“How’d you get in? Is there another friendly inside Yeong’s organizational structure?”
Wilson finally spoke up. “Look, we’re getting way beyond ‘need-to-know’ here. Gabe was hired for Yeong’s personal security detail in Hong Kong because friends of ours arranged to have a couple of Yeong’s goons arrested. Yeong is an officer of the DPRK Ministry of State Security. He is a graduate of the Kumsong Political Military University in Pyongyang. From what we know, Park has a similar background. Gabe was hired by the Ministry of State Security to fill one of the unexpected vacancies in Yeong’s travel team.”
For a moment Jake said nothing, then turned to Gabe and said, “DPRK Ministry of State Security. So you’re a NOC,” the CIA term for an operative working under non-official cover. Most American intelligence officers work from U.S. diplomatic missions under official cover — with titles like “trade counsel” or “economic advisor”—complete with black passports and diplomatic immunity. NOCs have no such protection. As they say in the business, “You get caught spying with diplomatic immunity you get deported. NOCs who get caught spying get decapitated.”
Gabe smiled. “Yeah, I’m a NOC.”
“And your backstopping is secure?”
Wilson huffed, “This has gone far enough! Our backstops for Gabe are just fine. Your concern is noted. Need I remind you, we’re in the business of creating legends.”
“Thanks for that,” said Jake dryly. Turning back to Gabe, he continued, “We don’t need to know each other’s backstory, but it’s good for us both to know there is another ‘friendly’ downrange if someone starts throwing live ordnance.”
“Right,” Gabe replied with a smile. “There is something else that may be helpful,” he added. “Are you familiar with Office 39?”
“No,” answered Jake.
“Office 39 is a secret agency within the North Korean government — separate from the Ministry of State Security. It answers directly to Kim Jong Un and provides money for the Great Successor to run his mafia-like criminal enterprise. Office 39 is responsible for the production and distribution of the Supernotes, the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes, clothing, and pharmaceuticals, as well as the distribution of heroin and crystal meth. Revenues from these activities fund terrorism and WMD research and development.
“In the DPRK, grass is a vegetable. It’s a country totally dependent on international aid to feed its people. Yet the government pours hundreds of millions of dollars into terror and weapons of mass destruction, which eventually become revenue generators themselves. But the ‘seed capital’ has to come from somewhere—”
“That ‘somewhere’ is the illegal contraband you’ve seen so far in this UC assignment,” interjected Knox.
“Sounds like a well-oiled criminal conspiracy,” said Jake.
Gabe nodded. “It is, and Yeong gets his share of the grease. As ADIC Knox just said, crime is an integral part of North Korea’s economy. By some estimates Office 39 brings in more than a billion dollars a year.”
“I guess that makes Yeong a worthy target,” said Jake.
“And Park,” said Gabe.
“Let me see what I can do,” said Jake, starting toward the door. “Nice to know you’ll have my six when I’m out there.”
Gabe slowly nodded, then to Wilson he said, “I think we owe him the rest.”
“The rest of what?” said Jake, stopping abruptly, anger seeping through the words.
Wilson nodded.
Gabe said, “I’ve had trouble penetrating beyond the gunsel role in Yeong’s organization. The only other inside person we had on this side of the Pacific was killed earlier this week in his home in Beverly Hills.”
“That sounds like Cho Hee Sun, known as ‘Sonny’ out here,” said Jake.
“How do you know?” shot Wilson in a tone that sounded to Jake as if he was being accused of Sonny’s untimely demise.
“I know I’m only an FBI agent and not some CIA superspy, but the Bureau has a new requirement. We now have to be able to read before the FBI will hire us. And guess what, Wilson, it was in the L.A. Times, and Sonny’s enemies and friends have been discussing his unfortunate end all over town since it happened.”
Gabe intervened. “We were told the murder looks like a contract job. Nothing was taken. He was shot through the door. Apparently, no one even broke into his house — before or after he was killed. Does that square with what you know?”
“Yep. So far that’s what I’ve heard. But what was Sonny’s role in all this?” asked Jake.
“His brother in Hong Kong used family connections in Pyongyang to get me hired on with Henry Yeong’s security detail.”
“Sonny’s brother in Hong Kong works for us?” asked Jake.
At this, Olivia Knox motioned for Robert Bauer, the Secret Service SAC, to join them. As Bauer approached she said, “Bob, tell Jake about his recently deceased friend, Sonny.”
Bauer shrugged and said, “Cho Hee Sun worked for us. He was a U.S. Secret Service informant. We actually recruited the brother in Hong Kong first. Thanks to information the brother provided from Hong Kong and North Korea, we jammed Sonny up on counterfeit securities he was pushing here in the States.”
Jake threw up his hands in frustration and turned to Olivia Knox. “When were you going to clue me in on all this? Had Reid not paid me off in Supernotes, I can only assume I’d still be out in the cold, running around with informants getting whacked, spies inside the organization, and me and my ass hanging out like some donkey waiting for anyone to pin on the tail. This is like a sing-along with no words. You guys are truly amazing.”
No one spoke.
Jake looked at Trey. “Did you know about any of this?”
Trey shook his head and the undercover agent believed him.
Jake took a long breath, shook his head, looked at Gabe, and said calmly, “So you’re one degree from removal.”
“It looks that way.”
“One last question — Marine-to-Marine. You mentioned that you accompanied Yeong to Kish Island. What was he doing there?”
“I don’t know exactly,” answered Gabe. “It was a big hush-hush, three-day powwow with about fifty big shots from Pyongyang and twice as many Iranians. Not all of them were towel-heads. Some were IRGC.”
“Was Park there?” Jake asked.
“If he was, I didn’t see him. We’ve identified about half of those I could get images of using the AV recording device I was wearing. Seems like at Kish on both sides a lot of them were nuclear scientists, missile engineers, and—”
“That’s enough!” Wilson interrupted. “This conversation is superfluous to the purpose of this meeting and I insist we wrap it up. Now!”
Olivia Knox nodded, looked at her watch, and said, “That’s right. Recess is over, boys. Time to get back to work.”
As the gaggle moved toward the door, Jake edged up to Gabe and whispered, “Watch yourself. Somebody is playing for keeps and the stakes in this card game are pretty high.”
Gabe nodded. He didn’t know it, but he’d been dealt a bad hand.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Tommy Hwan and two members of Park’s crew were almost done loading boxes of counterfeit Rolex watches into the back of an old Ford Expedition. The SUV was packed and if Tommy was successful at entering the merchandise into the stream of commerce, as he had so many times in the past, a lot of people paying a discounted price for a Submariner or Oyster Perpetual Date Sea Dweller would be dumping good money into the coffers of Office 39 in the DPRK.
Most of Tommy’s imports would be sold on the street or online. The majority of consumers would know the watch was a knockoff because of the price and would actually prefer the cheaper counterfeit, hoping to fool their friends. Others would pay close to full price only to learn the return policy from the online vendor didn’t fulfill the Better Business Bureau truth-in-selling requirements.