Investigative Journalist Mariana van Zeller Reacts to Fan Comments | National Geographic

Hi, I’m Mariana Van Zeller, and today, I’ll be reading through your YouTube comments about my show ‘Trafficked: Underworlds.’ Okay, let’s do it! One of the best comments I get is people saying I have ‘big balls.’

So you kill people? Yeah. They pay you to kill people? If that’s what you want to call it. But I prefer when they say I have ‘big ovaries.’ Would you shoot a journalist if you were paid to? Yeah yeah yeah yeah. For free. Well, those are secrets! I’m not sharing my contacts. But yes, I do know a lot of VIPs in the underworld. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

We're about to meet our contact. Supposedly he's found somebody who's willing to talk to us. So he's for sure an assassin? I've seen people pay $80,000 right in front of me. For a hit? Yeah. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. I can easily take all of you out right now. I can’t tell you enough how much I love listening and hearing people who want to be journalists. We really do need more journalists in the world.

We’re at a crossroads right now, with so much happening, not only in terms of politics, but also in terms of black markets and underworlds. And we need more people to go out there and uncover the truth. How often are you selling guns? Every day. And as quick as we build them, is as quick as they go out the door.

So this is a completely untraceable gun? If you find this on the street, there’s no way that somebody’s gonna find out where it came from? Exactly. That’s why we call them ghosts. Because they’re untraceable. Well, it is actually the hardest part of our job - is to get this access and get these connections.

I’d say that for every ‘yes,’ we get dozens, sometimes hundreds of ‘no’s.’ I’ve gotten very, very used to being rejected. So, can you tell me how you know so much about this counterfeit medication world? Stop. Stop. He just got cold feet and got nervous. It’s incredibly frustrating. But I would say people talk to us for a variety of reasons.

People want to be understood. Even those that we consider the bad people. You know, the criminals, the traffickers. Sometimes they’re the best of the best at what they do. And their families don’t even know what they do. So we give them an opportunity behind a mask, with a different voice to sort of tell their stories.

I think understanding the motivation of why people do what they do is much more important than judging them. Because only by understanding the motivations can we actually stop these black markets from existing. Why did you get involved in the fake medicine business? You look for what makes the most money.

Thank you so much. It’s interesting because I think that there’s so little known about these black and gray markets. And I’m so proud of this show, partly because it’s completely devoted to these underworlds. So, you think grave robbing is actually happening? I think that a lot of the bones that are bought and sold in the United States were pulled out of the ground in another country.

Fred, follow me. Somebody has a breaching tool? Yes, we’re very, very careful. I appreciate your concern. We spend so much time planning and making sure we’re mitigating the danger. But no matter how much you plan, there’s always something that you don’t expect that goes wrong, and that happens a lot on the shoots of ‘Trafficked.’

But we try as best as we can to stay safe. We're entering the park, but it also is ungoverned territory. It’s a very concentrated area for military checkpoints. There's another one right here. And that's because we're entering, basically, rebel territory. Thank you so much.

So, I’m actually from Portugal. I grew up in Portugal. My whole family is still there. And I can change the accent and speak Brazilian Portuguese as well. And I speak a few other languages... none very well though. Why do you think there’s so much cocaine consumption in Rio? They have no other release, so they escape with this. They erase their sorrows in beer and cocaine.

Thank you so much. It is really what I love to do. It is my passion. A lot of people ask me sometimes if it’s adrenaline that motivates me, and actually, it is not. It is curiosity about the world, and a deep need to understand, particularly sort of the darkest corners of the world.

They’re expecting us? Yeah, I’ll let them know that you’re sanctioned. You know I [bleep] with you, Mariana. It’s all good. You got the pass. You got the ‘hood pass.’ I’ve got the ‘hood pass.’ Okay!

I just wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who watches and supports the show. Thank you for joining me on this incredible journey through the darkest corners of our world. Whether you’ve been with us from the very beginning, or if you recently started watching ‘Trafficked: Underworlds,’ your enthusiasm and curiosity drive us to uncover the truth behind black markets.

No matter how hidden, or how dangerous. So here’s to you, the fans of the show, and to the countless underworlds we have yet to uncover. We couldn’t have made it this far without your support. Thank you so much for watching. If you want to continue investigating with me, be sure to watch the newest episodes of ‘Trafficked: Underworlds,’ now streaming on Hulu.