Join The Fight Against Modern Slavery w/ Tim Ballard EP 1368

We've counted somewhere between 3 and 400 kids were likely sexually abused over the two years those guys were there. You know, what's scary is where Americans need to wake up. We call this a hidden war because...

Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. One of the best parts about my job as a podcast host is getting to know people on a deeper level. And I love discovering the interests my guests have that they don't always talk about. You know, the world class athlete whose favorite pastime is painting or the billionaire who still plays a weekend garage band. And the truth is everyone has layers. and people are rarely as simple as they appear on the surface. For marketers, that complexity can make the job even more challenging. After all, how can you reach your customers if you don't really know them? That's where TransUnion's marketing solutions come in. TransUnion brings clarity to marketing chaos by delivering a 360-degree view of your customer, helping you deepen your insights, accelerate your decision-making, and better measure the impact of every marketing dollar. Visit transunion.com/clarity to learn more. this podcast is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual. Everyone wants to feel good about their finances, right? Well, that's why I've had life insurance with Northwestern Mutual for years. Their financial professionals ask the right questions, truly listen, and help uncover opportunities most people miss. I've seen it firsthand. Northwestern Mutual has been a part of my journey from the very beginning, providing the security and peace of mind I need as a human and an entrepreneur. Find a better way to money@nm.com, the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paid testimonial by a Northwestern Mutual policy owner.

As America's leading business lender, Bank of America is on your corner and in your corner. With $215 billion in business loans and over 3,700 business specialists across the nation, We help businesses thrive so communities prosper. What would you like the power to do? Learn more at bankofamerica.com/localbusiness. Bank of America, official bank of FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Copyright 2025 Bank of America Corporation.

All rights reserved. Father's Day is coming up, and for lots of dads out there, dad doesn't quite cover it. They're groundskeepers, patio whisperers, and rogue leaf vigilantes too. So this year, show dad some love with gifts from the Home Depot. They've got fast free delivery on handy gear that helps dad do his thing. We're talking Ryobi cordless outdoor tools like the Ryobi 40 volt expanded string trimmer. Find the perfect Father's Day gift at the Home Depot. Shop in store and online@homedepot.com, free delivery subject to availability. So for people that have no context about you or this issue in the world and in the US, what is O.U.R. the mission that you guys have and how bad is the problem in the world right now?

So Operation Underground Railroad is our foundation, we're a nonprofit and we strive to empower law enforcement and aftercare services in the extraction and healing of child sex victims. And often it's adult sex victims as well. And so we are in five regions. We have offices in five different regions. So the sun never sets anymore on our operations, which is very exciting for us. And we're just constantly working with law enforcement. And they ask us to do different things. There's so many ways to attack it because it's enormous. There's millions of people. There's more people enslaved today than ever before in the history of the world, which is shocking to people because they think their textbooks tell them that it ended with Abraham Lincoln and the end of the transatlantic slave trade. And it's like, no, it's weird, it's ugly, and again, there's more people now than ever. Slave labor, sex, and organ harvesting, which is becoming a bigger thing, believe it or not. And so we seek to empower law enforcement. Sometimes it means trainings that we do or equipment. Oftentimes they ask us to go undercover because our guys and girls are all, most of former law enforcement, our operators are military and they can infiltrate very rapidly, especially if they look like they're Westerners. And that's a bad thing, by the way, for us who live in this country, because what it says is we are the demand and we are. We're the largest consuming country, the United States.

Of what?

Of child sex videos.

Wow. Would that also include sex engagements with kids or more consuming child pornography?

Correct, it's the consumption of the child exploitation material, child rape videos. And we are in the top three for destination countries because if the demand is here, the traffickers would love to get the kids here. So we see that happening, a lot of that's happening right now with the failed border enforcement. People can just come right in, kids are coming, I know they're coming in. We're seeing this happening. And so we can easily play the role of what the preferred client looks like. So traffickers all over the world see us. We put ourselves in the right place, we know where to go, and they welcome us in and boom, we can infiltrate rapidly, get the evidence back to law enforcement, and they can pursue.

And how many, I guess, what do you call them, extractions, where you've gone in and rescued or even arrested people that are pedophiles or dealing with the local kind of sex slavery in these different regions. How many people have you arrested or captured and how many kids have you supported in this process in the last eight years?

So we are just under 5,000 arrests that we've supported.

All around the world.

All around the world. We've done thousands, a couple thousand operations supported directly or indirectly. And then the number of actual people that we've been able to extract and help get into recovery is over 6,000.

It's incredible, man. 6,000.

Women and children, yeah.

That's unbelievable. How does it make you feel when you think of those 6,000 faces that have better lives now?

It's interesting. I love to see those people or know their names because I don't ever like to get into statistics. Right. Because if you go statistics, 6,000 versus literally millions, people say, that's a drop in the bucket. And I just get, because I'm like, you know what? I've done operations before. There was a target in Mexico that we worked on for over a year, this trafficking organization. We could not get in. We'd get this close and they get torn away. We get close again, and the money's building up, and I'm getting pressure from the financial division of our, like, Tim, you gotta stop. I can't stop. I know we're this close. And we finally broke through about six months ago. And it was one of the operations that I participated on personally. And it was one kid. But this was one little boy who, he had been years, we think he was about nine or ten when it started. He still looked nine or ten to me. It had been a couple of years into this. And I remember we found him and I saw him on the beach for the first time and they're trying to sell him to me, had all the videos undercover. And, And I remember we call it Operation Football, football, soccer ball really, if you translate it. And because as we walked away, as we walked away, the little boy said, Senor, mister, he's like, it's the first time he spoke, and he said, he knew we were coming back, right, to do horrible things to him. He says, could you bring me a soccer ball? Oh my gosh. And I was just like biting my, I was like, oh my gosh. That night, it was a crazy case because that night they were supposed to bring the kid to our house. We like to control the settings, we had a sting house. And then they called us and said, hey, another cartel, you're just outside our cartel zone. We can't risk this kid, they said, this kid's a golden goose, we make so much money, we cannot take him out of. They will kill us, like the cartel bosses. And so they said, you gotta come to this hotel. And it was our intel, people look it up, it's owned by cartel, and it's like fatal funnels everywhere. It's one of these hotels, it's just a garage. Oh yeah, it's only a garage door open, 'cause it's four, It's for sex, you know? And so you go and they close the door. Oh my gosh. And you go upstairs, there's just one single room, nothing's connected. Oh my gosh. And I remember our guys were like, Tim, you can't go. I'm like, Screw, are you kidding me? And I do a little trick. This is why it's about the individual for me. Because it was super dangerous. We didn't have time to be Ford deployed. They had the kit out, the Golden Goose was out for just one day, and they were gonna take him back. If you don't come now, you're not gonna get him. Oh my gosh. And I had to go 'cause I was the face they knew, right? Right. And I remember we were in the sting house that never was, right? And I take two steps to the side, I remember just, I just, this kid, I find the kid of mine who's closest in age. I do this every time.

Of your child.

I don't have nine, as you know. So it's easy for me to find whatever kid we're looking for, I'll find one of mine. And, you know, I used to avoid doing this 'cause it hurt too much, and then there came a day in my career where I was like, no, let it happen. Let that kid be your kid. Otherwise, I might not go. I might not go. And I remember walking away, and this is what happens usually. And I see, in this case, it was my son Luke, who's closest in age to him, I think 11 or 12, or I can't remember the exact age. And then I asked myself a simple question, if that was Luke, what would you do?

It's a no-brainer.

If it was Luke, I'd go there. And now, who am I to say, well, it's not my kid, then forget about it. Well, as it turns out, as I could have imagined, there was no parents. We still haven't found the parents. He doesn't know. He was taken from another part of Mexico. He doesn't know where he's from, right? All he knows is he's getting raped every day. And the only adults in his life are responsible. So then it's easy. It's like, that's my son, that's it. And we went in and we brought three soccer balls and some Legos and took care of him. We went undercover and got the information we needed. The cops stormed the place, got the kid out, and I'll tell you what, I get reports all the time, he's doing awesome. We have him at one of our partner foundations that do the aftercare. He has a soccer field there. And he's just as happy as kid, he's free. he's free, you know? And then I went back to my team after that operation and I said, I wanna show you the bill. This has been over a year. This is how much it cost?

For one kid.

For one kid. I said, did you guys think we would save more than this? Of course, we thought there'd be 20 plus. And I said, was it worth it or would you go back and say we wouldn't do this again? Are you kidding? It's worth it. And then I asked them again, another question.

And I try to always do this when I'm there. So wait, so let me, so break it down, what happened? So you went to the hotel. Yeah. and it's super shady and sketchy. And you're like, okay, I'm gonna go in this, you know, trap door essentially.

Yeah.

And what, you go up into the.

Room with soccer balls. So, yeah, so I'll explain.

So this, you, we had a house.

And you're dressed like a, like, oh, yeah, I got, I got a wig.

And a fake scar and fake eyes, you know? And you're acting like a pedophile.

