The two sides to the operation, the Minnesota DEA office and the 960 group out of Virginia, were working their investigations independently, coordinating loosely yet each partially in the dark about what the other was doing. But in the late spring of 2012 their paths briefly crossed, when the Brazil wire picked up chatter between Le Roux and his employees about a major deal with a Colombian cartel—the same deal that the 960 group’s informant was busy concocting for Le Roux. On the Brazilian wires, Felix Klaussen was referenced only as “Jack,” the go-between with the cartel. On May 5, Le Roux had what started out as a coded phone call with Shai Reuven, the highest-level deputy remaining in the Philippines.

“I have another job for you, my friend,” Le Roux said on the recording. “I need you to hire us a cook.”

“Right,” said Reuven.

“Yes, I like Mexican food and I want a cook, you know?”

“Yes.”

“There are some guys from Liberia, Liberia right?”

“Yes.”

“To our partners. We need to send a cook for them, under- stand?”

Reuven laughed. “You mean, a real cook, right?”

“No, no, no ... I’m talking about methamphetamine, man. Are you retarded?”

“What for? For what?”

“For methamphetamine.”

“I understand.”

“Wake up,” Le Roux said. “Jesus Christ. Right?”

“Right.”

“See if you can get one and how much he wants to train some guys over there. Right?”

“Understood—no problem.”

“I need a list of chemicals he’s going to need, you understand, the way he’s going to do things, right?”