Original subtitles

At the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Good morning. Anything to declare?

In a single month, Customs and Border Protection officers here seized nearly

one and a half tons of narcotics worth nearly $27 million.

Can you pop the trunk, please?

He's good.

Have a good day.

You too. Thank you.

This afternoon.

Officer Fessia has referred a vehicle to secondary inspection after the driver

appeared nervous.

At first, when I was talking to the traveler, he was very hesitant in

answering my questions. And then when I asked if he was bringing back anything

from Mexico, he went to hand me a bottle of ibuprofen.

And when he was handing me the bottle, I noticed that he was shaking a little

bit, so I sent him to the back for further screening.

While the driver is detained, the car is x-rayed.

You wanted to see them, eh? Yes.

They were.

Chalk area.

Spare tire is loaded.

No other areas of concern.

Perfect. The X-ray shows dark shapes inside the spare tire

located in the trunk.

Officer Fessia.

carries out a physical inspection.

Obviously, there's no air in it.

And something doesn't feel right.

When I push on it, I can feel a crunch.

Very clear as day, there's been something altered.

There's something in this tire.

The Progresso International Bridge.

Good afternoon.

Do me a favor. Remove your glasses so I can see your face here.

Thousands of U.S. citizens cross here every day.

to eat, drink, and shop in Mexico.

But anyone with an outstanding warrant for their arrest will be apprehended

on their return.

It's the afternoon, and a man is detained at primary inspection.

So when running his documents in primary, the officer got an NCIC hit, is

what we call it.

It's a warrant.

So what they're going to do right now is run his fingerprints in our station

right here to make sure that it in fact is him. And if it is, then what we have

to do is contact the agency through sector and see what they want us to do

with it. It's all up to the agency to put in the warrant.

Officers don't have any details about the man's alleged crime, and he seems

surprised to have been stopped.

They need to make sure they've got the right person.

So Officer Pena runs his fingerprints to confirm they match the warrant.

Until confirmation comes through,

the man's escorted to the holding cell.

Right in here.

So, as per us, you're not arrested, you're detained.

Once you get arrested, that's when you get to call your attorney. As of now,

you're good, man?

Any water or anything like that?

I'll go ahead and bring you some water right now.

While they wait for the results of the fingerprint, Officer Pena wants to know

if he has any idea why he might have been stopped.

Well, you know what? Sometimes God puts you in situations because he's trying to

teach you something.

Maybe it has nothing to do with this, but maybe there's something else, you

know? The results are back, but there's an issue.

The fingerprints weren't a match.

I don't know what the circumstance of his whole situation is, but I don't know

if he's ever been arrested before. Clearly his fingerprints are good.

When fingerprints don't match a warrant, Further checks need to be carried out.

NCC is actually out of Donna PD, so I'm going to contact sector, confirm that

he's still wanted.

While they wait to hear back.

Yeah, okay, thank you. Have a good day, sir. Bye-bye.

All the man can do is hope that it's a mistake.

At the San Ysidro port of entry.

Officer Fessia suspects a driver entering from Mexico may have narcotics

stashed in the spare wheel of his car.

Obviously, there's no air in it. When I push on it, I can feel a crunch.

It's moved to a secure location for further inspection.

This is our narcotics building. This is where all the drugs that we find here at

the port are seized and stored.

So I make sure I don't hit a package.

If there are drugs inside, cutting into a package could put the officer at risk

of exposure.

Feels like they're all over it.

There it is.

That one, huh?

So I got to make sure I don't feel like little pills, because they've also sent

like fentanyl pills in these type of bundles.

Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous substances CBP officers encounter.

Just two milligrams, the size of a few grains of salt.

can be lethal.

To avoid the risk of accidental inhalation,

officers test the package inside an extraction chamber

and don't have to wait long for answers.

In Progresso, a U

.S. citizen returning home has been detained for an outstanding arrest

warrant.

But when officers run his fingerprints, there's an unexpected result.

The fingerprints weren't a match. I don't know if he's ever been arrested

before. Clearly, his fingerprints are good.

They need confirmation that he is the wanted man.

But until that's received, the suspect continues to stay upbeat.

I got a joke for you.

If you're American when you go in the restroom, and you're American when you

come out of the restroom, what are you when you're inside using the restroom?