Absolutely. That you're looking to, to pay for sex with this kid.

So.

We have a house with seven cameras for the evidence, right? And there's only so much you can do, there's only so much you can do after that. So when they call and say, Just kidding.

Come here.

Come here, it's like we have nothing. So you know my, you were just talking about one of our partner organization operators, Jeremy Locke, right? So he was with me and that guy's got balls of steel, like he'll do anything. So he's like, I'll forward deploy best I can. So he goes in first, with a girl pretending he's going to like, it's a sex place, right? And he calls like, bro, there's very little I can do for you. I got a room, but it's like these rooms don't even connect. Like the only way in is to go through a garage. They're all individual garages, so you can get in and out without being seen, right? You can bring prostitutes or that's what it's designed for. And then the rooms, you go upstairs and there's like a little like turntable and you can buy like sex toys and you buy it, they bring it to you, you turn the little thing and you pull out the, It's nuts, right? Crazy. So I go in with my small team and there's just nothing we can do. It's just like, I don't care. I remember the team leader, he's like, Tim, you can't go. You can't go. You're the founder of this organization. I'm like, I'm the only one that has the face. They know, they're not, who's gonna go? I'm not gonna let this kid go. He's my son. It's Luke. I'm calling him Luke. Right? I'm like, I'll do anything for Luke, you know? And, ugh. And so we go in and... So you're going in alone then at this point?

I'm not alone.

I have two other people with me.

Gotcha. And they know it's fine that there's a couple people.

Yeah, because we're all gonna have sex with this kid. Oh my gosh, it's crazy. It's hot. Yeah, and we're gonna film it and it's gonna be this like... Oh my gosh. There's one person in the film and then two people are gonna... Oh, and they knew that. Oh yeah, they helped design it.

Yeah, they're like, you can do this.

Oh my gosh. And how much would what does that cost for someone? Oh, for a kid that young, to have him for the night was around $3,000. Oh my gosh. So it's like three or four times what you would pay for like an adult, a sex worker, say. And how often is that child being used? Oh, every day.

Oh my gosh.

Every day.

Maybe more than once a day.

'Cause he was booked for the next day. So that's why he was like, if you don't come now, guys, you can't. He's gone. That's why we had to make a choice, right? So now we gotta film this. This is where it gets crazy, right? So we have some contingencies. I had a hat with a camera watch. And Murphy's law, as we're driving over, both aren't functioning. Break.

Yeah, yeah.

It's like, I got a cell phone. So we go in, we can't take more than three or it's gonna be too suspicious. So us three go in and we get to the traffickers meet us and I go, okay, the kids in that room. And so we go up to see them and we got soccer balls and we give it to them. And so we're like, okay, come on in. He's like, well, no, We're doing the deal in the other room. I'm like, crap. Okay, I'm not leaving that kid alone. I'm definitely not with one person, 'cause once I see the kid, I'm never leaving him alone again.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I instruct the two to stay with the kid, 'cause I don't want.

That kid to be alone, and I.

Can'T-- 'Cause you haven't paid yet. I haven't paid yet. Gotcha. And they want to do the exchange in a different room. Oh my gosh. So I give, the instruction to the two state, I don't want that kid alone and I'm not gonna have, you never leave a victim with just one person. So there's a witness of anything that might happen, right? So I'm alone now. My team was pissed I was going and now I'm alone going into the other room through the garage and all I have is my cell phone. I'll show you, it's hilarious, I'll show you the footage. It's crazy. So I'm just like holding my phone, you know, putting it, just like wherever I can hold it. And, you know, I got good footage and we did the exchange.

You're speaking in Spanish.

I speak Spanish, yeah. So I can, I'm dealing with these guys and, you know, they're freaking out. I remember at one point, one of the guys, he's opening the window and looking to see if there's cops. And I know they're out there. There's 30 of them out there, the Mexican team. And I'm freaking out if they still, they'll see them. So I'm freaking out. So I say, you know what this guy's too, what are you looking at? Your sniper? Is that your sniper over there? You're sitting, I'm out of here. If you don't close this window, you know, so, okay, okay, okay, okay, we'll close the window. You know, 'cause I'm trying to block him from seeing. Seeing us. Yeah, so I wasn't there for maybe, you know, he sold me cocaine, which is like, well, you're already screwed, I guess. Why not for a couple more years on your sentence? So I bought the cocaine, you know, the cops authorized that, and he told me to do that. And the cop, there's one detective that's really close on the scene. And I eventually said, hey, I got a buddy coming up and you might hear his footsteps coming up, you know? And so I got him distracted, got him to say everything, every detail the kid is gonna do, how much money. Oh my gosh. We exchange. And you gotta have it on video. Yeah, you gotta have it on conversation.

Recorded so they don't come back later. And he didn't ask to like put.

Your phone down or anything, or you're just kind of hiding it?

No, I did a really good job hiding it.

Wow. And then you get the whole exchange. Whole exchange. I remember when he gave me the cocaine, I was like, okay, and I kind of put the phone up, the cocaine is like this big in the camera. It's like a little bag, but you know. And then, and then-- so you buy.

The cocaine first and then you pay the 3,000 or whatever for the act that night.

Yeah, and then I get him, say, Hey, I wanna make sure that when we go in there, we can do everything. Oh my gosh. So otherwise you wall them off, right? 'Cause later they'll say, We thought it was just a party. They're gonna play soccer. You know, you gotta make sure it's on camera. Like, what am I gonna do? And the grosser, the better for the case. It was just horrifying 'cause you're listening. to this and saying, well, what if, and we know the right questions to ask that kind of induce them to speak their mind and their heart, what the kid will or will not do. Oh my gosh. And so we got him every, like, yeah. He say everything. You can do everything to him. Oh my gosh. Yeah, and they're very clear about that. How do you stay in, I guess.

Character where you're thinking 30 minutes before this, I'm gonna go, I'll do whatever I can for my son, Luke. This is my son that I'm going to rescue essentially, emotionally in your heart. But then when you enter this place, how do you not transfer back over emotionally to where you want to rip this guy's head off? And you have to be like a pedophile acting like, Yes, I can't wait to do this and this and this.

So it's the weirdest thing. I've been doing this for 18 years and I've gotten better at it. I've learned over the years how to answer that question. In the beginning, it's really hard. Like in the beginning, I had actually go to therapists and I would actually train my mind to not see my kids.

To block it.

Yeah, to block this or block that. And then I eventually got to the point where I started letting my kid, I was ready to let my kid's face be superimposed, and I actually let it happen. I wanted it to happen because I realized I'm better, I'm more effective if it's my kid, right? And it's personal. So that's when I started doing that. But the weird thing about undercover work And everyone's different how they apply different mental games. But the only way I've learned so I don't just go, just in the middle of the thing.

Because you know you have the end result, you need to finish it.

Right. You will fail that kid. You'll fail that kid. And the other thing I do is I try to find the good in that person, because there is actually good in everybody. It's hard to say this, but you find they'll have a family. A lot of them have kids. And so you kind of focus on like, how can they do that when they have kids?

You cannot understand it.

I was on a case once where the guy was selling me all these kids and then he pulls up a picture of this other little girl and he's like, I'm like, isn't she beautiful? I'm like, yeah. That's my daughter. I'm like, you,'re gonna sell me your daughter? No, he was just showing me, isn't she beautiful? I'm like, dude, how did you just do that? You were just selling me kids her age and now you're like, proud daddy.

But you wouldn't sell her, but you'd sell these other things.

You'll sell it's someone else's kid, you'll sell, but yours is just daddy. And so I focus on whatever humanity is left in them. I focus on that so that I can find a connection. Otherwise, and I try to like that side of them.

So you try to buddy-buddy with them.

Yeah, because you gotta make it real. Especially a long-term case, you've gotta make a chemical connection, 'cause spirits Connect, right?

Like, how's your family? How's your wife?

How's your kids? How's business? I want him to feel a genuine friendship. And it's really hard because you start.

Slipping back to like, I want to.

I want to, you know, destroy this person. Yeah. And, and, but you just go long enough and play that game, and then it, it's just this big relief when you see, oh, my gosh. You can't cuff. You're just like, and I usually, I usually start crying. Like, I try to get away before that. It may happen, it might happen an hour later. It might happen. A week later, but it always happens.

Yeah, there's a release.

Yeah, you have to because you're holding a lot of stuff. Oh my gosh, man. And especially if it's a case, again, dealing with children, if it's a drug case, that's probably very, very different. But these guys are hurting children. You see the kid, the kid thinks I'm gonna hurt him. That feels horrible and they usually don't ever get to know that you were actually the one that helped them, you know? Because you can't risk, Sometimes very rarely it happens where the undercover for some reason gets to like, hey.

Later, yeah.

I was actually, I was the helping guy.

But if they're so young, they may not understand the full in their brains and they've been so.

