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Undercover Cop – What Would You Do Next?

Try Your Hand at Being an Undercover Cop

As an undercover cop what would you do given the following situation? It happened to me in real life and the detail of the encounter will be revealed in full in my forthcoming book.  The chapter will also reveal just what happened and the results. I’ll give you a clue – think out of the box!

Undercover cop  police work is dangerous, no more so than when you have infiltrated, like me, close to the top echelons of a major drugs cartel. Possibly one of the largest gangs that ever existed, and the work I did certainly helped result in  one of the largest seizures of drugs by any law enforcement agency anywhere in the world!

Here is the scene. You have been drinking heavily all day long in a pub in a small town. Small but large enough to have three pubs, four churches, and several shops either on the high street or close by. There is also a police station just off the high street.

It has a market square and you are drinking in the pub in that square.

Your undercover cop partner is in your drinking company, as is one of the main targets and dealers in the distribution chain. A man you have got to know well over the months you have spent in your undercover role. His name is Smiles. His buddy, Buzz, is also with your company. By now it is late afternoon and everyone is feeling the effects of a large intake of alcohol.

Suddenly Smiles turns around and his name is called out. It is one of the bartenders who tells Smiles there is a call for him on the public telephone in the pub.

The bartender points over to the small booth at the back of the pub next to the restrooms. Smiles shouts, “Who the fuck is it?”

“Hold on” bartender man responds, and speaks into the mouthpiece of the phone.

“It’s Doug” is the answer to Smiles’ query.

The mention of the name “Doug” is like an electric prod shoved up your ass! Hell man, you are an undercover cop- so no sign of anything at the sound of that name! Stay cool!


Undercover
Undercover – How I appeared in Fake Passport

A week or so earlier, you and your partner have been in a small group briefing with your chief detective in charge of this undercover operation. Small, as it is on a “need to know” basis. There has already been a leak to the Metropolitan Police, in London, who were at that time noted for corruption within certain departments.

You are apprised of the fact that one of Smiles’ couriers is an unknown factor. Little is known about him except that he is bald and a close friend of Smiles. But he is believed to be a”player” and active in the chain of distribution that the squad is piecing together after over a year of painstaking work.

You and your partner are instructed in no uncertain terms to pull out the stops and identify this man.

Oh! And his name is Doug!


 

It is  clear to you  what good friends Smiles and Doug are when eventually the bald man walked into the bar. Hugs and more hugs for each other.

“Pleased to meet you, Doug,” you think,  but dare not utter.

The drinking carries on for another two hours or so owing to Doug now joining the quintet. Yes, quintet, as there is another man there, but he plays no part in anything.

Alcohol soaked stomachs and livers become even more flooded by several rounds of drinks. Normal men would not be thinking straight. You are an undercover cop, so don’t worry – you are not normal!

Buzz and the anonymous man (the fifth part of the quintet) are the first to buckle and leave. Smiles is not far behind leaving only you, your partner and Doug standing. Standing yes, but a tad unsteadily!

This unholy trinity carries on drinking for another two to three hours.

In that time, you discover a lot about Doug and it is all filed away in the brain’s Rolodex. But, it still does not nail him as the “Doug.”

Doug signals his intention to leave. What to do?

Following your earlier briefing, it is apparent that Doug has no serious criminal record. No up to date photograph but his fingerprints are stored away in police files, as a result of some youthful act. Fingerprints do not change with aging.

You are confident that this MUST be the “Doug.” In order to be 100% sure you have to devise a plan to nail him down as definitely being THE  “Doug”.

The trio leaves the pub together and out into the cool mountain air. The cold air magnifies the sense of intoxication. You are by  now racking your brains for a solution to finally identify this bald man as THE “Doug.”

Doug is as drunk as you and your partner. All three of you walk unsteadily towards the high street from the market square. Soon you have to go your own ways or Doug will  become suspicious if not downright paranoid!

You have to make your mind up now! You are the undercover cop so what would YOU do next?

Leave your answers below. If you do not wish for your comments to be attributed to you then please add, “Do not publish my name.”

In addition to the competition below for all my Weekly Newsletter Subscribers, I have decided to also give away a further FREE signed copy of my book. The recipient of that FREE copy will be judged by me as the best and most original answer that is published in response to my question in this post –  

“As an undercover cop what would you do given the following situation? “

COMPETITON RULES

All  subscribers to my Newsletter have a chance to win a signed copy of my forthcoming book and a $50 Amazon voucher* – These are the rules of the competition –

  1. You must be a subscriber to my Newsletter and remain subscribed at the date of the competition.
  2. Closer to publication date, I will publish 3 questions about this blog. You need to answer all 3 questions correctly in order to have a chance of winning.
  3. You will be asked to submit, in no more than 20 words, what qualities it takes to be an undercover detective.
  4. In the event that more than one entrant has all 3 correct answers then I will choose one winner based on the originality of the submission at 3. above.
* The Amazon voucher will be for USD$50. If you live in a country other than the United States, I can not be held responsible for any perceived loss of value when you use that voucher in your Amazon Regional Store. If you reside outside of an Amazon Region then I will not be responsible for any shipping costs incurred in either the shipping of my book or goods purchased with the voucher.

 

 

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18 Comments

  1. Sandy Sandy

    Well, if this is/was a modern day crime situations…obviously you could take drunken selfies in the picturesque London marketplace to commemorate a day of drinking with new ‘friends’… which would solve the lack of photos of this alleged ‘Doug.’

  2. Robert Doyle Robert Doyle

    Ask the bartender…that bloke Doug looks familiar, does he come here with those guys often?

  3. Carol Carol

    I’d make up a “secret” new operation with the promise of a BIG payoff and get him to tell me why I should trust him to do the job. Maybe he’d “brag” about being THE Doug.

    • Wow! I love that idea but I wasn’t smart enough to think of that one 🙂 Thanks for making the effort to think about the post and the question. I have decided to also offer a FREE signed copy of the new book to the author of the best answer. You are in pole position 🙂

  4. Jerry Jerry

    A twist on Carol’s scenario:

    The next day I ran over everything we had on The Doug with my partner. My partner was the one to give me the idea to find out who this Doug really was. He pointed how out clean Doug was to have been into so much. That was when I decided to turn the tables on Doug.

        • Jerry, I’m glad you understand 🙂 It made good reading but way too long for inclusion in the comments section! Your effort was really appreciated. Thank you.

          • Jerry Jerry

            Steve,
            No problem. I’ve been writing screenplays since 1997 and short stories all my life. Sometimes I can’t help myself and let it come out 🙂 Been optioned and sold both.

            I can’t wait to read your book. You see I grew up wanting to be a cop. And of all things, an undercover cop. My favorite cop film was and still is Serpico. As fate would have it I wound up an USAF medic and later a dental hygienist. Go figure.

            I can also tell by reading your post and your story you do not have an ‘ego’ like some writers(?) I’ve encountered, which I appreciate.

            Looking forward to more.

            Cheers
            Jerry

            • Jerry, I appreciate your kind words about me lacking ‘ego’. I feel humble reading that and I suppose that lack of ego must show in my writing. You appreciate as much as anyone, being a screenplay writer and author of short stories, that the artist in a writer laps up compliments. I am no different and that is why I am truly humbled. Funny, my all time favorite cop movie is also Serpico!

    • Hi Debbie! It’s never too late 🙂 I have no plans to publish any more stories like this one. My book is not published yet so you are welcome to post an answer to the question posed in this story. Give it a go!

I would love to hear from you

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