaker 1: 17:31

He decides he would go and see if these two gentlemen were lost or couldn't find the house they were looking for. As I've said, he'd been a bikey and we're talking 70s, 80s, bikey, long hair, long beard, tattoos, etc. And he still looks scary as hell. So he's dressed in his thongs, his wife beater and shorts and carrying his shotgun behind his back. He walks up to the driver's window, flops the shotgun down on the open window ledge and asks if he can help them, as they must seem lost, he said. The look of fear in their eyes at him and the shotgun leveled at them as the drivers fumbled to start the car was absolutely crisis. They took off at a million miles an hour and no one ever came by again.

Speaker 1: 18:11

It seems that I must have been followed from one of the early buys with the Vietnamese targets to see who I was. As it was close to my real house, I thought I would just drop in and do whatever it was I was doing, I don't know, maybe feeding the dogs or something. Anyway, I was followed there. Looking back now, I honestly think one of them was actually wrong. The best thing that could have happened is my neighbour pulling that stunt. It was never mentioned, but obviously they thought I was the real deal and I was involved with bikies. It was, however, rather unnerving with bikies. It was, however, rather unnerving.

Speaker 1: 18:44

During this time. The ABC released a mini-series on Roger Rogerson and the alleged corruption within the New South Wales police force, called Blue Murder. Now it follows a lot of the drug trade and dirty dealings with the police. But there is also the story of Mick Drury woven into it. Drury was an undercover police officer in the New South Wales police. He was working on some high-level drug importation into Sydney from Melbourne, I believe. So with crooked cops on high levels, it became known to the Crimms that they had an undercover cop in their midst.

Speaker 1: 19:13

Let me set the scene a little Because of the nature of the show. It was on late at night. I was at my real home because I hadn't seen my fiance in a few weeks and she had the night off work. Now my lounge room window, faced the street, was about 10 meters from the road, give or take. There were a few hedges at the front gate and some trees on the footpath, but realistically a direct line of sight from the roadway to the lounge room window. The couch was virtually facing the window. The curtains curtains were wide open. It's important to mention that the car turning up had only been a few weeks previous.

Speaker 1: 19:47

Here I am sitting watching this TV show. Drury has just been outed to the crims as a UC and someone has decided he is getting too close to knowing certain things. Drury is standing in his kitchen window doing the dishes. At night. The light is on the turns to see-through. With the light on, it's almost impossible to see outside in the night. There is a figure in the garden. You see the figure raise his hand, which is holding a gun, and then fire several shots into Drury.

Speaker 1: 20:14

That moment is etched into my brain. Time stood still. I felt an immediate sense of dread. Fuck. I breathed. It felt like I had been shot myself. I remember looking up and out the lounge room window. I stood up, quickly turned off the light and then, even quicker, closed the curtains. I went to the front door, cracked it and peered outside. Now, all totally irrational actions, but in that moment, given the fact that someone had been to my house, I was freaking out.

Speaker 1: 20:58

Anyway, on the day of the buy, when I arrived at the KFC, I had a decision to make Do I carry it with me or leave it in my car? I was usually in my own car when I did buys and felt comfortable with having it on me. This day, I decided to take it out and put it under my seat. As I was doing this, tracy pulled up in her car. She parked next to me and motioned me to come over, got out of the car, locked it and then got in the front passenger seat of hers, hi Tracy. I said Where's John? I thought he was coming with you and I was meeting him to do this buy. Yeah, yeah, you are, but he doesn't want to do it here in the open. I'll take you to him. She said Now, hang on. I started. You said we were doing it here.

Speaker 1: 21:38

I was getting a little bit paranoid. I had eight and a half grand on me, the two for Tracy and another six and a half for the buy. I had a nagging thought that I might be getting rolled here, which was actually a genuine possibility. Yeah, yeah, he changed his mind. Don't stress, he's just up the road. She said I thought I'd made a big mistake, leaving my gun in the car and I couldn't go back for it. Do you have my two grand? Tracy asked yeah, of course I do, but I'll give it to you when we get back. I replied Nah, mate, I want it before we go. That's the deal. She said Righto, tracy, but it's in the car. I have to get out and get it. I said Off, you go. Then she replied so I get back out of the car, walk back over to mine, unlock and get in the driver's side.