Yeah, we rescued a kid in 2014, an Operation Triple Take in October 2014. And he stayed with our organization. He went through Aftercare and then he became an ambassador and he started getting to know our Aftercare team really well. And then he learned the story. He's an adult now, right? He's like 19 years old. It had been like eight years. And he said, I want to meet you. Me.

Oh my gosh.

But he remembers me. He knows who I am, but he also remembers that was the main guy.

The bad guy.

The bad guy. And he said, I want to meet him. So I went down to Cartagena.

When was this?

This was maybe a couple of years ago. I went down to Cartagena and to meet him. And, you know, he was excited. Dude, right when he walks into the house, I'm like, what's up, bro? And I said his name and he just goes, Ah! Like, reacted. I'm like, oh. Like, he couldn't, it was like, I just walked away. Like, okay. He just could, he's like, I'm sorry, no, I know you're a good guy, you know? And then he's a hairdresser. We helped him go through school and stuff. And so then we just, he cut my hair and then we'd be, now we're buds, you know?

Right. But that trauma, you gotta learn how.

To let go of that trauma. And I only went, by the way, because he wanted, and the aftercare, his aftercare folks said he wants to, it's.

Time, and it was time, but it's a healing time too, probably. It was very healing time. It was a very healing time. Let me revisit it, which is always hard to do. It's scary, it's traumatic to revisit the trauma. Yeah. There's going to be a period of like, this is emotionally overwhelming, but the only way to allow yourself to heal is to really start facing it inside. some way. And that's what worked for him, it sounds like. So what happened at the end of this in Mexico with this one boy? So you got the footage, you buy the cocaine, then you pay for the exchange, and then what? You go back into the other room?

No. So once the exchange happens, that's for the prosecution in Mexico in this jurisdiction, that's all they needed.

You ever walk out of the grocery store or fill up your tank and just think, How is everything this expensive? Feels like prices are going up everywhere. And how great would it be if just once something actually just went down in price? Well, at Metro, that's exactly what's happening. They've lowered their prices and are giving you a five year price guarantee on talk, texts and data. One line now 20% lower. Family plans also lowered. Oh, and you also get a free 5G phone, all with no ID required and no activation fees. Stop by your neighborhood Metro store, visit Metro metro.byT-Mobile.com or call to find out about their amazing offers. Bring your number, not available if currently at T-Mobile or with Metro in the past 180 days. Guaranty covers monthly price of on network talk, text and 5G data for customers activating on an eligible plan. Exclusions apply. Details@metro.byT-Mobile.com When I got injured playing football, everything in my life changed. My dream disappeared overnight. I was broke, crashing on my sister's couch, stuck feeling sorry for myself. But then I made a choice. Stay stuck in that pain or adapt a no bull mindset and build something new. And that choice changed my life. The no bull mentality is what no bull is all about. No bull is the footwear brand for those committed to getting stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. Known for their award-winning shoes, no Bull continues to raise the bar with the All Day Ripstop. I am a huge fan of these. Engineered for versatility, the All Day Ripstop is designed to perform from early workouts to late nights and everything in between. With a soft foam midsole for comfort, targeted breathability, and a Ripstop upper for extreme durability, they keep me moving comfortably all day long. I am a huge fan of these shoes. No shortcuts, no excuses, just commitment. That's the no Bull mindset. Exclusively for our listeners, no Bull is offering 30% off your order. Visit nobullproject.com/greatness for 30% off your entire order. That's nobullproject.com/greatness for 30% off. This is an advertisement from Better Help. You know, one of the biggest stigmas we still need to break, especially for men, is the idea that asking for help is weakness. In reality, it's the most courageous thing you can do. Taking care of your mental health doesn't make you soft. It makes you strong, focused, and grounded. We live in a world that puts a lot of pressure on men to man up, stay silent, and just push through. But bottling it all up only leads to burnout, anxiety, or worse. And the truth? It's okay to struggle. It's okay to not have all the answers. And there is real power in opening up. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, helping over 5 million people get the support they need without the hassle of waiting rooms or long commutes. You can talk to a therapist from wherever you are and switch anytime if needed. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Talk it out with BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/Lewis. That's BetterHelp. H-E-L-P.com/Lewis. So we didn't go back and see the kid?

No.

No.

You just do what? You call someone? So yeah, I just text the cop, say done, deal done, and then I told them, I say, hey, I have a friend coming, he's gonna be part of the party. He's gonna film something. Okay, no problem. So I keep him distracted enough. And so I go open the garage real quick, he's coming, no problem. And then I keep him super distracted, and then I hear the footsteps coming up, and I'm like, oh, there they are. It's the cops, right?

And then all of a sudden, boom, police in a. So you're in the room with the guy still just kind of buddying, buddying with him, hanging out. You know, in 60 seconds, there's people coming up. How does that feel for you when you know there's gonna be police coming in? Is it fearful? Is it exciting? Are you just waiting? Is it seem like it's hours? When you send a text-- it always.

Seems like it's hours. 60 seconds later, they're there.

It always seems like hours.

But you gotta eat. And what if they have guns?

What if the bad guy has guns? You don't know always.

You do your best. But in this case, I had no--.

Because you didn't have a weapon, did you?

No. Because they'll probably check you usually. Even when I was in law enforcement, my personal preference, I've seen others choose differently, but I think it's more dangerous to have a gun. I've seen cases where, because they see you have a gun, It's more dangerous.

Right, and I just rather-- They're on guard now.

They're like getting their weapons out. Yeah, I'd rather just act. I'm confident in my ability to act.

The part and disarm them that way.

And I've never had issues. I've never had.

And you have communication skills to keep them connected. You have emotional skills. You can disarm them psychologically, emotionally, communicating with them, humor, all these things.

Make them laugh. If you keep keeping someone laughing. It's relaxing. And that's easy for me. I just act like a drunk version of myself always. And just, I can make jokes and I'm like, I'll do crazy things. I'll start tickling guys. Like, really? Yeah, like I'm drunk. Like, what's that? And they just can't help it because it's funny. I'm also patting them down, okay? Right, right. And just, but they, you keep them funny, like if they're laughing and- They're like, okay, I'm gonna get paid, this is all fine. Or are you talking about like, hey, what are you gonna do with the money, bro? Like, 'cause I'm gonna bring other friends, you get them thinking about that, get.

That dopamine going for them. Oh, I'm gonna buy this and this.

Right.

Just keep them distracted.

And you also have a lot of combat skills, like hand-to-hand. Yeah. You could disarm if you needed to.

In a close- I have things I can do in that Frieswell. They're not confident in that.

I'm confident enough, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, if they don't have a weapon, you could defend yourself enough, yeah. So they came in, they come after the guy, they put him in handcuffs.

And then-- yeah, so they come in, and because, again, we had no choice, right? Because we went from a house with seven cameras, both my undercover cameras fell. Were you just filming with yourself? No, this is funny, because I wanted to film as much as they could of the arrest. At this point, it doesn't really matter. But, you know, a normal person who's getting arrested knows they have to go face down. So I go back down. And I'm sure the traveler's like, just like this. This guy doesn't know how to get arrested. So I go back like this, and I put my phone on my chest. I'm like, what?

I laid down, and I got the shot.

No way.

So did the guy knew that you.

Were in on it then at that point? No, no, because they really weren't looking. I didn't make it obvious. I just was like, whoa, I sat down in the corner. They thought they were coming to get you too. Yeah, 'cause that's my safety. So I go out with them in handcuffs.

'Cause otherwise they might say, Look out for this guy or whatever.

Right.

So you go out in handcuffs. Yes.

You get arrested too, part of the thing. And that's part of the strategy to go next level too, right? Because they don't want, like who dived this out, who's, you know, what's going on? They can, you can make it less suspicious, make them next, 'cause you're trying to get next level. How do they find us? The lead might have really come from the law enforcement up here. They don't want them to make that connection. We might have informants into that organization. So if they say, we've been following this gringo for six months. He's been through Bali and Thailand, and then he came here. Oh, so this guy, you've been chasing him. That's how you found us. So then you keep safe other informants that are hitting the organization. That makes sense? So they can use that tactic.

Very sophisticated.

And it keeps me safe because hiking out of the country and them thinking, where do you go? We send him to Mexico City, 'cause he's American and he's gonna get a special punishment, whatever.

And then we disappear. So do you actually go to the police officer, or once you're in the car and drive away, they kind of let you go?

Yeah, they'll drive us, usually it's like the station, close the door, even bring us in sometimes, and then release us. And we wait a little bit and put different clothes on, take the wigs off, whatever, and then just go out.

That's it.

Just back door to the airport. Go to the airport. We get out right away.

Really?

Yeah, you don't wanna hang out 'cause.

People talk and- so you go to the airport and you leave?

Immediately. Yeah. Anyone who's on the, what we call the primary team, undercover team, you gotta get out of the country. 'Cause people talk quick. And you don't, even people in the police station, we always deal with that. The corruption.

So where is it, where is this boy now? And when was this, six months ago you said?

This was within the last year, yeah.

