announcer: In the nation's largest city,
the vicious and violent members of the underworld
are hunted by the detectives
of the Organized Crime Control Bureau.
These are their stories.
- Nova, give this to your boss.
[dramatic music]
- Louis Chinaski. - Eddie Wagner.
I'm your son.
- If it risks blowing your cover,
we're gonna have to take him off the street.
- I don't know who you are,
but I know you're not Eddie Wagner.
- Edmund Ross was implicated in a sex trafficking ring
run by the Kosta Organization.
- Plenty of names didn't burn up.
Kosta is gonna make sure you don't talk to anyone.
- That guy running for governor, Kosta wants him dead.
♪
- Come on...
- Reggie Bogdani, you're under arrest.
♪
[door buzzing]
- You know why you're here and not Rikers?
- Got no idea why I'm here.
- Are you kidding?
You murdered a woman in cold blood.
Half a dozen people witnessed it.
You're looking at life without parole.
- You're here because we want to give you
a chance to help yourself.
- [laughs]
- Oh, you think that's funny?
You're here because you're an insignificant piece of crap.
And we're gonna give you a chance to help us
lock up a way more significant piece of crap.
Think about that.
- [snickering] Okay.
[dramatic music]
♪
- You were a cute kid. Regular Boy Scout, huh?
- We're gonna go over every detail
about how Jon Kosta runs his organization,
starting with the drug trade.
- In March of 2020, your uncle, Albi Briscu,
he traveled to Putamayo, Colombia.
What was the purpose of that trip?
- A well-earned vacation.
- We know he cut a deal with two cartels.
A deal to cover the cost of shipping and distribution
of their cocaine. He cut out the middleman.
- Which is a clever idea.
Obviously, genius doesn't run in your family,
so whose idea was it?
Who was the mastermind?
- The mastermind?
Oh, yeah.
[laughs]
- No electronic traces. No transactions.
Just a money transfer system based on cash and mutual trust.
- Perfect for money laundering.
- Your phone.
This is a pretty impressive piece of technology.
After Admir Marku was arrested, our task force
started producing and distributing these.
So, whenever you and your friends text back and forth,
they were CC'ed to us.
[phone buzzes and chirps]
Oh, snap.
You got a text from Uncle Albi.
I'ma hold on to this,
and I'll get back to Uncle Albi for you.
- You have no idea who you're dealing with.
You don't mess with Albi. Trust me.
- I'll take my chances.
- Look at all these photos.
We're got you on everything from murder to sex trafficking,
drug smuggling, to extortion.
You might want to consider our proposition
to help us with our case against Jon Kosta.
- Not a chance.
- We also have your party boy, Edmund Ross, in custody.
He's ready to start talking.
And the DA's Office, they're willing
to make a deal with one of you.
Only one.
So, in a few hours, you and your testimony
are gonna become obsolete.
[door buzzing]
- Sergeant Brewster, can I get a minute alone with him?
- I mean, it's pointless. Let's just move on.
Edmund Ross is the bigger fish here.
- Think once Reggie realizes
this is an either/or choice--
either he helps himself
and helps us take down the K-O,
or don't, and go down with him--
he'll be willing to cooperate.
- It's never gonna happen, all right?
- Well, never say never, Reggie.
Matter of fact, just hold tight a minute.
♪
[door slams]
[door buzzes]
- Are you kidding me?
I told you, you're wasting your time, all right?
I'm not gonna talk.
- Sorry you feel that way, Reg.
[intense music]
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
[tense music]
♪
- You traitor! - Sit down.
- You pig!
I will kill you! - Stop.
- I'll kill you. - Stop, sit down.
Sit down. Sit down.
- Go to hell! - Sit down.
- I'll kill you.
- Reggie, sit down.
Sit down, let's talk.
- Let's talk, yeah, yeah. I want to talk to you.
Yeah, yeah.
I want to talk to the guy who betrayed me, Eddie.
Or what's your real name, huh?
- I did what I had to do. - Oh, yeah, you did.
You did.
"I'm your boy. I got your back, Reg.
You're my ride-or-die." You're a liar.
You're a--you're a cop.
- At least I didn't sell you out like your family did.
- You know nothing about family.
- I know that they sent you out there to assassinate
a rising political star in broad daylight.
All alone. No backup, nothing.
Even you knew you couldn't do it.
- No, no. No.
This was my time. This was my time to come up.
- This was your time to die, Reg.
You were supposed to finish the job.
