• THE BORDER: ABOUT

DESCRIPTION

Working around the clock at one of the United States’ busiest border crossings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents are on the frontline in America’s war against narco-trafficking, illegal immigration, and terrorism.

Covering 2,800-square kilometres of unforgiving desert battleground in a rugged and remote frontier, CBP agents discover a high-level tunnel leading straight into downtown, confront drug cartel foot soldiers in the dead of night, and seize over U.S. $1.5 million in heroin.

The Border patrols Nogales, Arizona, on the U.S.-Mexico border. Witness a Black Hawk helicopter team rescue illegal immigrants abandoned by their guides in the desert, ground agents encounter night-time gun fire, and officers dismantle vehicles in search of hidden compartments filled with drugs or other illegal contraband.

EPISODE GUIDE

  • The Border: Desert Breakdown
    In Nogales, Arizona, U.S., CBP officers prevent a wanted man from slipping across the border, uncover a shocking cartel smuggling strategy and break a port record for a single seizure of narcotics. Suspicions are high as a man driving a silver pick-up truck nervously approaches the Nogales port of entry. After a canine unit inspects the vehicle, the pick up truck is dismantled and agents find hidden compartments inside the seat belt housing. The team uncovers over 27 kilograms of heroin with a street value of more than U.S. $1.5 million – the largest heroin bust in the port’s history. Meanwhile, agents manning “the Beast” – a Black Hawk helicopter – deploy to find a group of illegal immigrants crossing the Sonoran Desert, and agents on ATVs catch 24 men and women risking their lives for a new start in the U.S. Finally, officers at the port of entry stop two kids – ages 12 and 14 –young drug mules strapped with marijuana.
  • The Border: The Human Stash
    After being abandoned by the paid “coyote” guide in charge of smuggling them into the U.S., a group of illegal immigrants in distress contact border patrol for a rescue. The immigrants have been travelling for days in the desert sun with little food or water, and the team must act fast to find them and administer aid. A high-speed chase involving a pick-up truck with illegal immigrants takes a potentially sinister turn after officers learn two young twin girls are travelling with a man who falsely claims to be their father. Back at the port of entry, CBP officers stop a vehicle reeking of gasoline, and find a hidden compartment filled with marijuana inside the gas tank. The smugglers have used a unique tactic to throw off the canine patrol unit, covering the packages with hot sauce in an attempt to confuse the dogs. Officers also stop a vehicle hoping to cross the border into Mexico – with a secret stash of more than U.S. $340,000 inside.
  • The Border: Under Siege
    In this episode of The Border, Border Patrol agents uncover a hidden tunnel that leads straight from across the border and into downtown. The hidden tunnel, which is temperature-controlled and lined with wood panels to keep it from collapsing and to help cart heavy shipments, leads directly to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of downtown Nogales – a clear sign that the drug cartels are getting bolder with their attempts to smuggle drugs into the U.S. In the desert surrounding Nogales, Black Hawk helicopter crews lead a chase through difficult terrain in total darkness to catch a group of drug mules carrying large loads of marijuana. In the end, agents seize more than 400 kilograms of marijuana – with a street value of U.S. $800,000. Elsewhere in Nogales, a special group of undercover agents heads to shut down a house that is believed to house illegal immigrants, but find themselves up against an unexpected challenge: H1N1 virus, known as the swine flu.
  • The Border: Night Shift
    Risking all, border patrol agents confront drug cartel foot soldiers in the dead of night in Night Shift. But, the two agents confronting the traffickers are up against heavy challenges when poor radio signals leave them unable to contact each other about a possible plan of attack. Flying nearly six kilometres above the desert, the CBP’s Predator aircraft is nearly invisible from the ground, can stay aloft for over 20 hours and is equipped with a powerful camera. The craft is remotely piloted from a ground-based hub 80 kilometres away and it spots a group of suspected illegal border crossers in the Baboquivari Mountains. Responding to the call, the Border Patrol’s Black Hawk helicopter crew must attempt a risky, one-wheeled landing in the mountains to apprehend a group of illegal immigrants. Finally, gunfire turns a straight-forward bust into a dangerous operation, as the agents must perform a sneak attack operation to apprehend the crossers.

VIDEOS

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National Geographic Channel