in 1998, yarbrough was a lead prosecutor in operation seek and keep, a year-long investigation by the ins that succeeded in discovering and breaking up what then united states attorney general janet reno described as the "largest alien smuggling organization to ever be completely dismantled." operation seek and keep was the first investigation authorized to use wiretapping technology in an illegal immigrant smuggling case, as approved by the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act of 1996, and was the first to use money-laundering statutes to dismantle an alien smuggling operation and seize its assets. the investigation broke an international alien smuggling and money-laundering ring that brought in an estimated 10,000 illegal aliens to the united states at a cost of $20,000 per alien, generating more than $200 million in proceeds over a 3-year period. the organization smuggled aliens who were nationals of india, afghanistan, pakistan, and syria. the operation most often started in india and went to moscow, where connecting flights allowed aliens to travel to latin american or the caribbean. aliens would then either fly or take a boat ride into the miami, area or walk across the mexican border. once in the u.s. the immigrants were kept in stash houses where they were kept under lock and key. operation seek and keep was the first investigation authorized to use wiretapping technology in an illegal immigrant smuggling case, as approved by the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act of 1996, and was the first to use money-laundering statutes to dismantle an alien smuggling operation and seize its assets.