So what happens to someone once you rescue them and you get them out of this situation, what's the next year look like of their life? Whether it's one boy or 100 people at one time?

Yeah, so the aftercare portion is the most important part because if you don't have that piece, you didn't even do anything. I've seen people go in and they'll do like a rescue, whatever, and then they just leave. And frankly, that's how in the government we started. if I did international ops, I was told just leave. And we, because we just, the host government's in charge of that. We never do that anymore. Because what happens oftentimes is, yeah, it's even worse. It's a net negative. We traumatize. Because now they get kicked up, they process them, sign some paperwork, okay, see ya. And the kid goes out in the parking lot and the trafficker's there to beat the snot out of him. How did you get caught? Now the police are the bad guys. Look what happens to you. No, they avoid at all costs. So you could actually do net negative. you can do damage by going out and being stupid like some people do. I know some people.

So what's the next year look like then for them?

So then we don't begin an operation. Like if I'm sitting down in the very beginning with the law enforcement, because we won't work unless we get permission and we're signed up as informants or different, make it very legitimate. We have our aftercare team in that first meeting and we tell them, if you don't agree that any of the kids we help you rescue, they have to go to where this director, our director, tells you they're going.

A certified place that we trust.

That we vetted. And it just happened in that region, we had a really good partner. And that's why the more countries we're in, you know, some people take the model of like few countries and do lots. We, our models, as many countries and plant those seeds because we have faith in our ability to empower them And then it's really good because you can talk to each other. So if we rescue, this happens, we rescue a Venezuelan or a Colombian girl in Dominican Republic, and then we get them home, and then we have a team waiting for them already on aftercare. So we always have that place, whether it's in the country or it's a home country.

So they go to an aftercare facility, some type of home where there's adult supervision, trusted vetted individuals, that then do what? They give them a place to live.

Live, schooling, you know, recreation. It's like a-- A safe environment. It's a very safe environment. And we look for the parents, we look for family, and hopefully we can.

Find-- what if the parents are the ones that were the ones selling it?

And oftentimes that's the case. Unbelievably, but oftentimes the family is involved and so we just keep them in our home.

How do moms sell their-- Children.

I don't know, man. It's one of these mysteries I'll never, never, never understand.

Have you talked to some of them afterwards and tried to ask them like what psychologically is off? Is it a fight or flight? Is it a survival mechanism?

It's a survival.

But once you have the money, once you've sold your children a few times and you've made a couple thousand dollars in a very poor environment, don't you have at least some money for like the next month? like to stop at some point or like, why do they keep doing it?

Is it greed? It's greed. It's just greed. And then it's get used to it. Oftentimes I've found that the parents who are doing it, like, well, my mom did it to me. Oh, so it's a cycle.

They don't know any better.

They don't know. That's what they know. Yeah.

Oh, man. So what is, what's the good side of this? What can, what can people see after, you know, six months or a year? Do you start to see cases of kids that are starting to be, I don't know if you call it rehabilitated or healed.

Reintegrated. Yeah.

Reintegrated from this horrible, emotional, traumatic process that could have been years of their life.

So how we kind of guide our partners in aftercare and we stay with, we stay with, we don't just drop them off and see you. Like our aftercare team keeps growing and growing because we take care of them, including the ones we didn't rescue.

Right?

There's oftentimes it's just an aftercare mission. And the one thing that we really invest in, every kid's so unique, there's not a one size fit all for healing. Some might need this form, that form. There's so many different modalities, right? But one thing that is almost consistent everywhere is to provide opportunity. Because eventually you get them to a place where like, what do you want to be? See, sometimes when you get these kids out, They don't believe they can even have a favorite color. You ask, what's your favorite color? What? I didn't know that was a thing for me. It's not an option. Yeah, I'm a commodity. I'm not a person that has thoughts or feelings. Yeah, it's the craziest thing you see. It's like, wow. And then it's like, well, you do and you can be whatever you want to be, you know? And that's the most fun part for me when we get to say, Here, what do you want? Like, I kid I was telling you about, you want to be a hairdresser? Great. We're gonna cover you, we're gonna get a scholarship. Wow. And this guy's killing it. We even flew him up last year to the United States to go to a real high-end hairdressing school, you know? That's cool. And I follow him on Instagram on.

You know, not my account.

Separate account, yeah, yeah. But I just, I'm like, dude, you're killing it, bro. Like, he's doing weddings and, you know, another child. 'Cause we're just, you know, we're eight years old. So the kids we rescued in 2014. Now we're becoming adults. So we're getting to watch. Like, can it happen? Can you reintegrate? I just recently, one of my aftercare folks sent me a picture of this other girl that I was on the operations, a little girl when we rescued her. She's got two kids, an amazing husband, and she was briefing the first lady of the country she was in about human trafficking.

Oh my gosh.

And she was showing the pictures that we gave her from her own operations.

Oh my gosh.

That's me right there. Let me tell you. Yeah, it was like, oh my gosh, I was crying a lot. And she had this awesome husband, two little kids. And I was like, look at this, like they can come out, they can.

Reintegrate and it's just-- and really help make change.

Yes.

They can help impact people around them.

A lot of them, well let me-- so one of the kids, one of the kids that grew up, and a lot of them want to come work in anti-trafficking and for us, a lot of them for us. So this one kid became an adult and had recently been married and he goes out and finds victims, which we don't tell him to do that, 'cause like, bro, you gotta, he's like, no, I go, you know, he just goes out to like public squares and he can identify, like, I know you don't wanna be here, you don't wanna be here. He approaches, this is a true story, this is crazy, this is so amazing. He went to this girl who looked, he knew she didn't wanna be there very, very young and she was pregnant, like barely, he could tell. 'Cause this guy knows the world so well, he knows it. He was in it. Yeah, and so he walks up and he says, are you okay? You know, I was once, you know, being in this situation as well. And she's like, why are you talking to me? He's like, I just want to help you. And she starts crying and she's like, God must have sent you because I decided to, right just before you walked into me, I was going to kill myself. Oh my gosh. And the baby would die too. And she's like, I don't think I can have this baby. I don't know what I'm going to do. And he said to her, Don't, don't, don't do it. Like, I promise you, we'll take care of you. I recently married and We will adopt your baby.

Oh my gosh.

We'll adopt your baby. And holy cow. And, you know, some like nine, ten months later, we were in his country and one of our Aftercare people was at the baptism of this baby.

Oh my gosh.

And it's like, that's crazy. Well, and actually the story is told in an upcoming documentary called Triple Take, which comes out next year. And it's just like, what a Amazing cycle, right? Like the traffic kid becomes the rescuer and then takes a baby who was born out of being trapped and raises this, it's the coolest, like this is so cool. Like it's working, you know? It's working. It's unbelievable. You know?

It's unbelievable, man. And so what's been, you were telling me before about what's been happening in Ukraine. Yeah. And there's this crazy, you know, story that happens. Can you share some of this about what happened with the, you know, a lot of the young kids and women in Ukraine and how many you've been able to impact and rescue from that situation and what you guys are doing now with, with what's happening there.

Yeah. So, you know, people often are just perplexed at the number, like $32 billion. You can't even, that's how much money, you know, is exchanged. Right.

In the sex trafficking.

In the sex trafficking, just sex trafficking industry. If you, human trafficking. Everywhere is much higher, but just the sex. 32 billion. 32 billion. And people wonder like, well, that's a big market. How do you get people? How do you get kids? And it's harvest time when it's vulnerable time. So it's usually developing countries. Wars, natural disasters, things like that. The traffickers just, it's like a magnet, 'cause they're everywhere, right? So when the Russians invade on February 24th, there's my wife. who we had 12 kids in Ukraine that we were adopting out. Ukraine's a high trafficking country, so we have a program called Children Need Families that if you're an orphan in certain countries, the chances of you being sexually exploited are almost for sure. Really?

So yeah, so it's just like- Even.

If you're in an orphanage? Yes, the orphanages are some of the worst centers of abuse. And orphanages have often in the past.

Been the centers of trafficking. How do you know what to trust?

If you're supporting an orphanage, how do you know to trust them? Well, finally, you know, the international community got together and they have orphanage assignment called the Hague Convention, which eliminates or almost completely eliminates the possibility. So you're certified and under the Hague.

You find those orphanages can support the adoption.

Right, but there's so many in countries that don't apply. And so we had 12 kids we were trying to get out and Catherine, my wife, kind of found it, she founded this project and she runs it. And so she was devastated about these 12 kids. She knows who they are, she knows where they are, she knows the parents that are going to about to adopt them, and she's devastated, right? Having adopted two babies on her own, she understands the emotional connection. Even before you get them, they're yours, you know? And it breaks your heart every night that you think, are they okay? You know? And so now there's a war, and she's like, she comes to me, she's like, you, need to go to Ukraine. And we have a European office, and I'm like, I'll send those guys. Yeah. And she's like, no, you have to go. You have to go because something's going to happen if you go. And my wife is very deliberate, very smart, like she's not irrational. So when she's saying it, she's feeling it from a higher source. And we don't mess with that, right? So like through tears and biting her lip, not wanting to say what she knows she has to, which is sending her husband to a war zone, right? It's like, all right, I guess we'll go. But I was still like, Kath, I don't know how I'm gonna get in there. And I was telling you a few hours later, I get a call from Mel Gibson, okay?

