In the closing weeks of 2001, Special Agent Richard Curry of the RAIC office in Sells, Ariz., and Detective Scott Dodd of the Arizona Department of Public Safety arrested several high-level marijuana smugglers. More than 30 participants came to be involved in this case, which stretched from Arizona to Florida, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The investigation culminated in several offers to plead guilty.

Customs allowed the bad guys to plea out if they agreed to disclose and forfeit the assets they'd obtained from their illegal pursuits. To assure their veracity in disclosing the goods, the plea agreements also required them to pass polygraph examinations as confirmation that they had, indeed, revealed all their assets. Senior Special Agent and polygraph examiner Eric Powell, a man with more than 12 years' experience, conducted the exams.

One of the defendants swore in a 12-page affidavit that he had virtually no assets. But Powell's polygraph exam concluded otherwise.

So back to the table they went.

Powell told the defendant that according to the polygraph, he'd lied. As they continued the interrogation, the defendant confessed that he'd hidden $140,000 at his mother's home. He claimed that he had no other assets.

SSA Powell conveyed this information to Detective Dodd, who had helped initiate the investigation, to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Huellmantel, and to the suspect's defense attorney, all of whom returned to the polygraph room as the interrogation continued.

This time, the suspect admitted that he had another $250,000 buried in his backyard. Again, he claimed, that was it; no other assets.

Even so, the interrogation team pressed on until the suspect "remembered" that he had ... oh, about $600,000 buried at his father's place of business. And again he swore, that was it; no other concealed assets.

Then the susppect told the agents exactly where they could dig to find the cash; by this time he'd 'fessed up to just under a million dollars. As the agents were digging for buried treasure, Detective Dodd and the assistant U.S. attorney continued the interrogation.

It is no doubt due to the persuasive powers of the polygraph that the defendant remembered yet more buried cash, more than $500,000 and pinpointed where it would be found In all, U.S. Customs seized more than $1.5 million from this one defendant alone.

Special Agent Powell continued polygraph-testing the suspect several days later, and again, he was found to be deceptive when asked about undisclosed assets. At this point, however, he was finished and declined to make any other disclosures.

While all this was going on, Powell was conducting a polygraph examination on another suspect, a coconspirator of the first defendant. Just like the first defendant, he agreed to plead guilty and denied having any undisclosed assets. But the polygraph indicated otherwise. After Powell's skilled interrogation, suspect number two came clean: he admitted lying during the polygraph exam and owned up to some $32,000 in cash and another $15,000 in jewelry.

Polygraph Operations is a group of senior special agents within the Investigative Services Division who have extensive training in interview and interrogation tactics and expertise in detecting deception. They encourage special agents throughout the agency to seek their assistance in every investigation in which a polygraph exam might be warranted for verifying statements and improving the overall outcome of the case.

Polygraph Operations can be reached at 202-927-0902.