Informant Management Course

What You’ll Learn

A Smuggler’s Perspective on Becoming a Confidential Informant

This isn’t a textbook lecture on criminal justice procedure.
This is what it’s actually like to be flipped and to work with federal agents from the inside.

Taught by Richard W. Laferriere, a former high-level trafficker turned DEA informant, this 4-hour course gives law enforcement officers a rare look into the informant experience from the other side of the table. With over a decade spent cooperating with the DEA, Rich shares exactly how informants think, operate, and navigate the delicate balance between the criminal world and federal task forces.

“Being an informant is a role—and every good role comes with a performance. If you don’t know what that looks like, you’re flying blind.”

Course Overview

This session takes a real-world look at how high-value informants are recruited, managed, and leveraged by law enforcement. Officers will gain insight into what motivates informants to cooperate, how to read their true intentions, and how to maximize the quality of the information they provide.

You’ll learn:

Rich’s path from smuggler to federal CI
How informants are approached, assessed, and flipped
Operational protocols from the informant’s point of view
Case study discussions from Rich’s own experience
Early warning signs an informant is losing motivation, or hiding something
How relationships between informants and agents evolve over time

What Sets This Course Apart

Taught by a former DEA informant with 11+ years of firsthand experience, not just theory
Offers a rare inside look at what motivates informants and how they operate on “both sides”
Focuses specifically on informant management, unlike Rich’s other smuggling-focused courses
Addresses common challenges like manipulation, trust issues, and maintaining control
Uses real case examples to show what works—and what doesn’t, when working with CIs

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

This course covers both the psychological and operational elements of managing confidential informants offering honest insight you won’t get from a procedural manual.

Preparing for a first interrogation and what makes someone decide to talk
Life as a new informant: what it really feels like to join “the other side”
Understanding the power dynamic between agents and informants
Best practices for establishing trust and keeping an informant active
The biggest mistakes law enforcement makes when handling CIs
How to distinguish between loyalty, fear, and manipulation

Who Should Attend

This course is ideal for:

Whether you’ve worked with CIs for years or are preparing for your first case, this training will sharpen your approach with insights from someone who lived both sides.

Format & Delivery

Ready to Book This Course?

Ready to improve how your team manages confidential informants?
This course provides the real-world context most officers never get—and can’t afford to miss.

Call or Text: 860-338-0667
Email: Rich@coadstraining.com