And it's like, I need you to go there and rescue these kids.

'Cause he's filming a movie in Budapest at the time and he calls me, he's like, Hey, there's other kids in Ukraine, they're getting hurt. And I'm like, oh, so the list gets bigger, you know? And so we end up going out there with Aerial Recovery, Jeremy Lockey, you know? And we start these extraction operations.

And by that time, the Ukrainians give us a list of 10,000 orphans.

10,000? 10,000 orphans, they don't know where they are. So you went to go get 30 or 40, and then they're like, We need you to get these 10,000 kids. Get 'em out. Yeah. And Aerial Recovery led that effort. we supported it, I was out there and we started extracting these kids. The number is now 6,000, 6,000 women and children who we've been able to get out to safety.

That you've rescued, you and your efforts in the organizations you've worked with.

Yeah, and I thought that was going to be it and that was going to be enough.

6,000 is a lot of people.

Yeah, that's a pretty cool.

So what happens, how do you get them out? What is the process of identifying them, knowing that the people that need to get out and then actually getting them out. Is this helicopter in them out?

Is it, you know, what is this? Okay, so, so the, the government gives us a list and they, and they have Intel folks that ride with us. We basically have a, a convoy. Okay. They give us the pass codes to get to blow through the checkpoints because there's checkpoints everywhere. And, you know, it's scary. I mean, there's bombs dropping. You hear them. You. And so we, we just go in and there's usually a point of contact, some care worker, you know, who's in that City. And it's usually the cities that just got bombed or in the process of being bombed, because that's where the need is in that moment. These kids are, their parents are dying, they don't know where to go. And it's just, we get Intel lists, there's usually a coordinator, like I said.

In the target location that are gathering.

A couple gathering points. -Somewhere, you gotta go find them and get them out. -Yeah, and we'll get the points and.

We'Ll just go in and we have a bus, a big bus.

-You just put them on the bus. -Get on the bus and just get out of town. -And how do they know to trust you?

That you guys are good guys and that you're trustworthy.

Because the person on the ground, the caretaker that we have the point of contact, knows us. And we have identification. They basically designate us all as Ukrainian agents. We actually are certified, designated to be there to be able to take the kids out. We're working under their social services department. So they're tracking it all, and then we bring the kids back in the social services department and has housing for them. Some in Ukraine, some outside of Ukraine, depending on the Ukrainians make those decisions. So we were running two, three a week. Things get bombed and we just keep moving in. You were saying that when you were.

There, you were also seeing these, I guess, pedophiles coming in, what you call harvesting, I guess, they're trying to find these kids and steal them for the sex trafficking, right?

Yeah, it's because it's so easy, right?

Because these kids might be running around like they don't know where to go, their home is gone.

They're crying over the dead bodies of their parents and they're so vulnerable. And we see these vans, we could have called them, you can't really call anyone, but we'd see it happening. It's like, oh crap. And we'd have to talk to them, who are you? I'm like, I'm a Dutch, I'm from Holland, I'm just getting helping.

I'm like, well, there's nothing you can do. Are you really helping?

Are you doing something? Right. Maybe some are, maybe some aren't.

Are you registered? Well, not everyone who's registered, you know. So they would just say, oh, come in my van, I've got if you want to come to a safe home, I've got a home for you to stay.

And the kids get on. And then they, you know, at that point, anyone with a Ukrainian passport could go anywhere because it's like the refugees, right? Right. Which they take advantage of, the traffickers take advantage. It's like, hey, where do you want to go? Let's get on the airplane, we'll go somewhere warm. Why don't go to, why don't go to, you know, the Caribbean or why don't go, and all of a sudden we're seeing this uptick of demand and.

Ads on the sex boards, you know, for Ukrainians.

Ads. Yeah, you know, oh yeah, online sex boards.

Absolutely. So people advertise what they're looking for?

Yeah. And what's available. Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's a huge, huge, huge market.

How do these people on these, I guess, online sex, is it like chat rooms?

Is it just like, yeah. It's everything you can think.

Anywhere. Yeah.

It could be on social media. Every social media. And they can hide it in a way that's like, they know what to put.

There's certain symbols, signs.

So they're not actually saying what they're, If it's under aged.

Hey, I need a Colombian 16 year old. They're not saying that. It's like symbols and emojis or something, right?

Yeah. But there's a whole underworld of how to do that. That's crazy. Yeah.

A Force Inside and Out, the Range Rover Sport is available with a choice of powerful engines, including a plug-in hybrid with an estimated range of 53 miles. We all know that staying hydrated is so important. And we've heard it a million times. But let's be real. you can really feel the difference when you're hydrated properly. You're sharper, you're energized, and you're ready to go. And when you're not, well, you feel foggy, sluggish, just drained. And with the summer heat coming, staying on top of hydration isn't just a good idea, it's a must. And that's why I love Liquid IV. It's powered by LIV Hydrscience, which is clinically studied to maintain hydration better than water alone for up to four hours. And I've been loving the new sugar-free raspberry lemonade hydration multiplier. It's so refreshing. And I don't know about you, but if I'm not hydrated, It's hard to function, whether I'm gearing up for a workout, recording a podcast, or pushing through a packed day, Liquid IV always keeps me hydrated. And if you've ever hit that mid-afternoon slump or struggled to keep up, trust me, this is a game changer. Maximize your hydration with Liquid IV and get 20% off your first order of Liquid IV when you go to liquidiv.com and use code LEWIS at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with code LEWIS@liquidiv.com So when you see that and you see them putting out these kind of symbols where you know, oh, something's fishy here, and you're able to track those IP addresses right away or how does that work?

Oh, yeah. So we have a pretty impressive online Intel group. Well, they do everything, right? But the digital forensics, they'll help, they'll support the forensics. We go help when countries rate a house, they get the computer out, but they do open source Intel work where they can do all sorts of stuff to track and find and dive in. And it's pretty impressive. That's crazy, man.

And so what is this thing you were telling me about the hidden war? What is happening with this?

Yeah, so the hidden war was, while we're in Ukraine, they give us another list of, they think over 200,000 women and children have been trafficked out of the country.

Is that sex trafficking or that could be organ trafficking?

It could be anything.

Any type of trafficking.

Sex or organs or mostly sex. So we decide that we're going to do something about this. So we put together a team of Ukrainian speakers. I got to get Ukrainian speakers. So we go to Budapest, do a training, and find, basically recruit, and see who can pass our assessments. They can speak Ukrainian. And we find a couple of awesome operators, one of which is a 35 year old actress who just killed it in all the training and the scenarios. And thank goodness because we can put makeup artist on her and turn her into a 13 year old. That's crazy. Now, while this is a miracle from God, and it goes back to my wife, like she didn't even know why she was sending me here. We know why now. Because we get a phone call from a Dutch police asset that tells, he doesn't even know what we're doing, right? He says, Hey bro, I gotta a lead for you, this pedophile who we've been hunting for two years because he's a political activist trying to change the laws in Holland to make legal sex with children, right? There's interviews where he's talking about three and four year olds should be able to consent. That's crazy. Yeah, yeah. And he's just like, if they can consent to ice cream or a walk in the park, they can consent to sex too.

It feels good for them too.

Oh my gosh. It's always to liberate the child. It's always for the child's benefit, you know. But this guy's been on the run because he was arrested in Holland for crimes against children. He's like, I just found the guy. He's in Mexico City hiding. And he told me on this undercover, undercover like, you know, chat room or whatever, he says he's looking for Ukrainian kids he can insert into the Mexican market, sex market. And I'm like, bro, you have no idea. I'm sitting here right now with Ukrainians, one of which looks like a kid. So he introduces me to this guy. He says, Hey, I got your guy. He's an American, he's in the market, he's got kids, he's in Ukraine right now. And this guy is calling me. He's like, Come to Mexico and show.

Me what's going on.

You-'re talking to a pedophile. Yeah, he calls me on my undercover phone. Oh my gosh. Yeah, so he invites me to Mexico.

City to come, to come, he wants to see my product and he's gonna show me his stuff, right? So is that, so would you say, okay, I'll see you next week? What happens after that?

So you bring kids or what happens? You bring her? Her, I bring her, but I first call There's a couple of countries that if you're a pedophile and running away from us, you don't want to go to. Mexico's one of them. Yeah, for sure.

Because you're tapped in.

Very tapped in, very good friends. And one phone call and they say, Come on down this date. So I call the guy, yeah, I'll be down, bro. You know, so we have, at that point we're agents of the Mexican government. We sign, they sign us up, we're helping them.

And so this is what, a couple weeks later down the road now, is.

