ANGEL REYES: We got 250 keys of heroine
sitting on the south side.
Gilly, get it done.
Use an extra set of hands at the rig.
You mind if I bring Coco along?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
VINCENT VARGAS: It's a little ironic that I play a character
who is a drug smuggler because in my past life
before "Mayans MC," I was a border patrol agent attached
to a tactical team that was focused
on capturing and disrupting drug trafficking organizations.
Today we're on the border of Calexico.
We are here to kind of show the reality of life
here on the border when it comes to drugs, and smuggling,
and human trafficking.
There's a way to get through it, over it, or under it man.
They'll try.
I wanted to bring you first hand to the world that I used
to know, and wanted to bring it back
to the roots of how I developed the character of Gilly.
If that doesn't stir emotions up, I don't know what will.
Just like in the show of "Mayans MC,"
there's houses being built just to portray a house
but in reality it is meant for drug smuggling.
There's money in drugs.
There's money in corruption, and you've
seen on the show people have influenced others with drugs.
And so, this is a reality, right?
This is an honest statement that the show touches on.
This right here is a well known place that, in the past,
was a location where drug was smuggled through here.
And it's a warehouse, and there was a tunnel underneath.
And if you look down there, that's the wall.
You can see the wall in correlation
to where the tunnel reached.
That's about 100 yard tunnel that they
created just to transport dope.
And so it's a very familiar feel of understanding how the show
is touching on reality.
All the writing in there, I believe it.
I've seen it.
It's honest.
And so for me as a character, it's not
hard to portray the drug smuggling when, oh yeah,
this is actually authentic.
BP headed our way, about a mile and a half out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
VINCENT VARGAS: It was probably in 2004, my first deployment
in Afghanistan, we were in a squad room
talking about what was the plan for after we
get out of the military.
The squadron in the room, his name is Sergeant Baraza,
he mentioned that he wanted to join the special operations
of the border patrol, and he explained
more into detail what they did.
At that time, I wanted to be a firefighter
like my father and my brother.
But in 2006, he was killed in combat.
It's the bracelet that I wear on the show in his memory.
That impacted my life greatly, to the point
where it shifted the direction of what
I want to do with my life.
And my goal is to essentially make him proud.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[GUN SHOTS]
It was a way that I could continue to serve
my country, here on our soil.
Try and protect our country from terrorists,
from drugs, from threats that we have upon our country.
I immediately tried out for the search, trauma, and rescue
team called, BORSTAR.
That is the special operations medics here on the border.
I passed that course in 2012, and continue
to serve as a BORSTAR agent doing countless rescues,
whether it be swift water rescues, long line rescues,
and search and rescues.
It was a way that I could use my skills
that I learned in the military, and bring them to the table
here.
Oh, sweating.
It's been a minute.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I've always been drawn to the camaraderie of a team.
Once getting out of the military, I needed another one,
right?
I felt lost.
I wanted to find somewhere where I felt part of the team again,
part of the group.
And that's essentially what "Mayans MC," is for Gilly.
"Mayans MC," for Gilly is everything.
That's his family.
I used that energy.
I used that thought process, and ideologies of my brothers
that I met throughout the time of military
and law enforcement.
And that's what I use as the energy for Gilly.
I had a close friend who overdosed on pain meds.
You look like fucking shit.
I know I've been fucking up lately, right?
You know, but--
It's them pills, dog.
We're tired of coming for you with Bishop.
The writers don't sometimes know what we struggle with,
or deal with, but when they hit something close to it,
as an actor it's actually appreciated because it
makes it easier to make that an honest portrayal
of the character.
We're fucking done.
VINCENT VARGAS: What you saw in the scenes of me being upset
was what I wish I did.
That's the character that I wish I was able to be at that time.
A lot of that was brought into Gilly this season,
out of what I would have said.
It's fun to play this character.
It's fun because it is honestly the guy on the other side
of the fence that I've chased.