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tv   Nightline  ABC  October 10, 2013 12:35am-1:05am EDT

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and i'd like to apologize to both arctic monkeys and matt damon. they will be rescheduled. tomorrow night, owen wilson, from the l.a. clippers, chris paul, blake griffin, deandre jordan, and music from panic at the disco. "nightline" is next. i especially want to thank kanye west. thank you so much. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. >> kanye west, everybody. thank you for watching. good night!
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tonight on "nightline" -- cops, cash, cocaine. what you are seeing undercover video of people buying drugs. wait who is selling them? they're cops and making big bucks doing it. tonight "nightline" examines the controversial way a florida city is getting into the business of busts. ♪ this is what it feels like e >> this is what it feels lake to be on top of the music world. backstage with the millionaire djs find out why every superstar from jay-z to rihanna wants to be their new best friend. ♪ this is what it feels like >> i don't know if you know this, a lot of people think you are a jerk. >> fresh off kimmel, kanye just can't stay out of the spotlight. the only person who can make the kardashians look like wallflowers. what is he really doing to stay
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in the headlines? an inside look at can yekanye m. >> announcer: keep it right here, ameri
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good evening. thank you for joining us. what if cops could legally make money from drug deals? and what if they were the ones doing the selling? it is actually happening in one florida city where drug sting operations often cooked up at family friendly restaurants are raising millions in revenue and serious questions about crime fighting. here is abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: you are watching video of a kilo of coke being sold for about $23,000. where are the cops? they're in on it. the guy on the right in the video is a police detective
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playing part of a cocaine dealer. the man on the left is the buyer. and the two with their backs to the camera are the paid informants. this is called a reverse sting. the cops aren't buying the drugs, they're selling them. it is a controversial tactic in which cops lure in potential buyers who drive or fly in from all over the country with wads of cash. in most cases the cops keep the cash and the buyer's cars and pump millions into local coffers. according to the buyer, the business ran like clockwork. did you ever suspect him of being undercover? >> no. not at all. i honestly thought he was a real deal he was doing, you know? >> reporter: this isn't a seedy part of the sunshine state, the retirement central. sunrise, florida, home to a giant shopping center, coral colored homes and lots of drug busts. >> here you go. >> reporter: a nurse by
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profession, father of two from homestead, florida, who on this day carried a satchel stuffed with $23,000 in cash. he said he had been convinced to go by a friend. >> reporter: did you thin tubing yourself at any point how did i get myself involved in a drug deal? >> yeah. yes, i did. i mean -- afterward. but i mean it was, it wasn't easy for him, for the informant to convince me. but he managed to do it. >> reporter: risky business and in sleepy sunrise, these stings have become big business. he says he was there because a man owed him money for five years and told him this was the only way he would ever get paid back. >> reporter: you are no walt white from breaking bad. >> exactly. >> reporter: he walked into a trap. the female paid informant, aggressively draws him into the action. >> to keep the money. they have to make it look like i am buying the drugs. there you go.
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she. >> reporter: she is digging into your bag, taking the money out. >> she is not taking no for an answer. they don't care if i've am a drug dealer or not. they just want the money. >> reporter: the woman physically puts the drugs into his bag, to establish possession. he is second away from facing a possible mandatory 15-year prison sentence for trafficking narcotics. >> well, as soon as the cops came in. they busted us. okay? that's when i realized they set me up. >> if i am the financial manager of the city of sunrise, every morning i would walk into the police department and applaud them. >> reporter: the scale that seems almost industrial, defended him in court. >> this is a huge business. multimillion dollar business going on for years. it has been a daily event in the city of sunrise. >> reporter: the lucrative sting operations first came to light in an investigative report in
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sun sentinel newspaper. >>n't police a the police aren'e drug dealers on their own, you would think that might be happening. they rely on paid, unpaid informants for people looking for cocaine. it be came obvious to us, that the reason they're doing this is because of money. >> reporter: big, big money. over the past two years the department netted over $5.8 million. the money was used for new equipment and a lot of overtime for cops involved. some even doubling their sal rechlt tsal -- salary. the permit allows nonmonetary assets to be seized from suspects. they take their cars, jewelry, one fellow told us the police said i like the sunglasses you are wearing. and snatched them. >> reporter: it is not only the police officers who are raking it in. an unknown woman, sunrise records show made a total of $800,000 over five years as an informer. the town's mayor defended the
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practice and the cops. denying it is about money. >> we are effective. we are getting the people off the street. >> reporter: nothing to do with the money? >> it has everything to do with fighting crime. i will tell you this it is a tool that fights crime. the suggestion that somehow getting the money out of a drug deal is a bad thing is wrong. we know that one way that you tackle the drug organization is to find out how they're supplying the money and how they're getting part of it. this is one way. >> reporter: ultimate low he got his $23,000 back. and the prosecutor gave him a plea deal on solicitation to purchase cocaine charge. bah the informant may have gone too far. >> these people only get paid if the deal goes down. gus isn't the one that pulled off his backpack and opened it up. the informant did. she takes his backpack off. unzips it. she is reaching in for the money. gus isn't the one who -- took the cocaine. sunny took a kilo of cocaine. stuffed it in his backpack. here is the backpack. go get arrested.