This like A couple weeks. Like as soon as we can make it happen, right? And they're getting all this in, so the Dutch are sending us what they have. We're sending it out to them and they're kicking butt before we even get there. I mean, they've got this guy on possession of child exploitation material.

They've already got Intel and information on him.

Possession of weapons. All they really needed was, can you lure this guy out? 'Cause we can't find him. Mexico City is like a Country.

Yeah.

So we end up doing that by showing him the girl. Hey, bro, you come meet the. So we lure him out and he, because he wants to see the girl. And then that, that allows the Mexicans to identify him and his house. They run a search warrant on his house that night. And he's famous. He was famous in Holland for hiding his, his material, his, his child exploitation material. He'll hide it on, like, micro SD cards or thumb drives, you know? you can hide it under tables, carpet places were, and he always, he bragged to me when we were talking saying, the Dutch didn't get the best stuff I had.

You mean like the content that he was filming?

Yeah, or getting from other sources, like children being raped.

Oh my God.

'Cause they love this stuff. Like they just, they get, they just like their collection. Oh my gosh. So another miracle was, so one of the programs, I think you may be aware of, we have these dogs that we have these canines and they're sniffers, right? And just like a drug dog or a bomb dog, but these dogs can sniff out digital media. It's incredible. There's a little glue component in every microchip. And they can smell it. And we train them to smell it. It's unbelievable. Yeah, they're heroes, these dogs. And we have about, I think, 80 plus percent of the dogs employed in this are from us. We're kind of the pioneers in this. And we get these dogs and we give them to law enforcement. So they take them on the warrants where they're looking for pedophiles and it's.

Like, find the stuff.

So these dogs are killing it. They're amazing. They're finding all this data everywhere. Yeah, they're amazing. And sometimes the only evidence that exists that a child might be getting hurt is on some micro SD card under a carpet. That dog's gonna find it. That's unbelievable. Yeah, they're beautiful animals. And they just signal us. Sometimes they tap, they sit down on all fours. I showed you a video before we got in here. You see the dog that's running the house? That was the dog in Mexico. So when the Mexicans ran his house, as it turned out, another miracle, okay, six months ago, before this happened, and this was in June, this was in June 5th of this year, we're in Mexico City, and there's press all about this. You can Google this and people can find, look at the whole story. But it just so happened that six months prior to that, one of our officers decided that the next dog we're gonna train, we're gonna keep, so that we can deploy rapidly. There had been no dogs international yet that we knew of. And so this dog HeDo, this little two-year-old black lab, Right? Had just graduated from our program like a week before this operation. Training school, yeah.

Done.

He's right there. He's in Thailand kicking butt right now.

Wow.

That's amazing. But he flies down to Mexico with his handler, who's one of my operators. Oh my gosh. And they hit the house, he finds four little, four hidden devices. No way.

Yeah, he goes out on all four.

When he finds something. That's incredible. And then they pull it out, they find it, here it is.

So this guy's done. Like he's done. So you were there with this guy and the girl, the Ukrainian girl, right? And you were there, you lure him out of his house or what happened?

Yeah, he was gonna come to a party. I set up a party for him.

He said, I got a girl, the girl is gonna be there. Come see the girl.

Meet her. And so he came. Yeah, and the Mexicans are everywhere. They're set up. Now here's the important part of this story, 'cause this is not even the biggest hit yet. So we wanna find his lieutenants. Oh my God. 'Cause you fled with your other political activists. Where are they? So we actually set the scene up to bring him up to the hotel room, it was a suite, and we knew he wouldn't talk to us. So we're just like, why wouldn't he talk to you? oh, he's scared to death.

But he would come to the party.

But he wouldn't say hi. yeah, he would just like, say a little bit. this guy's the most wanted pedophile in the world and he knows it, right? He's running. He's hiding in Mexico City. So we got him to come out only because I showed him pictures, I did FaceTime, I showed the girl on FaceTime while we're in, look, we're in Mexico. Come tomorrow. So we got him like, this has to be real. This has to be real. I mean, I got this long hair, you know, I got, again, I look so real. I got tattoos all over my body, you know, they're Hannah tattoos, you know? Yeah, yeah. And so he shows up, but the one question I need to ask him is, where's Martine and Leslie? 'Cause he knows I- He's partners. 'Cause he's public, he's a public figure. So it wouldn't surprise him that, hey, if I'm gonna go into business with you, You know, I've Googled you, bro. You know, I've looked into you. But I can only ask that question one time.

You can't keep asking.

Yeah. Because-- He's getting suspicious. This guy wouldn't-- yeah. So I wait, and we set this whole thing up. I got a hotel near a big park in Mexico City because I waited and we hung out, had lunch. I said, Hey, let's go down and see the girl. She's down in the park. She FaceTimed us from the park. And there's a monument over there so he could tell it was the same-- she was that-- downstairs. So once we get downstairs, he does exactly what I hope. Because right when we get downstairs, he looks at me and he's like, I now know you're not a cop. Wow. Because he's like, you would have arrested me up there. I'm like, what are you talking about? I'm like, it's exactly what I wanted.

And then he goes the next step.

And he says to me... He said you would arrest me up there? Yeah, because I would have.

He knows he's smart. If I was a cop, why would I bring him to the park?

Why would he put himself in a.

Position where he if he thinks you're a cop, why would he even show up?

Because he wanted that girl. He wanted, it was worth the risk. It was worth the risk.

For you to sell her the girl essentially, so that he could sell her over and over.

Exactly. And maybe and have sex with her. Oh my god. And rape her also, right? So he takes the risk. But once we're in the park, he also says to me, and I also now know you're not an assassin from Holland. And I said, you thought that was even a possibility? He's like, well yeah, They want me, man. But I know you would have killed me up there. You can't kill me down here. There's too many people around. But this is exactly where I wanted him.

I set it up this way. Are you filming this too?

Yeah, audio or something? Yeah, this is, you got cameras. Yeah. And also there's cops everywhere in the park. Oh my God. Because they knew that I was gonna ask this question. And they just said, Take as long as you want. If he runs, we'll catch him. He won't run. Right, right, right. And then I asked the question. I said, so where are those boys, Martina and Leslie? They seem like cool dudes. He's like, oh yeah, you read about them? Like, yeah. He's like, you know, they're actually running a sex hotel. Oh my gosh, he says this. Yes. But this is why he's, because he.

Just got this emotional release.

Now he feels better. He can be honest now. I'm real, right? He's like, they're in a sex hotel running. I'm like, you gotta be kidding me. And I'm just going, oh my gosh, like this is a bigger hit than they're bigger than you, all of a sudden. So I said, you know, can I go with you? He's like, no, I don't know you well enough. I said, have you even been there? He's like, yeah, I spent a couple months there. He doesn't really, but I know. That night, we're going into your house, I'll get your passport. I will know what country you are in. So I said, well, how long were you there? Like two months, I was a bartender at the hotel. I'm like, okay, well, the country's locked up because you have a passport. And he wouldn't tell me much more than that.

And at that point, I knew we.

Had to get out of there. Yeah, you never asked more to him. Right. So I peeled off. At that point, like, Hey, gotta take a phone call, which was the sign.

And then we have the footage, right?

We were like-- and he's with the girl at this point or no? No, we never let him get to her. Oh, wow. Right? And then the cops just start coming out of the trees. Because when I go off like this, that was like, now is the time. And he just like, before he doesn't even know what hit him. He just, it's over.

And what's up, we have, it's all filmed.

You know, he's the guy with the red hair, you see him in the video. Cops are just surrounding him. Yeah, it's an arrest. Yeah. So then we, the dog goes in, you know, finds the four devices. The next day, the attorney general talks about HIDe the dog. He's the most famous dog in Mexico to this day. He was on the front page of every news outlet. That's amazing. Yeah, this little dog that like just.

Saved the day, you know?

So he had an O-U-R jacket on, you know? Amazing, man. Super cool. They're called ESD dogs, electronic, electronic, storage device dogs.

Electronic storage device canines.

Wow.

And so the Hidden War then, is how does that connect to the hidden war?

Well, can I tell you when we go to Ecuador? Yeah. Because this is where I'll get to the more, because it hits the United States eventually. That's the scary part about this and the important part. Because this is a pedophile network that's kind of all over.

They're all connected.

They're all connected, all talking.

From all over the world.