European.

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here probably a little bit until I get up.

But his positivity might not last much longer.

with officers receiving information about the warrant.

Confirmation comes through that he's a match, along with details of his alleged

crime. The reason why he is being detained right now is for stolen

property.

So if they are accusing him of stealing property, they probably don't have his

fingerprints on the system. But that's something that he has to deal with the

Donna PD.

Officer Pena delivers the news to see if it jogs his memory.

Well, they're on their way to pick you up. Donna PD, okay.

The warrant.

It's for stolen property.

I could not have cooperated more with that officer.

That's why I'm really confused.

Okay, so I think it probably has to do with the same reason that you're telling

me. But I mean, you're saying that this is all a misunderstanding, right?

Absolutely, yeah.

You have never been arrested at all?

No, no. No, never?

No.

Although he maintains his innocence, an officer from Donna PD arrives to

transfer the man to county jail.

You can grab your shoes.

Right now,

the subject has been turned over to Donna PD.

He was definitely a character.

I hope that if this is a misunderstanding, it gets solved.

The man's transported to county jail, where he'll be given the opportunity to

plead his case in front of a judge.

If found guilty of theft, he faces a hefty fine or even jail time.

In San Ysidro.

Came back positive for meth?

Yeah.

Officer Fessian has found packages of meth hidden inside a spare tire.

The package came back positive for meth. It's almost finished removing the rest

of the packages that were in the spare tire.

Last year, CBP officers seized 174,000 pounds of methamphetamine,

making it the most intercepted narcotic on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Six. Seven.

Yeah, I think it's the last one.

No.

There it is. This is the last one.

Fine.

All right. We got 11 bundled methamphetamine.

With all of the packages removed, they will now be weighed.

These packages are wrapped in clear cellophane wrapping.

It also has dryer sheets in it.

The driver's seat is supposed to help with the smell for the dog, thinking it

will throw off the dog's scent. Oh, just like someone has laundry or something in

the back of it.

We're going to have 11 bundles.

We weigh in a total of 11.34 kilograms.

That's over $226,000 worth of meth that officers have kept off the streets.

Here, meth is very common.

It's the majority of what flies through this port.

Starting to see that meth is the new weed. It's so common.

Now that I've weighed everything tested, it's positive for methamphetamine. And

they'll take the subject under arrest for the importation of narcotics into

the United States and let them know that he's not going to be released.

Hiding narcotics inside a spare tire shows the length smugglers will go to

get their illicit goods over the border.

But this driver is now facing a minimum.

of 10 years in prison.

Being here from San Diego, it's just a little more home, seeing how much comes

through this border.

That's why I signed up to do this job. I want to keep my community safe, so it

keeps me a little more motivated to make sure I'm doing my job to the fullest

every day I'm here.

Every day, unofficial couriers known as pacateros cross the Camino Real bridge,

transporting goods between Mexico and the U.S.

Their vehicles require extra scrutiny because they're known to carry guns

and cash for cartels hidden within the shipment.

Paquiteros, they bring a lot of stuff for people that they claim that it's

family, you know, that's usually their story. But whenever they bring it over,

they really don't know what they have. So a lot of the times when they get

caught with something, it's kind of like their main excuse, right, of getting out

of it, that they don't really know what it was, or, oh, I had no idea that it

was there.

Tonight, a group of paquiteros traveling from Texas to Mexico has been sent to

secondary inspection.

They're known to bring firearms or ammo through the border, so that's why we're

searching it today.

Officers carry out a full physical inspection of the truck for any hidden

contraband. Trying to look for any bolts that look a little bit out of place.

Sometimes you'll see some bolts that are stripped, and that might be of interest

to kind of look into.

CBP Tech Ramirez, who's training to become an officer, joins the search.

Well, my responsibilities right now are to assist the officers.

I usually help them out with looking at vehicles and going through people's

baggage. It's my way of, like, protecting the U.S.

We're looking for anything that seems weird, out of the normal.

Tequila.

Bunch of clothing.

Sanchez! What's up?

What is it? Ammo.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, so as you can see here, she found some rounds.

Right now it looks like they are 9 millimeters.

It's at least, I would say, 10 or 12 of them.

Last year, CBP seized nearly 1 million rounds of ammunition at the southern

border, most destined for the cartel.