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>> how did you feel when you realized they did this to a lot of people? >> well you feel like it's very unfair. i mean why should you go to jail if you are not a criminal? why do they have to make up cases? you know? i mean only criminals are supposed to go to jail. >> reporter: mayor wright says with reporters breathing down their necks revealing informants identities, the reverse stings have stopped. the department will go back to fighting crime inside sunrise. for "nightline," matt gutman, sunrise, florida. >> amazing story. thanks, matt. next up -- this is what it feels like to be at an electronic dance music festival. but there is a dark side to those flashing lights too. ♪ this is what it feels like [ female announcer ] come to the jcpenney columbus day sale. for 4 days only, starting friday, save 20 percent with your coupon on apparel, home, accessories,
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move over katy perry, step asidjay-z. djs the new kings. electronic dance music is blowing up and the guys are raking it in drawing crowd and cash. but some partiers are feeling the energy bi eergy by sharing just the music, the lights are flashing, the beat is thumping and a drug culture looming that threatens it all. here is abc's gio ben spichitez.
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>> reporter: ultimate power tripping, tens of thousand of people at your fingertips, moving in sync. waiting for the beat to drop. ♪ ♪ >> you can't get any closer than this! >> reporter: these djs are kings, tiesto, calvin harris are raking in tens of millions. harris outearning katy perry and jay-z, pulling in $46 million over the last year. because in the past few years, electronic dance music, edm for short has exploded into a full blown movement. >> every kid wants to be a dj. because he is like wow. you know, you're on stage. you're the star. it is like a crazy rock 'n' roll life. it is good money. and the fame. >> reporter: and today this is the mecca.
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>> abc groupies. we're at tomorrow world one of the largest music festivals on the planet in the u.s. for the first time. >> vip check in. let's go. an hour outside of atlanta, i am embraced from strangers all over the word like a long lost friend. it feels like a modern day woodstock. fans have been camping out for days here in what they call dreamville. so these are just some of the 25,000 people, see this is what people do. they just, end up sleeping. ha-ha-ha. >> going to be insane tonight. we are very excited. >> reporter: tonight the 72-hour rager begins. 300 djs from all over the world will perform on eight different stages. tiesto here to perform on the outrageous main stage. as one of the world's highest paid djs he pulled in $32 million in the last 12 months.
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what do you think it is about this kind of music that attracts so many people? >> the pure energy that comes out of it. and it is so powerful. and the beat, it never stops. and just keeps people going. >> reporter: the moment we saw you. you came in here, said, atlanta ready to party. >> exactly. exactly. fiesto. atlanta you look to party? >> reporter: when the party starts, the music is intoxica intoxicati intoxicating. >> you feel every beat in your body. >> reporter: you make friend easy here. here it is more about experiencing, a collective euphoria with people from over 70 countries. >> reporter: you brought your mom out here? >> yeah, my mom is fighting cancer right now. she is going through chemotherapy. my mom went to woodstock. >> there is no negative energy. all positive. everybody is here to have a blast. >> reporter: from the outlandish outfits. >> peace, love, happiness.
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>> reporter: to the wild dancing and unbelievable lights. it is a world unto itself. ♪ tiesto has been performing over a decade but said this doesn't get old. what's going through your mind the moment you land here, the moment you see the crowd? >> just excitement, you know. it is amazing to be here and play in the festival. a brand new festival here. and you have to play, and some of the old stuff. it is going to be an interesting set. >> reporter: from motorcade to private jets he is literally on top of the world. >> here we go. >> reporter: with lucrative endorsement deals, selling everything from computers to clothes. celebrity d.j.s getting paid big to perform at mega festivals like this and are single-handedly reviving las vegas night life. >> i make a lot of money.