But you were supposed to get killed.
Suicide by cop, that's what they wanted.
They didn't want you to get arrested,
because you might be part of the family,
but if you're a problem to the family,
you get shot in the head, or you get disappeared.
That sound familiar?
- Just--
get out.
I can't even look at your face.
Get out!
No!
Why? Why would you do this to me?
I gave you everything.
I gave you everything I had
to get you on your feet.
And you just destroyed everything I've ever had.
- What are we talking about now?
What are we talking about?
The oath? Besa and all that stuff?
- Yeah, yeah. I belonged.
- Yeah, you belonged to a family that basically lured
desperate, naive girls away from their loved ones,
transports them thousands of miles,
sells them to strangers who will rape them over and over.
And that's the family we're talking about.
You're part of that family? - No.
No, it's not true.
- Who do you think killed your father?
Put that bullet in your mother's brain?
♪
Now, Reg, I am your best and only chance
at getting out of this.
I told you I got your back before.
I got your back.
♪
But the clock's ticking.
So you gotta make a decision on what you want to do.
[somber music]
♪
- [sniffles]
- Hey. Hey, why am I here?
- You're here for your own protection.
- What you're doing is against the law.
- Well, I am prepared to deal with the consequences.
- You can't do that!
- I'd do the same thing for my own son.
- Hey, how'd it go? - Give me a second.
- Grand jury's assembling upstairs.
- I hear you! Show me what Albi said.
He still thinks he's texting with Reggie?
- Sure does.
Told him I'm laying low for a few days.
Now he's asking if he should "bring my momma some food"?
- No.
No one brings Agnes any food. She's cooking 24-7.
- That's what I figured. It's a code.
He's trying to figure out if Reggie's compromised.
- Remember: no anchovies.
- That's what you want Reggie to text back?
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
she's allergic to anchovies. Give that a shot.
Got it.
Same grand jury we've been working with
the past four months? - They're up-to-speed.
Ready to hand out an indictment.
- The clock is ticking. - We got the goods.
- So, you gotta make a decision
on what you want to do.
- You told him the clock was ticking,
but you didn't tell him when the bomb was going off.
- You need to push him harder.
- Reggie's ready to fold.
There's just one more card we need to play.
- Agnes Bogdani?
[tense music]
♪
Where's your son, Mrs. Bogdani?
He's probably just running late.
Let's get started.
Well, we have you down for a flu shot today, Mrs. Bogdani.
We'll take your vitals and--
- Can I have a few minutes alone
with Mrs. Bogdani, please?
♪
- I'm glad he's safe.
- Do you trust the message?
- I tell you what I don't trust.
I don't trust Reggie not to make another stupid mistake.
Where do you think he is?
- I don't know. He didn't say.
- I was him, I'd be halfway to St. Thomas by now.
- Wouldn't leave the country without Agnes.
- I'll tell you who knows where Reggie is.
Eddie Ashes.
Let's get Wagner down here.
- I'm First Grade Detective Elliott Stabler,
shield number 6313.
Over the last six months, I've been undercover
with the Kosta Organization, aka K-O.
They're an Albanian transnational
criminal syndicate based out of the Bronx.
In that time, I've been party to extortion,
drug smuggling, weapons sales,
human trafficking,
and sex trafficking,
as well as personally witnessing
a half-dozen murders.
- Thank you, Detective Stabler.
Let's begin by talking
about the K-O's cocaine trafficking business.
What distinguishes them from all the other drug dealers
in the state of New York?
- Well, the Kosta Organization has gone to the source,
Colombia, and they cut a deal.
And they have taken over the manufacturing,
the transportation, the distribution of their cocaine.
They now control their entire supply chain.
- Hmm, and is it fair to say that they've become bolder,
more powerful, and more dangerous as a result?
- The K-O is the most dangerous criminal organization
that New York has ever seen.
A mere 19 individuals are responsible
for a 30% uptick in murders in just one year.
- During this entire investigation,
Detective Stabler managed to gain their trust
and, with the leadership of Sergeants Bell and Brewster,
gathered an extraordinary amount of evidence,
which we will present to you over the next two days,
at which time we hope that this grand jury
will decide to indict
and empower them to put an end to the K-O's reign of terror.
[soft dramatic music]
♪
[door buzzes]
♪
- It's gonna be fine. I'm gonna be fine, Mama.
Fine, fine.
It's okay, it's okay. You're with me now.
