Retired ICE Agent | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

Feb 4, 2026

Eric Balliet, a retired DHS/ICE special agent with 25 years on the line, led high‑stakes wiretap operations and later worked in internal affairs. He recounts border patrol life, hunting cartel figures including the wiretaps that tracked El Chapo, militia violence on the border, problems from rushed ICE hiring, and why he chose to speak out about misconduct.

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ANECDOTE

Chapo's Tunnel Escape And The Band Reassemble

Balliet describes shock and frustration when El Chapo escaped Altiplano prison in 2015, comparing it to a slap in the face to law enforcement.
He helped reassemble the original team to renew the manhunt.

ANECDOTE

Penn Meeting Triggered A Renewed Manhunt

Balliet explains how tracking a trusted pilot and electronic footprints led to the Penn/Del Castillo meeting and subsequent Samar operations.
The operation risked harming U.S. citizens, prompting delays before Mexican forces attacked the ranch.

ANECDOTE

Militia Home Invasion Turned Deadly

Balliet recounts the Arivaca militia home invasion where Shauna Ford's group killed a smuggler and his daughter.
The case exposed violent, rogue militia behavior and led to severe prosecutions.

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Eric Balliet spent 25 years with the Department of Homeland Security - first with the CBP and then with ICE - arresting dozens of human traffickers, smugglers, and child predators. He led the wiretap strategy that resulted in the arrest of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán—not once, but twice—and was named Federal Law Enforcement Association's Agent of the Year.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

- His time as a border patrol agent

- His investigation into violent militia groups operating on the U.S.- Mexico border

- The wiretap operations targeting the Sinaloa Cartel that led to El Chapo's arrest – twice

- What it's really like hunting the world's most dangerous criminals

- His warnings about Trump's immigration raids and excessive use of force by ICE

- Why a massive ICE hiring surge has put untrained and unqualified agents on America's streets

- How resources are being diverted from real homeland security threats

- Why he decided to speak out and how that has impacted his life

This is a rare inside look at federal law enforcement from someone who isn't afraid to tell the truth about what's gone wrong.

ABOUT THE HIDDEN THIRD: From Emmy and Peabody Award–winning journalist Mariana van Zeller comes THE HIDDEN THIRD, a weekly dive into the underground markets that quietly power a third of the global economy. Every episode, Mariana sits down with people who know these worlds firsthand - the hustlers, smugglers, scammers, kingpins, and those trying to shut them down. The series reveals how they function, why they endure, and the profound ways they impact us all.

THE HIDDEN THIRD:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoCiI8nJacn8gDiHxr6aQGA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehiddenthirdpodcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hidden-third/id1845989117

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3n1BBoj3BgVuEYaiZ6SotF

MARIANA:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariana_vanzeller

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianavz

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