From all over the world and from inside the United States as well. So our intel unit goes in and looks like, okay, We got the passport two months he was in Ecuador. So the hotel is somewhere in Ecuador. Where? Well, our intel guys are open source OSINT guys, you know, they go and they find they messed up one time. There was an ad in a little village in Canoa, Ecuador. There was a big earthquake in 2016, very vulnerable population, single parent homes, and that's exactly where a pedophile would go hang out. There was one ad for like this boutique hotel in Canoa, and it's put on by, it just says Leslie. Like one time it says Leslie. He screwed up, put a name, but that's all it says. 50-50 chance, whatever. We call it Ecuadorian police. Super tight connections with those guys. Homeland Security, our U.S. Embassy supports it. They rush out to the village on the beach and they set up on the hotel that's in the ad. Within one hour, both those guys wear their heads around, looking, just casually come out and there's little boys in the house. Oh. And then this other dude comes out of the house, okay, we're like, oh my gosh, that's the fourth guy we would have looked for. He was visiting as a tourist with another dude. Crazy. And this is so important because it was in a kind of a part of it was being remodeled. I just got word literally this morning from the prosecutor down in Ecuador. He's like, bro, I don't even know we found out. These guys were launching in a huge They were gonna finish that up and it was gonna be like pedophiles everywhere. You wanna have your little boys come on down here. It's very obscure, there's not much. Yeah. So this guy who comes out of the house, okay, 'cause we're going to the judge, like, Judge, you gotta get us a warrant. We gotta get in. He's like, I don't have enough, get me more, get me more. And it was that same day this guy leaves. What are the chances? He leaves the first day we get eyes on the place. He gets on a plane, we've tracked him to Miami. He's coming probably to set something up here, 'cause they're gonna set up a bunch of hotels. He comes to Miami, we call him on security. That's who I used to work for. They pick him up, do a full forensic on his computer, and they find all this evidence, right, of child sex. So he gets sent back to Holland, there's a warrant for him waiting in Holland. So he's gone, we got him caught, and then that gave us the evidence we needed, 'cause the machines came out of the house into Miami, so the judge is like, Done, warrant. Boom, you saw the footage, right? Knocked down the doors, and then the guys get arrested, and then all these kids and their families start emerging onto the streets. And it was-- Wow. It was-- we had child forensic interviewers ready in case this happened. We've counted somewhere between 300 and 400 kids were likely sexually abused over the two years those guys were there. And all their kids, the kids are coming, sobbing, telling their parents. The parents were like, what is going on? The Dutch uncles, they had Xbox, they had games, they had candy. And they bring kids in every day.

Oh my gosh, man.

I've never seen anything like this. We actually built an aftercare home in the village. Just to take care of hundreds of kids. We feed them because you got to take care of those basic needs first. It's the vulnerability always that begins with the problem. And then they're going through their therapy and all this. We end up going to the president of Ecuador's home. It's this big deal, right? Now we're friends with them and we're helping. My wife and I are working directly with the first lady to help one. adoptions. And so it's this amazing thing that's happening. But you know, what's scary and where Americans need to wake up, we call this the hidden war because the overt war is what I just told you. The hidden war is who in the hell are these guys? I mean, they're going online and saying, kill who you are if you ever wanna have sex with kids. Like this used to be very closet. It's not, they're coming out now and talking. And what's scary right now is happening is we studied the kind of the, these guys are a political party, so they have like literature, their policy platforms, and the things they want. They want kids to have access to lots of sex material. They want kids to have, you know, they talk about like separating parents from kids. Like don't let the parents get in the way and how to do that.

Wow.

All sorts of things.

For someone that is hearing this and they didn't know the weight of just the sex trafficking world and how big it was and how big it is and where it could be going if we don't do anything to stop it. And it feels daunting to them. What can they do to get involved in some way in supporting ending sex trafficking? What's the first step? How can they learn more? Where can they go on your site to get more information about what governments are doing?

Yeah. So it's a super dark world, which is why so many just want to turn a blind eye. And that's why I'm so grateful for you, Louis, because you're a very prominent person in the media, public figure that's not afraid. Most are afraid to talk about it because I've seen that they say, Tim, my place is a place of light. Like, I don't want to bring darkness to my people. And it's like, no, no, no, no. You're going to bring light to the darkness, right? But you, I mean, you've been a supporter and you've donated so much money. Of course, man. You brought so many people, so thank you for being brave enough to even talk about this. And it's so important. And the good news about, you know, what we can show people is we actually have a solution. We're not just gonna wave some dark flag of, you know, of horror and terror. We will tell you what it is, but we're gonna tell you we will go anywhere and we know how to go there. We have partners all over. I mean, this case I just told you, In four months, we pull all that off and we can do it again. And it's, we're training law enforcement, empowering law enforcement, moving rapidly and getting kids out. And so if you come visit us at ourrescue.org and learn, there's videos, there's content, we have materials that help you to identify human trafficking or exploitation that might be happening in your own community, in your own home. So we have trainings and then you can participate in the rescue and rehabilitation by supporting supporting our teams around the world.

Wow. So, ourrescue.org, and I think there's also another thing about the Hidden War.

Yeah, the Hidden War was this crazy case that's ongoing. It's been through all these countries. So, if you want to learn more about that specifically, and if you want to contribute directly to this important mission of this particular war that's infiltrating the United States and everywhere else, it's ourrescue.org, and then slash, Hidden War. Yes. And we have a brand new trailer. It's coming out explaining this and we're actually gonna, we're gonna launch it when your show launches.

It's amazing, man. You're a hero, Tim. I appreciate you, man.

Thank you.

I acknowledge you for how you are so committed to this. And I know, you know, I've seen you off camera and I've seen you on camera and I know how challenging it is to take on the weight of it. You know, the responsibility of the weight to psychologically shift yourself and be in on these rescues and acts like, you know, you're in as a pedophile and then be with your family. There's got to be a lot of pressure and weight because the mission is so big and it's so dark. So I really acknowledge you for your incredible big heart on how you just keep showing up for so many kids because there's so many kids that don't have hope. And for you to be able to be out there and your team's out there, It really inspires me that there could be a stop to this one day, that there is a solution and you guys are doing everything in your power. I almost feel like you're doing too much and you need to take a break sometimes and take a rest and take care of yourself. Because I can see sometimes how it can feel so overwhelming for you. But I just acknowledge you for the call to service that you continue to show up and use yourself, your skills, your talents, your voice to be of service to help so many kids that don't have the ability to help themselves. Maine, where life the way it should be transforms all who encounter its spectacular landscapes. Rugged coastlines, pine-scented trails, sandy beaches, sparkling lakes, and tranquil forests inspire you to reflect and make meaningful moments. They offer endless opportunities for adventure and exploration. Whether peddling or paddling, hiking or biking, Maine has more than enough outdoor spaces to make the most of long summer days. Relish in exquisite flavors harvested from the ocean and the rich soils of orchards and fields. Maine's makers are rooted in its heritage while boldly branching into new ways of thinking, doing, and being. Connect with its people in warm and authentic towns, which beckon you to stroll art galleries and locally owned shops. Where generations of artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and craftspeople see, The world anew. It's tempting to do it all when you visit, but take a beat and a breath. Get a feel for the time and tempo of Maine. Simple pleasures, scenic adventures, where every route is the scenic one. Discover more@visitmaine.com Haven't you heard? The newest fashion trend is finding clothes that feel good and last. And that's where Quince comes in. Their lightweight layers and high-quality staples will become your new everyday essentials. Quint's has all the things you actually want to wear, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, and pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. Everything I have from Quint's is such good quality and it's so comfortable. And the best part, everything with Quint's is priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find at similar brands. By working directly with top artisans and cutting out the middlemen, Quince gives you luxury pieces without the crazy markups, and Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to quince.com/lewis for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's q-u-i-n-c-e.com/lewis to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com/lewis. These are our most vulnerable people in the world, and I really acknowledge you, man. You're a real hero, so I appreciate it.

You're so kind and thank you. You know, I always tell, this is the truth about fighting slavery of any kind. It's, you know, we can get thousands out, right? But, you know, when Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe for the first time, he was a great abolitionist along with Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, and they got really loud, right? and he said to her, he didn't take the credit for the end of slavery, and he doesn't deserve all the credit, frankly. He doesn't deserve most of the credit, and I love him, but he even said to her, you,'re the lady that wrote the book that started this war. Wow. There has to be that loud voice, and I always say the storytellers like you, you're the actual heroes, we can only rescue a certain amount, it's the storytellers that move the entire community, that move the needle, that bring the masses and stand up. And that's the light that this, the darkness of human trafficking cannot withstand. So I thank you for being a light and being a constant friend to this cause, man. Thank you. Thank you, man.

I'm excited, man. I want to continue to support you. We've supported you. We want to keep supporting you. Ever since I heard your talk at Tony Robbins' event, I think it was two years ago, almost three years ago now, because I think it was January, February 2020. That's right. That's correct, yeah. Almost three years ago is when I first heard about you. and heard your speech and I was just like, it spoke to me. You know, it was, it wasn't something that happened to me, but through sexual abuse, it's kind of related to me in a sense that I know what it feels like to be vulnerable and be taken advantage of sexually as a little boy. And I can only imagine the pain and trauma and suffering of being sold by a stranger or being sold by your own parents, not once, but over and over and over again. And so the pain that I felt was just, you know, I could only think times a thousand what these children are going through, the suffering. And so the fact that this is your mission and your wife is fully on board where you're probably gone half the year, you know, out serving and in dangerous scenarios is just a I really honor and acknowledge both of you. And I got to meet her at the last AOR event.

Can I say something about her?

Yeah.