Speaker 1: 22:24

The money, funnily enough, was in a brown paper bag under the seat. Ironic, I know. For a split second part of me thought I should grab my gun. But I had the door open and Tracy could see what I was doing. If I did she might get spooked. And then the buy was over. I grabbed the money, took it out of the bag and counted it in plain sight. I showed her the money, got out of the car, closed and locked the door and went back to Tracy. Once I got back in I gave her the money and said you're two grand. Thank you very much, she said, taking it and putting it in her handbag. With a slight smile she started a car.

Speaker 1: 22:58

Now I assumed that it was also going to be a headache for the surveillance team as well. They were all set up to covertly record the buy. I assumed that they would just follow me and try and set up and record me in the new location. That was a nice thought. Tracy drove out of the KFC onto the main road northbound and then turned right into the Spurman area near a bowls club. Not many people at the bowls club today. I said, trying to give some locations away in case we were being followed. Oh, do you play, do you? Tracy asked. Nah, nah, I didn't mean that. I used to come here a lot with my nan. That's all I said. Now, that was actually true. I knew exactly where I was. I knew the back streets here like the back of my hand. Growing up, I had three schoolmates who lived in that part of the suburb and I did actually go to the balls club a lot with my nan.

Speaker 1: 23:47

We turned right into a familiar street. It was the street my best mate from school lived in. I'd only seen him a few months earlier at my wedding and then his wedding Whilst he didn't live there. His father and sister still did. As we were driving along the street, we were getting closer and closer to his father's house. We drove past a car that was parked in the street about the only car and went a short way around the curve before it straightens out Tracy then pulls over and stops. We were almost directly across the road from a mate's house. Fuck, I hope John isn't his dad. I thought to myself he wasn't. I heard the back door open and someone get in behind me. Now John must have been in the car parked on the side of the road and walked up to the car. I didn't see him walk down from in front of us and there was no one walking or standing in the street on either side.

Speaker 1: 24:33

When we arrived, tracy, he said John, this is Mick. She said Mick, don't look round. He said Now, that made me nervous. Hi, john. Now I had already given Tracy her $2,000 before we left KFC, so I only had the $6,500 on me. Do you have my money? He asked yeah, yeah, sure, I have it here. I said, patting my pocket Right. Give it to me, came the reply. It was more than a request, more like a very calm order. I took the money, which were all $50 notes, out of my pocket and put it up over my right shoulder with my right hand. Do you want me to count it? I asked no, I'll trust you, he said, and as he took the money, my right hand was still up over my shoulder with my palm facing up. I could hear him doing something in the back seat and then he said here you go. I felt something, touch my hand, but whatever it was fell on the floor behind Tracy's seat. You'll have to reach over and pick that one up. He said.

Speaker 1: 25:39

I've used the phrase 5 cent, 50 cent before to describe how I was feeling. What it actually means is when you get that, that puck feeling or the feeling like you're shooting oneself. That's how I was feeling. My stress levels went through the roof. Now remember, from where he was sitting behind me, I couldn't see John. The only thought I had was I'm going to land across into the back seat footwell of this car and he's going to pop me. He'll either shoot me in the back of the head or stab me, or or punch me or do something like that. I'm gone here.

Speaker 1: 26:12

I was genuinely as scared as I've ever been in my life. I took a deep and audible breath, turned and reached down into the footwell behind Tracy's seat. There I saw a package wrapped in tissue paper. I picked it up and sat back in the seat. I exhaled deeply Sound a bit nervous there, Mick John said to me Did I? Nah, all good mate. I replied. He then said just didn't want to get my fingerprints on it. I opened the tissue paper and inside was an alfalfa wrapped package and inside that was half an ounce of rock heroin. Yes, that's right. Tissue paper, a surface where you wouldn't get fingerprints, not to mention that the L-foil in the package underneath would have had fingerprints on it. I'm pretty sure he dropped it on purpose to see if it would scare me and to see how I would react. John then said I have your number and I'll give you a call in a few days to see how it went. You will deal with me and only me Got it? Yep, john got it. I'll talk to you when you call. And with that he got out of the car and we drove off.

