English: Photograph of the head of Johnny Depp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to introduce you to the cast of characters in my forthcoming book about my years as a drug smuggler and then a confidential informant for the DEA. (To protect their identity their names have been changed.)

“Johnny” was one of my two handlers at the DEA. That means he was responsible for supervising me. He really took me under his wing and wanted me to succeed. That may sound funny to you, but it’s true.

I always want to do my best no matter who I am working with. Johnny saw that in me, and he and everyone at the DEA really showed me how to be a better man. I’m grateful to them for that.

Johnny is an undercover agent. He’s the guy who wears a ski mask when the
news cameras come out to hide his identity.

The ladies loved Johnny, because he looked like the actor Johnny Depp, but he was a loyal family man. He liked the heat of the moment, the action. He was confident, street smart, well trained. He was as serious as you can be, but he was a prankster as well.

I once asked him, “Why the pranks?”

He said, “Our job is very dangerous. Humor makes the moment more bearable!”

Excerpted from the forthcoming memoir, The Baggage Handler.