I'm not gonna let anything happen to us, okay? Okay.
You been taking your medication?
- Mm-hmm.
Oh.
No, no, no...
- It's nothing, it's nothing.
I know, I know it's not good, but, you know,
we're gonna--we're gonna figure it out.
Okay? We'll figure this out.
♪
Okay, Mama--
okay, okay, okay.
I'm sorry.
- Who did this to you?
Who did it?
- Nobody did this to me, Mama.
I did it to myself.
- Detective Stabler, have you ever been in a position
to observe how the K-O gets their cocaine into the country?
- I have. Ports of entry.
Those are the most valuable and the most vulnerable
for any drug smuggling operation.
Thus, we noticed a few months back,
the Albanians started to infiltrate
the Dock Workers Union
in order to gain...
- Ladies and gentlemen, apologies.
The investigation is ongoing, and something's come up
that requires Detective Stabler's immediate attention.
[intense music]
♪
- Albi texted. Kosta wants to see you.
- What do you think?
- Well, obviously they're suspicious, panicking,
and looking for Reggie.
- That's a dangerous place for you to be.
- I can hold the grand jury, but I can't hold it forever.
- I can send Maldonado as backup.
- No, where are we with the Chinaski situation?
- I was able to get him a one-way ticket
to Fort Lauderdale with $10,000 in his pocket.
- I'm very appreciative. - Hey. What's your plan?
- Fly by the seat of my pants and don't say anything stupid.
- What were you doing when you got arrested?
- I was doing a job, Ma.
- Albi knows better than
to send you out alone.
- I wasn't alone, okay? [door buzzes]
- Time's up.
- Mrs. Bogdani, Reggie's in a lot of trouble.
A great deal of trouble.
Now, we want to help him help himself
by testifying in front of a grand jury this afternoon.
- They want me to turn on the family, Ma.
They say that I could--
I could go away for a long time.
Maybe the rest of my life.
That means you ain't got no house.
And no doctors.
Besa's not gonna keep me out of jail.
- If your son agrees to testify,
we are prepared to relocate
both of you into the Witness Protection Program.
You can start a new life, together,
away from the Kosta Organization.
We're hoping that you'll help us convince Reggie
to do the right thing.
[hip-hop music playing over speakers]
♪
- Eddie. - Hey, Flutura, hey.
Have you seen Reggie? He was a no-show at the diner.
I was supposed to meet up with him.
- I don't keep tabs on Reggie.
- Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah.
I got to, uh-- - I know.
- Eddie.
[tense music]
♪
- You're a mess.
- Yeah, fire spread a little faster than I wanted it to.
- Where you been? - Just out doing a thing.
Reggie was supposed to do it with me,
but he was a no-show at the diner.
- So, you don't know where he is.
- No, no. Everything all right?
There a problem?
- Have a seat.
♪
You tried texting him?
- Half-dozen times.
No response.
- What was this thing? - Small job.
Supply store, they wanted to have a fresh start,
so I helped him out.
- Him who?
- Just a guy. - "Just a guy."
What was his name?
♪
- Maldonado.
- Yeah?
Let's call him.
♪
[line rings]
- Eddie? Is it done?
- Yo, Bobby.
- Yeah, all right. [sighs and grumbles]
♪
Reggie got in a little bit of trouble last night.
I gather you don't know anything about it.
- No. What kind of trouble?
- That's not what's important.
What's important is that we get to him before the cops do.
- Reggie's scared.
And when he's scared, he does stupid things.
- Well, yeah, don't we all, huh?
- Listen, he trusts you. - Okay.
- Try and contact him. Keep trying to get him.
- Okay. Yeah, look.
Whatever you guys need, you know, I'll do it.
And if I find him, do you have someplace safe
that you want me to bring him, have him lay low?
♪
- We don't care what you do with the body.
Just bring us something so you can prove it's Reggie.
♪
- Keep trying to get him.
- And if I find him, do you have someplace safe
that you want me to bring him, have him lay low?
[tense music]
♪
- We don't care what you do with the body.
Just bring us something so you can prove it's Reggie.
♪
- Can you bring my mom back in?
[door buzzes]
- Hi, Mrs. Bogdani.
Welcome. Come on in.
Please have a seat.
- Sit down, Ma.
- I spoke with your brother, Albi, earlier today.
He ordered me to find Reggie and to kill him.
- They want me dead, Ma.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I doubted you.
- [whispers]
- No. You can't talk to Albi.