Smuggling ammo is a federal crime, punishable with up to 15 years in jail.

These men now have a lot of explaining to do.

Anyone crossing the U.S. border with more than $10,000 must declare it.

Good morning, sir. How are you?

Failure to do so can result in the money being seized, paying a heavy fine, or

even jail time.

Do you have anything else to declare?

All right. You have a great day, sir.

This afternoon on the Ambassador Bridge, a driver entering the U.S. from Canada

has been sent for secondary inspection.

I was just notified that we have a referral.

He's an Indian citizen.

He was heading to Detroit airport to pick up his friends, which are flying to

Detroit. A search reveals a large number of envelopes that officers need to

investigate.

This is my friend's car that I am picking from Detroit airport.

He's a truck driver.

The man explains that the envelopes contain

paychecks. But since the recipients already signed them, they can now be

cast by anyone, meaning they're considered currency.

The man is sent inside for further questioning.

What do you know about currency declaration when you cross from Canada

to United States?

If you have 9,000, do you have to

declare it?

I don't know. I don't have any money. So you have to declare.

Okay, all your currency, you have to declare checks.

Any undeclared currency over $10,000 can be seized and the carrier charged with a

criminal offense.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

So you got about 11 checks up here.

Every check was over $1,300.

And these 11 checks...

put this traveler well over the limit.

So he never cashed these checks?

The man

claims his friend has already deposited the checks using his phone.

And the paper versions are only being kept as a record.

I found out they were already deposited, actually all of them.

I see no issue, so I'm going to release him.

The man's story adds up.

All the checks have already been cashed and are no longer classed as currency.

This is not an issue.

Make sure you are aware what's in a vehicle, you know, when you cross from

Canada to the United States.

Last year alone, CBP seized... $45 million in undeclared and illegal

currency.

All right, my friend.

Present the piece of paper to the guys outside so you can leave.

And these are all the checks back to you.

This driver is now free to leave and pick up his friends from the airport.

An eagle pass.

Oh.

Sanchez!

Officers have stopped a group of Pacateros heading to Mexico.

What's up?

What is it?

Ammo. Oh, okay.

Taking any amount of ammunition across the border into Mexico without the

correct paperwork carries a sentence of up to 15 years.

I found it inside a duffel bag in the bottom of the bag underneath the pants.

Since it was on the bottom of everything, to me it seemed like it was

concealed. Even though there's only about a dozen rounds, if the ammo

reaches Mexico, it could be used in deadly cartel operations.

They could be bringing ammo out, and then when they're coming back, bring

over narcotics or anything that they're trying to, you know, conceal for quick

money. Officer Sanchez believes...

The men could be hiding more ammunition, cash, or narcotics.

We're going to go ahead and let the supervisor know that we need a pat-down

of the individuals.

All four men will be escorted to a holding cell, where officers will

perform a full body search.

Meanwhile,

officers finish checking the truck.

I'm seeing if there's any bullets or guns.

Yeah, nothing here.

I'm not sure what these are.

These look like calabaza.

People hide a lot of stuff in the cooler, especially in the bottom.

That's usually where you find all the prohibited items, in the bottom of the

cooler.

Yeah, I'm good with it.

The pat-down's done. No weapons of any

sort, no currency, no more ammo, any firearms or anything like that.

With nothing else found in any of the searches, Officer Sanchez delivers the

verdict.

For the bullets, right?

So they're banned.

At the end of the day, nothing's going to happen today, okay? Very little

quantity.

So the supervisor said he's going to give them a chance today.

What did you say?

They were in a small black bag.

Because they only found a small amount of ammo, officers are satisfied it's a

genuine mistake.

But the bullets must be safely disposed of in the U.S. before the men can cross

into Mexico.

They've narrowly avoided prosecution, but it's still a win for CBP Tech

Ramirez. The tech do a really good job helping us out, really kind of for

anything more than that, right, to really be digging into it and assisting

us in what we're doing, right?

on the Mexican side of the Progreso International Bridge.

The town of Nuevo Progreso is home to hundreds of pharmacies selling

controlled medications at discounted prices.

Although CBP has strict rules on the amount travelers are allowed to return

with... You've got to be careful. You're only allowed one bottle every 30 days.

