What is the episode about?
Spotlight: Snitch City: Episode 1: Officer Pastillas documents how officer Jorge Santos from the New Bedford Police Department in Massachusetts systematically abused the police's confidential informant system for personal gain and harassment. The investigation, led by award-winning journalist Dugan Arnett from the Boston Globe Spotlight Team, reveals a culture marked by a lack of oversight, where Santos, under the alias 'Officer Pastillas', operated outside the law. The episode focuses on the pivotal incident in 2024, where Santos forced his way onto the cutter Little Tootie to extort drugs from fishermen under the pretense of a police operation.
The case behind the episode
The case of New Bedford Police Department Informant System Abuse began when Jorge Santos escalated his methods against local fishermen, including the victim Freddy Loya. Santos falsely claimed that an informant had indicated that there were large quantities of drugs on board the fishing vessels. The reality, however, was that Santos exploited the pressure on the fishing industry to steal seized drugs and maintain a regime of fear. The turning point came when colleague Mark Raposo witnessed Santos' illegal actions aboard Little Tootie. Raposo chose to break the blue wall of silence and reported the incidents to both internal affairs and the FBI. His testimony became the foundation for the extensive federal investigation of Jorge Santos , which revealed how the entire department had become 'dependent' on unreliable informants in the fight against drugs.
About the podcast
The podcast Spotlight: Snitch City is produced by the Boston Globe and represents the pinnacle of investigative true crime journalism. Through several episodes, Dugan Arnett uncovers how the American police system nationwide has been infiltrated by problematic informant programs that often create more crime than they solve. The first episode sets the stage for a larger narrative about abuse of power in small communities where the police operate without effective civilian oversight. The series draws connections to previous major revelations from the Spotlight team and cements their position as one of the most important voices in exposing institutional corruption in the USA.