Drug Smuggler vs. DEA Handler
What You'll Learn
A Smuggler’s Perspective on the Mind Games, Power Plays, and Strategic Moves in High-Stakes Informant Relationships
What happens after you flip a high-level smuggler?
That’s when the real battle begins. This 6–8 hour advanced course pulls back the curtain on what most law enforcement officers never get to see: the psychological and tactical power struggle between a confidential informant and their DEA handler.
Taught by former high-level smuggler turned prolific DEA informant Richard W. Laferriere, this course explores the complex relationship between the criminal and the case agent—and why not all informants are created equal.
If you’ve ever handled a CI, or plan to, this class will challenge the way you view cooperation, loyalty, trust, and leverage.
Course Overview
This course doesn’t just tell war stories, it gives actionable insight into one of the most misunderstood dynamics in federal investigations: the handler-informant relationship. You’ll learn how smugglers view their handlers, how they test boundaries, manipulate situations, and what it really takes to keep a CI compliant, engaged, and productive.
We’ll cover:
- How high-level smugglers psychologically prepare for interrogation
- What motivates a smuggler to cooperate and what keeps them cooperating
- Manipulation tactics used by informants to steer, stall, or sidestep investigations
- The emotional, financial, and tactical leverage used by handlers
- Trust, deception, and power struggles between agents and CIs
- Real case dynamics: how I worked with (and sometimes against) my DEA handlers
- How handlers can protect their informants while still getting what they need
- Operational vulnerabilities: What makes a handler lose control
- Why some CI relationships fall apart and others lead to massive takedowns
What Sets This Course Apart
- Gives a rare inside look at how smugglers and handlers interact
- Focuses on leverage and control strategies from both sides
- Offers deeper insight on informant-handler relationships than other courses
- Shares real cases showing how to protect investigations and gain intelligence
- Provides practical techniques to avoid common CI management mistakes
Wondering Why You Should Trust Us?
Who is Rich Laferriere?
Richard ‘Rich’ Laferriere isn’t your typical law enforcement instructor. For more than 20 years, he operated at the highest levels of drug smuggling, moving over 10 tons of marijuana, 1,200 pounds of cocaine, and millions in cash without detection. After being apprehended, he spent more than a decade as a DEA informant, helping federal agents dismantle major trafficking networks. Rich has authored books on his experiences and has trained thousands of law enforcement officers across the country, sharing the rare firsthand knowledge needed to understand, identify, and dismantle criminal operations. His perspective offers the kind of insight no textbook or traditional instructor can provide.
Topics Covered
- The step-by-step process of flipping a high-level trafficker into a CI
- How handlers build trust and cooperation without losing control
- Common tactics informants use to manipulate, stall, or withhold information
- Best practices for structuring agreements and protecting sensitive intelligence
- Real-world examples of successful and failed informant relationships
- Techniques for balancing operational objectives with CI safety and credibility
Who Should Attend
- DEA and federal agency agents
- Narcotics and gang task force officers
- Interdiction units managing confidential informants
- Criminal investigators who work long-term cases
- Law enforcement trainers seeking real-world CI management insight
Format & Delivery
- 6–8 hour class available in-person (ideal) or via Zoom (with pre-approval)
- Mix of lecture, case examples, and Q&A
- May be scheduled as part of a multi-day training program
Ready to Book This Course?
This class is one of the most advanced in the series. If your team is ready to understand the real power dynamics behind CI work, this course will sharpen your instincts—and your strategy.
Call or Text: 860-338-0667
Email: Rich@coadstraining.com