Each year, thousands of Americans...

try to sneak more through.

This afternoon, a 60-year-old woman

returning home has been referred to secondary inspection.

What did you do in Mexico today?

Well, I came to the dentist.

You have some tramadol coming back today?

Yes. You know that tramadol is a narcotic, right? No, I don't know.

Tramadol is an opioid painkiller.

And due to its addictive nature, it's classed as a controlled substance in the

U.S.

So right now you have 120, but you're only allowed to be bringing 50.

Okay. Are you traveling with anyone today?

My daughter, ma'am.

I'm just going to check one of these bottles. Yes, ma'am.

Each bottle should contain 60 pills.

That looks like there's... Two bottles inside of one.

One bottle is 60, so it'll be 120 pills.

This bottle alone contains more than twice the legal amount, and the woman

has two of them.

Hey, ma'am, after a quick check, you have two bottles in here. Why?

I don't have no idea.

They don't give it away for free, miss. They only do it if you ask.

Officer Terrio believes the woman deliberately added twice the number of

pills to each bottle.

hoping to smuggle in more than legally allowed.

Really? I mean, I'm serious. I mean, I'm not laughing. No, no, no, it's okay. I

didn't know that. I'm sorry.

It's no laughing matter.

Smuggling controlled substances is a federal crime that can result in up to

five years in prison.

So the fact that you hid an extra bottle in each one of these is double the

amount. Yeah, but I didn't do none of that.

The pharmacist put it over for you, yes, and you asked them to.

No, no, no. Yes, ma'am, they don't. Okay, well, whatever you say, I'm so

sorry, but okay. Okay, then continue for free. That's your word against mine.

While the woman begins to realize the trouble she's in, her daughter, who's

been waiting outside, is also brought in.

You have nothing under your hood?

I don't have nothing. I should be in need.

Because she's the one who got it.

Because you were traveling together?

Yeah, but that's my mother.

You know what I mean? I bring her care to her son, and I didn't even think she

would do it. You know what I mean?

I'm very upset right now, and I'm very upset right now.

Let me see what the supervisor wants to do, okay?

I know.

I know.

Officer Theriault consults with her supervisor.

to decide whether to press criminal charges against the mother.

Due to the amount of pills, if found guilty, the woman could face fines of

thousands of dollars or even jail.

Because it's the mom's first offense, officers decide to let her off with a

warning.

Before they're allowed to head home, Officer Terrio sends the pair

back to the Mexican side of the bridge to dispose of the medication.

If the woman is caught again, she can expect to face criminal charges.

The smuggling of narcotics across the U.S. border is a relentless game of cat

and mouse.

Cartels use increasingly deceptive methods to conceal their drugs, while

CBP officers fight to stay one step ahead.

Hi, how's it going?

Tonight in Eagle Pass, a couple has been stopped for inspection.

I saw a box with containers in the cargo area.

It seems like it's about 24 containers of some type of shake, powdered shake.

The counterfeit labels are a red flag for officer purchase because cartels

have previously used canisters of protein shakes to smuggle drugs into the

U.S.

The driver, he said it was...

Some type of diet supplement they take for hormones like diabetes, high blood

pressure, and all that.

We're going to take it inside to test the powder just to check to see if it

comes back to any type of a narcotic.

Officer Hanvier will carry out the test.

Typically,

the criminal gangs use powdered drinks.

to disguise drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine.

If this product turns out to contain one of these narcotics,

the couple could face up to 20 years in prison.

The Juarez-Lincoln Bridge connects the city of Laredo, Texas to the north and

the Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo in the south.

Buenas tardes.

I was a little kid when I moved here, so I pretty much grew up in Laredo.

It does help living here.

It helps you because you actually know the culture, you know the people.

Things out of the ordinary will stick out.

Sometimes people will tell you a story they're coming to do here, and they

really stand it out.

When the story doesn't make sense, it's going to stand out.

One trend officers here repeatedly encounter is the high level of gun

ownership.

Texas has the highest number of registered firearms in the United

States. with over a third of Texans owning at least one gun.

In the

inbound lanes, officers have detained a 41-year-old U

.S. citizen after he declared a handgun at primary inspection.

It's empty. No bullets in the rounds, and all the extra mags are here with the

bullets.

