As you can imagine, being an undercover FBI agent isn’t exactly for the faint-hearted, as it can be a dangerous and life-threatening job.
While most people at work can make a few mistakes and, at worst, risk getting chewed out by their boss, those who work undercover with dangerous criminals don’t exactly have that luxury.
In fact, one wrong move while operating undercover could jeopardize a major operation into US criminal hate groups and terrorist organizations, as well as cost you your life. No pressure then...
But former FBI agent Scott Payne made it through more than 23 years in the business, leaving him with some chilling war stories - and boy, did he have some stories.
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Speaking to UNILAD, Payne remained humble and insisted that any job in law enforcement comes with its stresses and dangers.
Due to the nature of his operations, he, of course, couldn't divulge how the FBI's undercover teams do some of the things they do to catch criminals. Still, he could recall one particular daunting situation he found himself in.
Also detailed in his recent book, Code Name: Pale Horse, which follows Payne's risky decision to infiltrate one of the US's 'most dangerous' Neo-Nazi group, Payne recalled an undercover mission that saw him staring at the business end of a shotgun, with his life on the line.
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Payne further revealed that the person holding the gun demanded that he take a hit of cocaine to prove he wasn't law enforcement, and to make matters worse, he also threatened Payne with the most chilling sentence.
Setting the scene of his undercover drug operation, Payne said: "I'm sitting here. It gets to the point where he's sitting on a table in front of me.
“I’m on his couch, he’s on a coffee table and he’s got a double barrel shotgun, hammer's cocked back and he’s already told me, ‘If I find out you’re the law, you’re a dead man', he repeated it multiple times.
“He’s like, 'try it, try it', and I already told him, 'man I don’t do this'.
“He’s got an open bag of cocaine in my face, close to my face and he’s got a red bone hound and it’s in my crotch and growling.”
With pressure at its highest, Payne continued to talk, hoping to diffuse the situation while also keeping up his cover - a difficult task while you're wondering if you're ever going to leave the room alive again.
Payne explained that a quick bit of sleight of hand allowed him to convince the guy with the gun that he had taken a hit of the cocaine.
He said: "I told him I got a heart condition, I got anxiety, I'm not doing any damn cocaine. What I did do, is just something I came up with in my head.
"I dip my finger in [the cocaine] and I came up you know and I just did a sleight of hand thing. I mean, I had a big beard.
"I got [acted] p***ed and was like 'are you happy now?', and then he immediately calms down and he's like 'hey let me take you back to the back and let me show you where all the drugs are at'."
And just like that, through quick thinking, Payne was able to make it out of the situation alive and continue his operation undetected.
More than a lucky break if you ask me!
Gerrard Kaonga