Real quick. I wouldn't have done this without her. I was a total wimp. And when I had to either do the case or I had to quit my job to do these operations, right? And that's what started O.U.R. It's like, I got shut down because of jurisdiction, but I was this close. And it was her that said to me, when I said, I'll do it, I'll do it. And then the money started coming in. I was like, Wait, I'm not gonna actually do it. And I remember she grabbed me and she's like, I will not let you jeopardize my salvation by not doing this. And so when you say, like, you know, she sends me out, I'm gone half the year, it's true. Probably more than half the year. But it's, she's the one who says, if you don't do this, I don't know what blessings I won't get to help raise my kids. So that's her mentality. Like, she's like, you've got to keep going. And it was her, if you remember, when I started that, she's the one who said, you've got to go to Ukraine. And she didn't even know why. But after the four months and the crazy, all these countries and 400 kids Ecuador and kids in Mexico and in the U.S. being affected. I remember I was back decompressing, sitting on the couch, and she's doing all this stuff for the kids, and I just started sobbing because I looked over at her and I was just like, oh my gosh, that's why you sent me to Ukraine. God sees these kids in Kanoa that no one's looking for, and all he knows he has to is touch this daughter of his, and even if she can't understand why, but she knows she has to send her husband, which is, I mean, that's a way more difficult sacrifice than going in the action is easy compared to like, can you imagine? I'm responsible if the father of my children is killed by a Russian missile? Like, I don't know how you do, I couldn't do it. But in the end, I got to go back to, even this morning, I woke up this morning in Utah before I came down here, right? And I sent her this morning, 'cause I just got that news from the prosecutor. I said, Katherine, look, They discovered that these guys were about to launch a whole sex tourist hotel, and the prosecutor said, thousands of children will not be raped because you guys took that place down. I said, Katherine, look, all because God talked and you did it. You sent me to Ukraine. Who knew it ended in Ecuador, but that's what you were, 'cause she said, I didn't know why I was sending you. It didn't make any sense. Those 12 kids, I knew you weren't gonna get 'em, but she said, I knew something would happen. And so she really is, she is the unsung hero in this, because none of it would have happened and now thousands, thousands of kids have been rescued. Or when you look at the amount of arrests, the studies that show up to 100 kids will be hurt by one of these guys. So preventative, kids that were rescued that never knew they were rescued.

Oh my gosh.

And I'm telling Catherine, this is that this is because of you because you were willing to do the thing that was impossible.

The courageous.

Yeah. Like forced me to leave my secure job. We didn't have money. I had no savings. Are you kidding me? I'm the provider here and she's like, I don't care. She says, I don't care if we end up in a tent, you know, on a beach somewhere. Like, you have to do this, you know? And then the same courage to send us to Ukraine. And I just, I just, she doesn't care about being recognized. In fact, it makes her uncomfortable, but I just have to say that she is the one that makes this happen. That's beautiful, man.

Well, I want people to go to OUrRescue.org, make sure you guys go there. We'll have it all linked up and all the, we'll put some of these videos that you'll send me in the video and link them up to your website everywhere. If you guys want to learn more, that's the best place. You're all over social media. updating people about what's happening as well so they can follow you on social media. You do have this book as well that shares more about it, Slaves, Stealers.

This tells the whole story of how we started.

True accounts of slave rescues then and now. So if you guys want to learn more about how it got started, this is an amazing place to get started on this book. So check it out. We'll link this up as well. Tim, I'm grateful for you, man. I want to ask you one final question. And I think I asked you this before, but I'm curious your response now about a year and a half later. It's called the three truths questions hypothetical scenario. So imagine you live as long as you want to live. You can live 100, 200, as old as you want to be on this earth. And you accomplish everything you want to accomplish in your life. You live the life you want to from here moving forward. You see it all happen. But for whatever reason, you've got to take all of your written work, this interview, any videos that you have, any content that you've created out there in the world, it's got to go with you to the next place. So we don't have your information anymore of your written word, your audio, your voice, or any videos of you. But you get to leave behind three things you know to be true, three lessons that you would share with the world. And this is all we would have to remember your wisdom are these three things. What would be those three truths for you?

For me, I think number one would have to be that faith is Faith is clarity. And I don't, everyone has their own idea of what that means, a higher power, right? Faith in that is clarity. The world is so crazy and chaotic and confusing and it's like, how do you even know it's true? I can't trust any source anymore. And I have to learn this because I'm trying to find children. I have this desire and it's like, I gotta cut through the crap and find the truth. that truth leads me to a kid, then I've learned that if I don't turn to that higher source, I'm totally lost. And I won't be able to make it because I'll be crushed spiritually, emotionally. So to me, I say faith is clarity, faith is the answer. Like trust that. I don't care if someone calls it their gut, everyone can call it whatever they want, but that intuition has been right almost all the time. Yeah. Or marry someone that has it. Or have a good friend that has that piece. Two, I think we underestimate the power of service. I think service turns the lights on. Again, we all have darkness. Everyone's dealing with it in some form. But there's a special thing that happens when you serve somebody. It's just, it makes you feel, I mean, just think about when you're on the street, and someone says, Hey, where's Jones Avenue? And you just take two minutes and tell them, you feel good. And you almost like, why did that feel good? I hope they get there. In fact, shouldn't go fall, like you want, that's what it is. It's a light that turns on. And it's actually, actually Tony Robbins taught me this, but when you serve and pray and meditate any of those things, your brain literally releases a beautiful chemical cocktail that actually makes you feel good. And then the studies go on to say that people who have that chemical reaction tend to be people that display things like extra courage and extra creativity and extra love. And it's interesting because it's not that the chemicals do that, because they've tried to counterfeit those drugs and it doesn't do that. But what happens, it prepares your heart, it prepares your your body and your soul to open up. And then the higher power stuff, because how else can you get love really and creativity? That's an outer worldly kind of thing that comes to you, creativity, courage, love, and but you can get it through serving. It's like God has set something up in your body that connects to the higher source, right? And so service is the key to me. If I'm feeling down, I remember I went through something horrible, in 2020, like just horrible, just this injustice completely that was happening to me and my family. And what I didn't know, what do I do? What do I do? I'm gonna go into Mexico and just go undercover and find kids. And it was the only way I was gonna survive this. And today we have one of our best offices in that region and we've done many, many, including the little boy I just told you about earlier. He's in that region where I went. team and now we have an office. And it was the only thing that even got me out of the, just from drowning. But it did. Serving people is magical. And it heals, it's healing. It is. You know, it does so much. And if we were all doing it, we would eliminate all the problems. We wouldn't be going to war and we would just be loving each other, you know?

That's it. Yeah. Service.

So service.

The third thing.

The third thing. A third thing I would say is the power of forgiveness. I've had to deal with that on many fronts. Like, I see people that hurt kids all the time. And if you let yourself... It's a poison. It's a poison. It will kill you. And just forgiving someone else and it's hard sometimes, right? It's the craziest thing, human trafficking became politicized somehow a couple years ago. And so it just became this weird time and just you were open season if you were, I came in a crazy attack as part of that thing in 2020. It was like, just lies, because I guess anyone who gets out, and you're just exposed to it, and it's hard enough that I'm almost widowing my wife and orphaning my kids. And then I get to come home to lies and, you know, former employees were just lying, you know, and because they got fired for cause and it's just a lot of crap. And if you don't forgive, you're gonna be just, you know, along with the service, just forgive people. Like love them. You can love anyone if you, you know, just try to love them, you know, pray to love, pray for the feeling, but forgiveness is liberating. rating. Yes. And, and I, you're just not going to work. You're not going to be able to serve anything. So I guess those are the three most important things.

Tim, you're amazing, man. I appreciate you. Thanks again for coming on and sharing, brother. Appreciate it, man. I hope today's episode inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a rundown of today's show with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me as well. add free listening experience. Make sure to subscribe to our Greatness Plus channel on Apple podcast. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple podcast and let me know what you learned over on our social media channels at Lewis Howes. I really love hearing the feedback from you and it helps us continue to make the show better. And if you want more inspiration from our world class guests and content, to learn how to improve the quality of your life, then make sure to sign up for the Greatness Newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com/newsletter. And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great. Hey, everybody, Ted Danson here to tell you about my podcast with my longtime friend and sometimes co-host Woody Harrelson. It's called Where Everybody Knows yous Name, and we're back for another season. I'm so excited to be joined this season by friends like John Mulaney, David Spade, Sarah Silverman, Ed Helms, and many more. You don't want to miss it. Listen to where everybody knows your name with me, Ted Danson, and Woody Harrelson. Sometimes, wherever you get your podcasts. At Capella University, you can learn at.

Your own pace with our FlexPath learning format.

Take one or two courses at a time and complete as many as you.

Can in a 12-week billing session.

With FlexPath, you can finish the bachelor's degree you started in 19 months and under $19,000.

A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella.edu.

Fastest 25% of students. Cost varies by pace, transfer credits, and other factors.

Fees apply.