If he finds out about Eddie, the deal's off.
- The more that you help us,
the more it's gonna help him.
- They want me to testify in front of the grand jury.
I got no choice.
Either we do this, or I'm...
I'm not gonna be around to take care of you anymore.
But you tell me--whatever you want to do, and I'll do it.
- [whispers]
- Will my mother have to testify too?
- Well, look, it's like I said,
the more she helps us, the more it helps you.
But I think that we can have you give
your statement in private
with an Assistant District Attorney and a court reporter.
Does that work for you?
- So, you're saying it wasn't a choice.
- Well, it's not like you can sign up for the K-O.
You're born into it.
And once you're in, you ain't never getting out.
- Now, Albi Briscu, that's your mother's side of the family?
- He's her brother, yeah.
- And he ordered the attack on your father,
during which your mother incurred the brain injury
which caused her speech disability.
- I was just a kid.
I have no idea if that's true.
- You never asked about it? - What good would that do me?
- This is a question from juror number four.
You talk a lot about your uncle,
but you haven't once mentioned Jon Kosta.
Have you ever received a direct order from Kosta?
[dramatic music]
♪
- Agniezka Bogdani? I'm ADA Chen.
I'll be asking you questions. You'll answer in writing.
And Ms. Brooks, our court reporter,
will transcribe everything you write for the formal record.
Please take your time, and try to write legibly.
Please place your right hand on the Bible.
Do you swear that the testimony you give shall be the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- Yes.
- Record that as yes.
- Yep, I got that.
- Let's start by talking about
how you know the following individuals.
What's your relationship with Reggie Bogdani,
Albi Briscu, Jon Kosta?
- How's it going up there?
- Reggie's doing okay.
- Ann has some concerns.
- The jury's asked a few questions about Kosta.
They've clocked that Reggie gets his orders
directly from Albi.
- Who gets his orders from Kosta.
So, what's the problem?
- We don't have Albi on the stand,
which leaves room for reasonable doubt
where Kosta's concerned. We need that direct link.
- What about Edmund Ross?
- We're going to Rikers tomorrow morning
and review his testimony before he takes the stand.
He's just become our key witness against Jon Kosta.
- Sergeant Bell,
can I have a few minutes with you in your office?
- [coughing]
[coughs]
- Let me go get some napkins. I'll be right back.
[tense music]
♪
- I'm sorry, did you want some gum?
[sighs]
- I just told Sergeant Brewster I'm putting you back
in charge of the Organized Crime Task Force.
I'm gonna recommend you keep Cho and Maldonado,
unless you have any concerns about them.
- No. What about Nova?
- We haven't talked about that. Let me think about it.
- Okay.
Where is Sergeant Brewster going?
- I'm gonna be stepping away from criminal intelligence
to oversee the international liaison program full-time.
Sergeant Brewster--actually, Lieutenant Brewster--
will be taking my place.
- Lieutenant?
- You'll make the best of it.
♪
[hip-hop music playing over speakers]
♪
- I'm looking for someone named Albi Briscu?
- Who's looking for me?
Come here.
What do you want? - Are you Albi Briscu?
- Let's pretend I am.
- I have a message for you.
I'm supposed to give it to you privately.
- Whoever sent you, you tell them to talk to my lawyer.
I don't take no private message from strangers.
- It's from Mrs. Agnes Bogdani. She says she's your sister.
- Come in.
Everybody out.
- What's this about?
- This young lady is from the state court.
- The Manhattan courts, actually.
- She has a message from Agnes.
Agnes has promised her $50,000.
- It must be an important message.
- [reads in Albanian]
What does it mean? - I don't know.
I don't even know what language it is.
- "Reggie has broken besa. They are coming."
[tense dramatic music]
♪
- Why was Agnes in court? - I don't know.
It was a grand jury hearing.
♪
- Was Reggie in court too? - I think so?
I was with Mrs. Bogdani,
but I heard he went upstairs to testify.
- Well, thank you very much. You've been very helpful.
You can go.
♪
- Sorry, miss, I almost forgot.
Come here.
There's $55,000.
5,000 more for not talking to anybody about this, okay?
- He's a generous man.
[gunshot]
- Clean that up in there for us.
- It's fine, just leave it.
We already have a grand jury. We don't have a lot of time.
But get her out of the way. I don't want to trip.
[dramatic music]
♪
- I'm sure you know what this is about.
- Congressman Kilbride.
- What were you doing at his office the other day?
