Carlos Nogales, the surfer featured in one of the BBC's new identity clips, has admitted to working as a drug-runner for one of Mexico's most notorious criminal gangs. The 30-second film, part of a £1.2 million set of eight idents for BBC One, shows Nogales surfing through a huge wave tunnel. The clip debuted yesterday and is expected to air tens of thousands of times in the coming years.
Nogales, 30, revealed that he lived with two members of a drug gang in a luxurious home in Acapulco and delivered packages of marijuana for them. He said: 'When I got there I was frightened and alone. These men approached me and invited me to stay in their house. Before long they asked me to start delivering packages to houses. They paid me for it and I needed the money.' The gang was one of the largest and most powerful in Mexico, typically trading in cocaine and heroin.
His criminal activities came to an end when police stopped him. Nogales recalled: 'They beat me viciously, screaming at me to say who I was working for. What could I do? If I told them who I was working for, the cartel would have me killed. Eventually, they let me go. But after that I was too frightened to stay.'
Nogales ran away from home in Mexico City at age eight to escape beatings from his mother. He lived on the streets for two years before moving to Acapulco. His life changed when he fled to Puerto Escondido, a surfing paradise, where he learned to surf and began competing. He now earns £40,000 a year in prize money and lives in a luxurious beach house with his Norwegian girlfriend, Siri.
Despite criticism of the BBC's spending on the idents amid job cuts, Nogales said he was 'very proud' of his role. 'My life hasn't been easy and sometimes I can't believe how lucky I've been,' he added.