Speaker 1: 27:14

Tracy took me back to her, back to my car, rather and I got out, making sure I had the heroin with me, said bye, unlocked my driver's side door and got in. I made sure she had driven off and then I let out a huge sigh. I made sure she had driven off and then I let out a huge sigh. My hands were literally shaking and I had to sit there for a few minutes to calm myself down. Adrenaline was coursing through my body and my heart was racing. I was also pretty elated that 1. I didn't get hurt or killed and 2. I now had made contact with the next level in the syndicate. I now had made contact with the next level in the syndicate.

Speaker 1: 27:53

Okay, so if you will cast your mind back, part of this operation was a requirement where I had to be Betty's toy boy, which would mean I was gay. Well, okay, bye. Because of the reactions I had when I was with the strippers. The problem was going to be how would I handle the situation if one of the targets decided I was cute enough for them too? We Betty and I didn't think this would be a real issue. The brothers were in denial and rationalized their sexual preferences by pretending Betty was female, labeling her such with female pronouns, and also that she wore female clothing. The whole male genitalia bit was glossed over. I obviously was the male or the top in any relationship, and they definitely wanted someone who identified as a female and was a bottom. But it was a cause for some anxiety right through my dealings with them. So I have built this up enough.

Speaker 1: 28:46

Now it's time to tell the surreal story of how I first met Yakov and Bogdan. Betty had to make a number of calls and invite them both over to discuss the prospect of doing business with an unknown person. Now that person was going to be me, but on the first meet. We weren't going to let that slip. They decided that they would come to her apartment to hear her proposal. I was going to be there and be introduced as the boy toy and generally be introduced as the person wanting to buy the speed and sell it to some clubs I worked for later. Not a bad plan, you were thinking to yourselves. I agree it was a great plan.

Speaker 1: 29:22

But this is where things started to get weird, at least at the initial meeting. It was a Thursday night and I had spent the day buying a new outfit that was going to be fit my standing. I had a pair of grey jag jeans, an off-white country road type fit, skivvy, with the rolled down neck collar and a white cable knit jumper. I looked great. I also had a flashy pair of black boots. Now, that is a lot of effort, you might be thinking, and I agree, but this was more like a theatre performance than a drug buy. I had to not only play the part convincingly, I had to look the part and according to Betty, I was very sexy. Okay, I threw that in, but she thought I did look good. Okay, I threw that in too. I pass for being gay or bi, as it turned out, which was what I was going for.

Speaker 1: 30:15

Now, I'm sure most of you listening will have seen the Star Wars movies Maybe not all 17 of them, I think we're up to now but at least the three originals. In the Return of the Jedi movie there is a scene where Luke Skywalker meets with Jabba the Hutt in his lair. Jabba is sitting up on the dais looking resplendent in his robes and jewels, and chained to the dais we find Princess Leia. She is wearing a very provocative outfit and Jabba has the ability to pull her by the chain back to the dais where he can touch her, pat her head, whatever he wants to show, he is in control of her. To Luke or anyone else for that matter he was portrayed as a powerful crime lord, and Leia was his prize and his plaything. Have I lost you yet? No, okay, good, where I'm going with this is here.

Speaker 1: 31:04

Betty's lounge room was set up with two large armchairs at one end. Then, at the other end of the room, were two smaller settee type chairs, and beyond that was a dining table. Whenever I came over, betty would always be sitting in one of the chairs the same one every time. Where it was positioned, it was almost like she was holding court. I had been there all afternoon and we had discussed and planned how the night was going to run.

Speaker 1: 31:30

The brothers were due to arrive at about 8pm. This was after their business had closed and they could get away from their families for other business meetings. They arrive and Betty goes to the door and greets them. She walks them into her throne room and introduces me to them. Yakov Bogdan, this is Michael. He is my friend. I held out a limp hand and said hello, nice to meet you. To their credit, both took it and firmly gripped it and shook it. I had to remember to not be forceful back with my grip and leave it as limp as possible. I was being submissive. And why is Michael here? Bogdan asked. He was the older of the two brothers. He has been here visiting and he isn't ready to go home yet. He knows what I do. He even sells a little bit himself. You don't need to worry about him, darlings. Betty replied.

