Deep Cover - Plot

Plot

Russel Stevens Jr. is the son of a drug addicted, alcoholic man. His father tells his son never to be like him. Stevens then witnesses his father getting killed while robbing a liquor store. He swears that he will never end up the way he has.

20 years later, Stevens (Laurence Fishburne) is now a police officer for the Cincinnati Police. Officer Stevens is recruited by a DEA Special Agent, Gerald Carver (Charles Martin Smith) to go undercover on a major sting operation in Los Angeles. Stevens poses as drug dealer 'John Hull' in order to infiltrate and work his way up the network of the west coast's largest drug importer, Anton Gallegos (Arthur Mendoza) and his uncle Hector Gúzman, (René Assa) a South American politician. Stevens relocates to a cheap hotel in LA and begins dealing cocaine. His room is opposite that of crack cocaine addict Belinda Chacón (Kamala Lopez-Dawson), a struggling single mother who tries to sell her son James to Stevens for money to buy drugs.

Stevens is arrested by the devoutly religious L.A.P.D. Narcotics Detective Taft (Clarence Williams III) and his corrupt partner Hernández (Julio Oscar Mechoso) when he buys a kilogram in a set up by Gallegos' low-level street supplier Eddie Dudley (Roger Guenveur Smith). At his arraignment, Stevens discovers that he was sold "baby laxative" (mannitol) instead of cocaine and his case is dismissed. Stevens' self-appointed attorney David Jason (Jeff Goldblum), who is also a drug trafficker in Gallegos' network, rewards Stevens for not snitching by supplying him with twice as much cocaine as he purchased. Jason then introduces Stevens to Felix Barbossa (Gregory Sierra), the underboss to Gallegos. Felix realized that Eddie was working with the LAPD, which results in Felix subsequently beating Eddie to death and enlisting Stevens as Eddie's replacement.

Stevens develops a romance with Betty McCutcheon (Victoria Dillard), the manager of an art dealership which serves as a front to launder Jason's drug money profits. When one of Stevens' dealers is murdered by a rival dealer named Ivy, Stevens kills him and is awarded a partnership in Jason's new business venture; distribution of a synthetic chemical variant of cocaine. Detective Hernández pressures Felix into giving him more arrests. Felix immediately gives up Stevens, Jason, and Betty, since he views them as expendable. Carver knows about the upcoming bust, but refuses to interfere when Stevens requests, forcing Stevens to violate orders and stop it himself. At the deal, Stevens exposes Felix as a police informant which results in him being killed by Jason.

After killing Felix, Gallegos comes to personally meet with Jason and Stevens and informs them they have inherited Felix's $1.8 million debt. Later that same day, Stevens meets with Carver to tell him about his meeting with Gallegos, but Carver tells him that The DEA pulled the plug on Stevens' operation. After Stevens angrily protests, Carver pulls a gun on Stevens and orders him to surrender his weapon. Stevens disarms Carver and forces him to reveal that the DEA's war on drugs is a farce, and that Hector Guzman may someday be useful as a political asset to the State Department. Stevens becomes disillusioned and abandons his undercover status.

Stevens collects the money and goes to meet with Gallegos. Stevens and Jason learn that Felix was going to kill them regardless of how much money they give him. Instead of paying Gallegos, Jason and Stevens kill him and steal a van storing over a $100 million of Gallegos' cash. Jason and Stevens invite Guzman to a shipyard and offer to return 80% of Gallegos' money if he agrees to invest the remaining 20% in their synthetic cocaine distribution operation. Detective Taft, who has been tailing Stevens, interrupts the deal but is unable to arrest Guzman because of his diplomatic status. Guzman flees the scene before Taft's backup arrive, Taft orders Stevens to surrender as Stevens refuses. Taft reaches for his backup gun and attempts to shoot Stevens and is shot and wounded by Jason. Stevens reveals to Jason that he is an police officer but Jason ignores it and orders him to leave with Jason. Stevens refuses and Jason kills Taft, despite Stevens' pleas to let him go. Stevens then reaffirms himself as a police officer and attempts to arrest Jason, but is forced to kill him when Jason draws his gun.

Afterwards, Carver leverages Stevens by threatening to charge Betty with several bank fraud violations. In exchange for his favorable testimony of Carver, the DEA, and their sting operation, Stevens can prevent Betty's prosecution. Stevens agrees, but during his testimony to the House Judiciary Subcommittee, he produces a video tape of the incriminating conversation with Guzman at the shipyard, thus potentially ruining Guzman. Later, Stevens accompanies James to his mother Belinda's grave (she died of a drug overdose) where he contemplates what to do with the $11 million of Gallegos' money that he secretly kept.