While conducting an undercover sting operation to apprehend a pimp named Neptune, Miami-Dade Police detectives James "Sonny" Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) receive a desperate call from their former informant, Alonzo Stevens (John Hawkes). Stevens, fearing for the safety of his wife Leonetta, discloses that he intends to flee town. Crockett learns that Stevens had been working with the FBI but has had his cover blown. Swiftly, they alert FBI Special Agent John Fujima (Ciarán Hinds) about Stevens' predicament. Utilizing a vehicle tracker and aerial surveillance, they manage to intercept Stevens on I-95, where he reveals that the Colombian cartel was aware of the FBI's involvement from the onset and has threatened Leonetta's life with a C-4 necklace bomb if he fails to confess. Rico assures Alonzo that he is not obligated to return home, but the weight of despair proves too much for Stevens, who tragically takes his own life by stepping into the path of an oncoming semi-truck.
As they hurry to the murder scene, a call from Lt. Castillo (Barry Shabaka Henley) instructs them to steer clear and to meet him downtown instead. Here, they are introduced to John Fujima, who heads the Florida Joint Inter-Agency Task Force composed of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI. An irate Crockett and Tubbs confront Fujima about the missteps leading to Stevens' death, questioning why Miami's police were not involved. Fujima explains that the Colombian operation is highly sophisticated, led by Jose Yero (John Ortiz), who was initially believed to be the group's chief. Consequently, Fujima enlists the detectives as deputies in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to further investigate the cartel's go-fast boats trafficking narcotics from the Caribbean.
Disguised as drug smugglers using the aliases "Sonny Burnett" and "Rico Cooper," Crockett and Tubbs approach Yero, only to discover that he actually serves as the cartel's security and intelligence officer. Following a tense meeting, they are introduced to Archangel De Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar), the notorious kingpin of drug distribution in South Florida. During their investigation, they uncover that the cartel is collaborating with the Aryan Brotherhood to distribute drugs and is equipping them with advanced weaponry. As Crockett becomes increasingly drawn to Montoya’s financial advisor and lover, Isabella (Li Gong), he embarks on a secret romantic entanglement which alarms Tubbs, who worries that his partner is becoming too deeply entrenched in his undercover persona.
The situation escalates when Trudy (Naomie Harris), the unit's intelligence operator, is kidnapped by the Aryan Brotherhood and threatened with a bomb, mirroring the danger Leonetta faced unless the drugs they were transporting are given directly to the gang. With assistance from Lt. Castillo, they manage to triangulate Trudy's location at a mobile home in a trailer park, leading to a rescue operation. However, tragedy strikes when Tubbs fails to clear her from danger in time, resulting in a bomb explosion that leaves Trudy critically injured. Soon after, Crockett and Tubbs confront Montoya, Yero, and the Aryan gang at the Miami port in a fierce showdown.
Following the chaos, Crockett calls for backup, and when Isabella spots his police badge, the realization hits her that he's working undercover. In a state of betrayal, she demands the truth from him. After the confrontation, Crockett must inform Isabella that she must leave the country, sending her back to Cuba for her safety. As she departs on a boat, they exchange a lingering look that speaks volumes. Meanwhile, Tubbs stays at the hospital, holding Trudy's hand as she begins to regain consciousness from her coma, while Isabella weeps on her boat, and Crockett heads into the hospital to be by Trudy's side.
