Where is the former federal agent today?

In The Infiltrator, the spotlight shines true story special customs agent Robert Mazur, who took it upon himself to uncover the money-laundering schemes used by the Medellín drug cartel, posing as gang-linked businessman Robert Musella. The subterfuge is necessary to penetrate the criminal world, and also exposes the dirty actions of another organization – a private international bank. However, the big operation required teamwork behind the scenes, as Mazur was aided every step of the way by his eccentric partner-in-crime, Emir Abreu.

Emir Abreu was a key undercover agent in Operation C-Chase

While most are familiar with Robert Mazur’s role in bringing down critical members of the Medellin drug cartel, not much attention is paid to the other members of the US Customs team involved in the operation known as “Operation C-Chase.” For the uninitiated, C-Chase was a plan to infiltrate the ranks of the Medellin drug cartel, led by the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. Mazur noted that more than 250 law enforcement officers around the world had to play their part in the major special operation. To that end, a special mention should go to Emir Abreu, Mazur’s partner during the intense undercover affair. A native of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Abreu became Mazur’s professional partner and friend when the pair worked closely together in an undercover operation that began in the 1980s.

In 1987, Mazur and Abreu arranged a series of meetings with cartel members at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, California to slowly infiltrate the Medellin Group’s sanctuary. A few months later, Operation C-Chase culminated on October 6, 1988, in a key takeover when drug cartel and bank members were caught in one fell swoop at a staged wedding. Emir Abreu played an important role in this whole case from the very beginning because, like Robert Mazur, he went undercover as Emilio Dominguez to gain the trust of the targeted crime syndicates. Mazur described him as a cheerful person with a keen eye for pranking other people. Another of his key skills was his ability to read people, as well as his “street smarts”.

Emir Abreu was delighted with the adaptation of “Undercover Operations”.

After participating in and ending Operation C-Chase, Emir Abreu continued to work as a federal Customs Service agent for several years before retiring in 1995. Robert Mazur described him in his memoir, The Infiltrator, which is the basis of the 2016 film of the same name, as a highly skilled operative in undercover scenarios due to his ability to rely on hands-on experience rather than a book basis. Unlike Mazur, he was much more intuitive in his work, while the former preferred a more scrupulous and careful approach. Surprisingly, when the film version of Mazur’s non-fiction book was in development, Abreu raised the issue of having John Leguizamo play him before the casting process even began.

Later, when Leguizamo confirmed the role, Mazur was delighted, as Abreu had already shown his trust in the actor. Abreu also met the actor while filming the movie in 2015, playing a practical joke where he pretended to be arrested by airport customs for possession of some banned substances. According to Leguizamo, that made it clear how much Abreu compared to Mazur. “Bob and Emir are a good couple. Bob is an ex-accountant and Emir is this crazy, unpredictable guy who likes to throw people around all the time,” Leguizamo said in an interview. He remained unknown for many years, but is probably still a friend of Robert Mazur, who considers him a brother for life. As of 2015, the former federal agent is retired and lives in Tampa, Florida.

More details: The best thrillers on Netflix