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i am grateful for that. i am happy i make so much money. i really do it for the pleasure of the music. and my love for the dj. >> reporter: a decade ago, edm was mostly an underground genre. now dj kings hold the keys to smash success. everyone from britney and rihanna wants to collaborate with them. ♪ in a hopeless place >> if you look at rihanna's "we found love" 10, 15 years ago you would never have heard this dancy on the radio. these would be called the club remix back then. >> reporter: but there is a dark side to this musical revolution, a drug culture that lends itself to music about being care-free and losing yourself. ♪ i lose myself tonight >> edm is fueling it in the sense that -- the experience of being on ecstasy i think becomes part of the normalized behavioral culture of that experience. so ecstasy makes you very sort
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of lovy and empathetic and very friendly and that create this sort of dominant culture. >> reporter: last month the electric zoo festival in new york city was canceled after two people died overdosing on the ecstasy-like drug molly. the d.j.armand van buren was to perform. >> edm has the the stigma. a little unfair. look at other festivals stuff happens there too. you don't need drugs to enjoy the music. just have a grit time with your friend going to a festival. >> reporter: at tomorrow world, medics were on hand. according to them. out of 140,000 attendees, only 20 went to the hospital. but for the dj, it all comes back to the addiction of being on stage. >> something takes over, right? there is this energy about you? >> right. yeah, it is a love affair really. they're giving me their energy and i'm giving back as much as
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as possible. >> reporter: for armand it's taken two decade to get here. his first big radio hit. ♪ this is what it feels like >> the success of this is what it feels like. >> reporter: chosen as the coveted final act there is nowhere else he was rather be. >> it feels like we are all floating in the air. we all connect. that's what dance music is about. connection. this little positive moment in your life. everything is good for just an hour, two hours. >> reporter: for "nightline," gio benitez at tomorrow world. ♪ >> in my next life i want to be a dj. thanks, gio. next, kanye west can't stay away from the spotlight. and now he is at it again. how does he keep the media focusing on him? e that? you dry up, your cold feels even worse. well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. cold medicines open your nose over time,
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more than half of american women use them at some point in their lives but ken cuccinelli sponsored a bill that could havehaade common forms of bth control illegal, including thpill. cuccinelli was one of only ly five senators to support this "potentially radical intrusion into domestic, family and individual decision-making" why is ken cuccinelli interfering inin our private lives? he's focused o on his own agend. not us.
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tonight it is a kanye west feed frenzy. >> i don't know if you know this, a lot of people think you are a jerk. >> kanye on kimmel. it all started a little over a week ago, self proclaimed michael jordan of music taking offense to a kimmel skit that mocked what kanye felt was a serious interview he gave to bbc radio one. >> we are real rock stars, and i'm the biggest of all of them. >> we are rock stars. i'm the biggest of all of them. >> a vicious twitter battle ensued. tonight kanye returned to the scene of the crime appearing on jimmy's show as the things go, the two put the beef behind them.
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>> i am a creative genius, no other way to word it. i say things the wrong way all the time. my intention is positive. >> while legitimacy of it has been called into question. kanye west is master of the media. in the headlines for calling out george bush during a katrina fund raiser. >> george bush doesn't care about black people. >> or interrupting taylor swift. >> i'm happy. i will let you finish. beyonce had one of the best of all type. >>some may be pure hype. back in 2007 when he and 50 cent were set to release albums on the same day, fueled by their own supposed feud. that was just to build energy, kanye and i didn't hatch ve no at all. some headline grabbing moments are real. a judge issued a restraining order against him after this incident with a paparazzo at
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lax. while the conspiratorial types may say kanye has us all talking about him right now. first solo tour launchesen a week nachlt week and a half. if any one ties blame. like it or not, real or fake, the media can't get enough. ♪ my leather jeans on >> thank you for watching abc news. and "world news now" is coming up with late breaking news. see you at "good morning america" tomorrow. and we are always on line at abcnews.com. good night. >> announcer: every day, more americans choose abc news. america's number one news source.

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