Border Wars Season 2, Episode 15: Storm Surge

1

Death on the Rio Grande

A young man drowns trying to cross the Rio Grande, and agents must now identify him and return his body to his family. Next, 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.

2

Checkpoint Texas

An 18-wheeler carrying more than 1,000 pounds of concealed marijuana is discovered by a rookie agent and his canine partner. Meanwhile, a group of illegal crossers takes agents on a four-hour chase. 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.

3

Contraband Highway

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 identifies smuggling routes, discover what could be a remote transfer point for illicit goods. Further surveillance supports their theory, and the team hopes to close in on an active operation - if they can avoid detection by cartel scouts.

4

Lost in the River

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 CBP'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, initially finding only one body. The search becomes more urgent when they find two more bodies the next day.

5

Dirty Money

New agents get their first taste of action; officers seize tens of thousands of dollars in suspected drug cartel money; special agents seek out corruption within their ranks.

6

Fog of War

Working the varied terrain of San Diego, California are officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security; men and women dedicated to their duty of defending the United States busiest border crossing. Three components of U.S. Customs and Border Protection watch over this 66-mile stretch of the border and beyond from the air, on the ground, and at the ports of entry. Their mission is to secure the border against smuggling of contraband and unlawful entry into the U.S. In this episode of Border Wars, 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.

7

Hidden Narcotics

In this episode of Border Wars, 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.

8

Manhunt

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 of Border Wars, 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, saying her only goal is to be reunited with her son.

9

Walk the Line

Meet the Shadow Wolves, an elite unit of just 12 Native American federal agents who hunt down drug smugglers crossing into the US through a desert the size of Connecticut using ancient techniques.

10

3,000-Pound Coke Bust

Witness one of the Caribbean's largest drug busts of the year -- over 1.5 tons of cocaine worth more than $40 million found aboard a Panamanian fishing boat heading to the U.S. As the State Department negotiates for possession of the ship, the DEA and Coast Guard stand guard over the cargo. When a suspected smuggler requires medical attention, the situation becomes urgent in a scramble to get medication on board. Next, enter the underworld of North Miami Beach as officers patrol the streets.

11

Murder on the Lake

Examining the Sept. 30, 2010, death of American tourist David Hartley, who was allegedly shot by Mexican pirates during a sightseeing trip on Falcon Lake near the Texas-Mexico border.

12

Gang Task Force

In this episode of Border Wars, Miami and Puerto Rico, agents and officers with the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration intercept a boat with a multi-million dollar drug load, apprehend an alleged member of a transnational gang, and destroy a marijuana grow house. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from a violent gang task force apprehend an alleged member of a dangerous gang to see if he will give them valuable inside information. Hours later, a DEA agent leads a raid on a marijuana grow house operation in West Palm Beach. At the same time, off the coast of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepts a fishing boat carrying what turns out to be more than 500 pounds of cocaine.

13

High-Speed Chase

In Laredo, Texas, officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security target drug smuggling and illegal immigration. In this episode of Border Wars, agents chase down a car filled with illegal immigrants heading north. When the group bails from their vehicle, agents must run through thick brush in search of the immigrants, who face imminent dehydration in the south Texas heat. At the Laredo Port of Entry, a group of officers uncover a spare tire thats loaded with a massive currency seizure - money likely headed into cartel hands south of the border. Meanwhile, the Laredo SWAT team prepares for a bust on a suspected gang members home in search of cocaine and black tar heroin.

14

Cartel Crackdown

In this episode of Border Wars, Border Patrol Agents and Customs and Border Protection Officers in Laredo, Texas, work around the clock to stop illicit drugs and undocumented immigrants from slipping into the United States through the countrys largest inland port. Horse Patrol and Air Support team up to track a group of immigrants hiking through private ranchland just north of the border; Agents at the Rio Grande face off with smugglers to stop a group of suspected immigrants from rafting across the river into the United States; Customs and Border Protection Officers at a Port of Entry bridge uncover a dangerous drug rarely seen here; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers team up with a Laredo SWAT team to bust a suspected coke house.

15

Storm Surge

A truck with canned jalapenos is found to have marijuana; a human smuggler will not give up stranded immigrants; agents raid a suspected stash house.

16

Weed Warehouse

A stolen vehicle is abandoned after it flips over during a high-speed chase, and a huge load of marijuana is found inside

17

Super Sunday

Agents beef up security in Miami in preparation for Super Bowl XLIV, while also patrolling the rest of the city for drug trafficking and illegal immigration.