Speaker 1: 32:19

Everyone goes to sit down but actually waits for Betty to sit down first. The brothers sit on the settee opposite Betty. I sit down on the floor. I end up sitting down with my legs folded to one side in front of me with my right side shoulder against the front of the chair. I am literally sitting at the edge of the right armrest, right next to Betty's hand. She could of and did periodically reach out and pat my head, to which I simply looked at her and smiled. It was almost as if I was her pet cat or dog. For the next 30 to 40 minutes I am sitting in this position a la Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi being the attentive boy toy.

Speaker 1: 33:02

So during the conversation there was discussion about selling product amounts and large amounts were discussed. They talked about who they were using, talked about wanting to meet this person Betty mentioned, especially if they can move large amounts in the strip clubs. You see a lot of strippers use speed to get through their nights. Partygoers also use speed to make their nights better. Strip clubs were a prime place to sell the drug. At the end it was agreed they would discuss the proposition to meet a new buyer and then they'd come back to her. We had one last drink and after about 40 minutes to an hour the brothers left.

Speaker 1: 33:41

Buzz was that bad of a criminal that he was selling to four undercover cops. A few weeks later I get a phone call one afternoon. It was Buzz. He sounded agitated and he wanted me to come and pick him up. Now, remember earlier when I mentioned that Buzz was not the luckiest criminal mastermind in the world, nor was he the smartest. When I mentioned that Buzz was not the luckiest criminal mastermind in the world, nor was he the smartest. Well, he wasn't only the target of my operation, but at least two other covert operations. Yes, that's right. He was selling heroin to three or four undercovers at the same time. On this day, though, one of those operations had been closing and he'd been raided, arrested, interviewed and charged.

Speaker 1: 34:20

Of course, I knew this was happening, finally, and was asked to keep an ear out for anything that he might, or anyone else might be saying. I didn't have to wait long. Buzz was still at the police station when he called me. He wanted me to come and pick him up from out in front and take him home. Yeah, buzz, sure, where are you? Okay, I'll be there in 20 minutes. That was a fun phone conversation to record, but it got better.

Speaker 1: 34:45

I turn up and Buzz is standing out the front in a tracksuit and thongs. I pull up and he gets in the front passenger seat. Buzz, what's going on? I ask Just drive, mick, let's go. He said what's happened? I asked Mate, I got raided this morning. I was selling to an undercover cop, he said. I replied you what? And you called me to come and get you from the station. Are you fucking crazy? What did you tell them about me? Is this a setup? No, mick, no, I didn't tell them anything about you. Okay, just drive, turn right here. He said what's up here, buzz? I asked. I knew it wasn't where he lived. That was the other way to where he asked me to turn. I just need somewhere quiet to talk to you, nick. Okay, he asked me. Yeah, right, sure, I replied. So I follow his directions and we end up parking in a quiet street in the next suburb, over from the police station and about three suburbs from where Buzz lives.

Speaker 1: 35:43

Now, before I pick Buzz up, I have obviously switched on my recording device to record this conversation because I knew it was going to be a beauty. Buzz starts to tell me about the undercover cop he was selling to, describes him and then asks me if I know him. Of course, I say no and I have no idea what he's talking about. Good, he says Mick. I say no and I have no idea what he's talking about. Good, he says, mick, I'm going to ask you a question. Alright, so don't get upset. Are you an undercover cop? Do I look like a cop, buzz? I mean really, of course I'm not. Are you fucking serious? I reply Sorry, mick, I had to ask.

Speaker 1: 36:18

He starts my lawyer told me that if I ask you if you're a cop and you say no, but you are, then anything I say to you or anything I have done can't be used as evidence. With my most stunned response I could muster wow, really, buzz, is that true? No, I'm not, of course, but is that really true? Can I use that too? He then said to me that's what my lawyer told me. And yeah, I would ask everyone before you deal with them. I knew you weren't, mick, but I just had to ask you. Yeah, but there's no hard feelings, it's all good, mate. I tell him so what did you tell the coppers? Nothing much, and I didn't tell him about you. He said did you tell him about your supplier? I asked nah, mate, I wouldn't give him up. You, he said Did you tell them about your supplier? I asked Nah, mate, I wouldn't give him up. He said Thank you for listening to Whisper in the Shadows my true stories of a real-life undercover cop.

Speaker 1: 37:08

I hope you've enjoyed that episode. In the next one we'll explore more exciting stories from my operations. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. 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.