- Sometimes he calls me.
I do pickups and deliveries. He's got cred on the street.
- He knows Webb?
- They go way back. They're from the same hood.
Kilbride's the one hooked me up with the Marcy Killers.
- He know you're a cop? - No.
I'm not 100% sure he keeps it 100 either.
It's above my paygrade.
What about you?
I'm guessing you weren't
in Kilbride's office running errands.
- Wasn't case-related. It was personal.
- That woman you were with, she personal business too?
- That would be my wife.
- Nice.
- Look, Nova, this is tricky.
But I need you to keep this between you and me.
- Brewster's my sergeant. - Brewster's on his way up.
I'm hoping I'm gonna be your sergeant.
But I'm not gonna be anybody's sergeant
if someone else gets interested in Kilbride
before I have a chance to figure out what his endgame is.
♪
- When did you first meet Jon Kosta?
- 2016, like I told you, at a charity event.
Flutura Briscu was the organizer.
She introduced me to a girl.
- You got catfished by Flutura.
- You thought you were in love with the girl.
- I set her up in a pied-a-terre.
I started sending money to her family in Albania.
Then one day...
- You saying you were keeping that book for Kosta?
- He'd give me names of rich, influential men
who appeared vulnerable to extortion,
and I'd invite them to soirees.
Kosta had me keep a detailed account of...
Who liked which girls
and what they liked to do to them.
- [groans]
Hey.
Just wanted to say, have a safe flight.
- Thanks a lot. - Got everything?
Ticket? Boarding pass?
And you should put your wallet
in the inside front pocket of your jacket.
Just, you know, got a lot of cash on you.
- Don't worry, Dad. I got it.
- Yeah, yeah. Get moving, will you?
Good luck.
- Hey, I mean it. Thank you.
- These devices have enabled us to intercept
hundreds of messages in which the K-O talks details
of their drug smuggling methods,
like filling pineapples and tuna cans with cocaine.
- Detective Stabler and I personally witnessed
an auction of human sex slaves
orchestrated by the Kosta Organization.
It was something so vile I would not have believed it
had I not seen it with my own eyes.
- They live by a code known as besa.
It means literally to keep the promise.
It means the unquestioning loyalty
to a criminal enterprise
and a willingness to commit extreme acts of violence
to protect and enrich that enterprise.
[door buzzes]
[indistinct P.A. announcements]
[intense music]
♪
- The grand jury has taken into consideration
the suspicious death of our key witness Edmund Ross
and has moved to reconcile the evidence
without further testimony.
Foreperson, will you please stand and read
the grand jury's decision with regard to the charges listed?
- In light of the circumstances,
this grand jury is unanimous in our decision
to issue provisional indictments
against Jon Kosta, Albi Briscu,
and 17 alleged members of the Kosta Organization
for charges including racketeering,
felony sex trafficking,
three counts of murder in the first degree...
- Great leadership, Sarge. - Great work, Detective.
- Congratulations to you both. We got a True Bill on all.
- They gotta have, like, 20 cop cars down there
guarding us.
That's comforting.
At least they know how dangerous Kosta is.
Ma.
I'm sorry I made you break besa.
[somber music]
- I didn't.
[intense music]
♪
[sirens wailing]
[glass breaking] - NYPD!
[indistinct shouting] - Don't move!
Stay right there!
- All right, all right, all right.
- Let's go, let's go! You, against the wall now!
- Move. [indistinct chatter]
- Let's go. - Keep going.
♪
[indistinct chatter and laughter]
- Freeze! [glass breaking]
[dogs parking, people shouting]
♪
- I will shoot. Freeze.
- Stay where you are!
[knocking at door]
- NYPD! Open up!
We have a warrant!
- Can I help you? - We're looking for Jon Kosta.
- He's not here. He hasn't been home in days.
- Grace, shut the door! Don't let anybody in!
- Gun! Luka Hasa!
Drop the weapon!
[grunting]
- Get off of me!
Get off!
[dog barking]
- [grunts]
♪
- NYPD, police department!
- Police! Search warrant! - Move, move!
- Police!
♪
They knew we were coming.
How the hell is that possible?
♪
- Five blocks out from Besa.
- Do we know who's in there? - Place is eerily quiet.
I have Albi and Kosta on DAS entering just over an hour ago.
Nobody's come out since.
♪
- Call for additional units. We're going in.
♪
- The hell you doing? - Oh, I just wanted to--
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]