Border Wars

A young man drowns trying to cross the Rio Grande, and agents must now identify him and return his body to his family. Agents and officers target a human smuggling operation and raid a safe house containing more than 20 illegal immigrants living in cramped, unsuitable conditions. And, inspection of a bell pepper shipment finds tiny invasive snails that could destroy thousands of acres of cropland if introduced into the U.S.

An 18-wheeler carrying more than 1,000 pounds of concealed marijuana is discovered by a rookie agent and his canine partner. A group of illegal crossers takes agents on a four-hour chase after setting off sensors, and it requires the help of local ranchers and a thermal imaging camera to catch them. An Ecuadorian woman and her young daughter — injured, dehydrated and famished — are rescued from the harsh terrain after being abandoned by smugglers, and face deportation unless the mother can prove they have reason to fear for their lives back home.

At the border checkpoint in Hidalgo, Texas, a seemingly ordinary car is found to have firearms and ammunition hidden in its console and under its bumpers. Members of BORTAC, the tactical unit that specializes in identifying smuggling routes, discover what could be a remote transfer point for illicit goods. If they can avoid detection by cartel scouts, the team hopes to close in on an active operation. Officers take on the tough task of dismantling a suspicious compartment hidden in the dashboard of an SUV, and confiscate more than $600,000 worth of crystal meth.

A group of suspected drug smugglers is tracked by the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) night unit at Rio Grande City Station. No sooner are they apprehended than the agents must call in reinforcements from the Customs and Border Protection's air unit, Omaha, to track down a group of illegal immigrants hiding in the brush. Another team of agents searches for nine people missing in the Rio Grande. At the Hidalgo, Texas port of entry, CBP officers intercept a man trying to come into the U.S., only to discover that he is wanted for murder in Miami.

An officer responsible for intercepting drug money being smuggled into Mexico detains a suspect and uncovers a stash of suspected contraband profits. CBP seeks out corruption within its own ranks, which can be vulnerable to cartel bribes and double agents. Two newly graduated agents put their training to the test in pursuit of illegal immigrants in the desert. After being beaten to the punch on their first assignment, they have a second chance when another group of crossers heads deep into the nearby mountains.

Officers and agents in San Diego discover thirty people elaborately concealed in a tractor-trailer, race to prevent people from illegally crossing the border under the cover of a blinding fog, and unearth a payload of hundreds of pounds of marijuana carefully hidden behind the cab of a tractor-trailer.

Officers and agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection work 24/7 to patrol the border between San Diego, California and the Mexican city of Tijuana. These men and women traverse rugged San Ysidro Mountain in search of illegal border crossers, stage an undercover sting operation to infiltrate a human smuggling organization, and uncover hidden narcotics inside a car passing through the San Ysidro port of entry -- the busiest land border crossing in the world.

On the U.S.-Mexico border, officers and agents work to fight the threat of terrorism while remaining vigilant against illegal immigration and contraband smuggling. In this episode, Border Patrol Agents launch an uncover sting to stop an illegal human smuggling ring, chase down suspected illegal immigrants through the desert on foot, and discover a woman who hired smugglers to hide her in a car.

National Geographic goes behind the scenes as agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security apprehend airline passengers with counterfeit identification, intercept a load of narcotics on a boat bound for Florida, and raid an area in Puerto Rico hoping to dismantle gang and drug operations.

Witness one of the Caribbean's largest drug busts of the year when more than 1.5 tons of cocaine worth over $40 million are found aboard a Panamanian fishing boat heading to the U.S. As the State Department negotiates to retain possession of the ship, the DEA and Coast Guard stand guard over the expensive cargo. When it's revealed that a suspected smuggler requires medical attention, the situation becomes urgent in a scramble to get medication on board.

Agents apprehend an alleged Miami gang member and turn him into an informant, while a patrol on Florida's highways is on the lookout for smuggling vans packed with illegal immigrants. Then, undercover agents raid a marijuana grow house, and the U.S. Coast Guard intercepts a boat carrying over 500 pounds of cocaine and a mystery substance that leaves the DEA baffled.

Take chase with border agents as they pursue a car filled with suspected illegal immigrants. When the suspects finally bail from their vehicle, agents must track them on foot through thick brush. With hours passing and temperatures soaring, the brutal conditions pose a fatal risk for the agents and their targets.

Follow along as agents track a group of suspected illegal immigrants hiking through private ranchland on an unusual trail—one that's headed in the wrong direction. One wrong turn can be deadly for disoriented immigrants in this 100-degree brush, and the search becomes a rescue mission.

The border agents search a truck loaded with canned jalapeños at the Laredo port of entry and find a spicy load—3,109 pounds of marijuana worth $3 million. As the Rio Grande waters rage after Hurricane Alex, agents barter with a human smuggler who won't give up the immigrants he transported across the river and who are now stranded in turbulent waters.

Following a high-speed chase, border agents uncover a huge load of marijuana in a flipped stolen vehicle. The agents examine the drugs for cartel markings and transfer it to a top secret burn facility for destruction.

One week before Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, agents execute rigorous drills on land, water and in the air to prevent a security breach at America's largest sporting event, all while patrolling the rest of the city for drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Pilots use a heat-imaging system to detect suspicious activity within the stadium and come across two men atop the scoreboard who could pose a threat. Airmen must act quickly and aggressively to divert a plane that has entered restricted air space. And officers try to determine if a suspicious man is a threat after he is found carrying stacks of foreign money.