The subject went to Mexico. He decided to come back. When he came back, that's

when he told the officer he declared it. He forgot he had it.

Gun laws in Mexico are notoriously strict, and the man claims he returned

home as soon as he realized he was carrying one.

However, he is now re-entering the U.S.

without the proper paperwork for a firearm, a crime punishable by up to 10

years in prison.

A lot of U.S. citizens, they go to Mexico and they bring firearms, rifles,

but they have the paperwork for it. And all we do is we run it through our

database, and compared to right now where he said that he forgot the weapon,

and then, you know, we got to go through our process.

So here we just get the serial number, write it down.

If it's stolen, we have to find the record owner.

Officer Saucedo.

runs the serial number through the CBP database to find out who it's registered

to and whether it's been linked to any criminal activity.

But the result is not as expected.

We didn't actually get anything back to our databases.

That's odd. We would usually find the registered owner.

I'm going to investigate him a little bit more, talk to him more as far as

where did he get the weapon from, where did he buy it from, who does it actually

belong to?

With no records on file, Officer Sacedo needs to find out if the man has

obtained his weapon illegally.

Where did you buy it?

And you gave him your ID, you gave him everything, you did all the paperwork,

you did all that stuff?

The whole thing?

The man is adamant he purchased the gun through the proper channels.

I spoke to the HSI agent at the firearms division.

He's looking more into it, and then he's going to advise me as far as where we're

going to go with the case.

If his counterpart in Homeland Security investigation finds the gun was obtained

illegally, the man could face further charges.

In Eagle Pass, 24 cartons of an unknown powder with an

unusual label have raised suspicions for officers.

Cartels are known to smuggle narcotics

inside food products, so officers must determine what they're dealing with.

A chemical analyzer is used to test the powder.

If it turns out to be methamphetamine or cocaine, the couple

could face up to 20 years in prison.

Digitonin is a chemical used in the manufacturing of some health supplement.

Since the label appears to be fake,

the supplements are not approved in the U.S., and therefore...

could be harmful.

They're allowed to keep their supplements this time.

But the couple is refused entry and sent back to Mexico.

We have to send them back because what if somebody actually drinks it, consumes

it, and gets sick? So we're trying to control that or keep the people safe in

the United States from those products.

In Laredo.

It's empty. No bullets in the rounds, and all the extra mags are here with the

bullets.

Officers Saucedo and his team have apprehended a U.S. citizen returning

from Mexico with a handgun in his glove compartment.

The subject went to Mexico. He said that he forgot the weapon.

Although he declared the handgun on arrival, he didn't have any paperwork,

and background checks on the serial number have come back blank.

suggesting the gun isn't legally registered.

If so, the man could be arrested on weapons charges.

Hello, sir, this is India 5171 calling from Laredo, Texas.

Officer Saucedo contacts Homeland Security Investigation to see if they

are able to obtain any further details about the weapon.

We ran the serial number, but nothing comes back. We can't find the registered

owner.

That's going to be good to go. Okay, sir.

Sounds good, sir. I appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

Homeland Security Investigations has access to enhanced criminal databases

and confirms that the gun legally belongs to the driver.

So the outcome was they went through their databases. They were good with it.

You know, it was an honest mistake, but it was a costly mistake in a sense of,

like, for his time.

As of right now, he's going to be good to go. We're just going to advise him

for the next time to be careful what he's taking and what he's bringing back.

You can put your boots on, boss.

Satisfied that taking his gun to Mexico was an honest mistake, officers used

their discretion and let him off with a warning.

Go straight out the door.

I'll explain to you everything that's going to happen right now.

The man's escorted with his gun back to his car.

You have to just be careful as far as when you're taking the firearm. I

understand that it's your personal firearm.

It's just something that you have to be careful.

No, I understand.

It was more dangerous than to catch him. Honestly, yes, it is. It's more costly

for you to get caught over there in Mexico because you actually go to jail

for that. All right.

So here's your key.

It's his lucky day.

Had he been caught in Mexico with the gun and no paperwork, penalties there

are even more severe.

The biggest case scenario for him was that we found it here in Mexico.

They can go a lot of ways. They can take him to jail.

Whatever happens in Mexico, it can happen bad.

Good to go, DTR.