All language subtitles for Border.Force.Americas.Gatekeepers.S07E06.1080p.WEB.h264-CODSWALLOP[EZTVx.to]

All travelers are subject to ID checks
when entering the United States.

Allowing Customs and Border Protection
officers to quickly determine if any are

wanted criminals.

At

the

Progreso Bridge.

A woman returning from Mexico has been
flagged in the system.

We just escorted a female subject from
the vehicle secondary.

She might have an active warrant.

I believe that they went out there
shopping and dental, and now they're

heading back home.

The subject is being non-cooperative.

She's very amped up, and she's doing it
a hard time.

Here we go.

Can I get a call?

There's no point in calling right now if
you have no idea where you're going.

I need a call.

I need...

To confirm

her identity and verify the warrant,
Officer Escalon needs to take the

woman's fingerprints.

Stop banging the door.

Huh? All right, let's go.

Ma'am, I'm going to take your
fingerprints. Just relax.

You been in trouble before?

What about it?

Just bear with us, ma'am. We're just
trying to get this process going.

Have a seat.

Ma'am, I'm going to escort you to the
seat if you don't sit down.

Ma'am, have a seat and sit down.

Don't ever get up without being told to.

Eagle Pass Port of Entry is one of the
busiest border crossings in North

America.

Hello, mister. Go on, mister. Your
documents?

Yeah.

An estimated 6.5 million pedestrians and
vehicles pass through each year.

Y'all bringing anything back from
Mexico?

We have two cases up here.

There you go. Thank you. Have a nice
day.

Drug cartels are known to conceal
narcotics within ordinary-looking

vehicles.

creating hidden compartments to avoid
detection by CBP officers.

Big vehicles such as SUVs or pickup
trucks have larger wheels and tires, so

the cartels, you get two or three
vehicles of the same make and model, do

the same compartment and start to try
and smuggle narcotics into the country.

So once we pop one, we start looking at
the same year range and make and model.

This afternoon...

A driver of an SUV who claims to be
visiting the U.S. for three days has

raised suspicions.

She was just trying to distract me so I
wouldn't ask her any questions.

She had no luggage. She had high heels,
a water jug, and trash.

With all the red flags that she has, I'm
going to send her for a C-portal

inspection.

While the woman is detained, her vehicle
is sent for an X-ray.

Anomalies on the right rear quarter
panel and the left rear quarter panel.

Sometimes it could be water bottles.
Sometimes it could be just trash that

they have.

All right, let's take a look.

With suspicious shapes appearing on the
image, officers carry out a physical

inspection. So he said that the
anomalies were possibly on the left and

on the right quarter panel, so we're
going to check real quick.

I mean, we see that there's missing
bolts, as you can see right there.

There it is.

We got bundles.

Let's take a look over here real quick,
sir.

There it is. We got more.

Yeah, let's go.

Having found what looks like drugs,
officers moved the car to a secure area

to continue the search.

Let's do it.

There's more over here though.

1, 2,

3, 4, 5.

So, so far we have a total of 15
packages.

Mind this.

We're probably going to find one.

In progresso.

Have a seat and sit down.

Don't ever get up without being told to.

A 21-year-old U.S. citizen returning
home has been flagged for an outstanding

arrest warrant.

The subject is being non-cooperative.
She's very amped up and she's giving us

a hard time.

After attempting to make a break for it,
officers have put the woman back in the

cell.

On the fingerprint?

Okay. Who's that after the warrant?

Okay, perfect.

With her fingerprints matching the
arrest warrant, Officer Escalon receives

information from the Houston Sheriff's
Office that she's wanted on multiple

counts for possession of drugs.

It seems like they are willing to
extradite.

We're going to try to process her as
quick as we can and turn her over to the

state and local. This is not her first
time. She stated before that she had an

extensive rap sheet, so...

She knows the ropes here.

Back in the cell, the woman shows no
sign of calming down.

Yes, ma'am. Can I get a call?

Not at the moment.

And will only be permitted a phone call
once she has been transferred to local

police.

We're going to get a call once you...

Yes, ma'am. Once you get transported to
the agency that they're going to pick

you up, then you'll receive your car.

Yes, ma'am.

So what?

So what?

So what's going on?

Yeah, well, I just explained to you.
They're going to come pick him up. So

once they get here, I'll notify you, and
then I'll take you.

Yes, ma'am.

All right. How long is that going to
take? I don't know, ma'am. Just bear

with us. We're trying to process as soon
as we can. Can I get a phone? No.

Can I get a phone? No.

Can I get a phone?

No, you cannot get a phone call. Okay.

All right.

But just chill out.

Ma'am, you're just going to make it hard
on yourself, all right? I hope so.

Okay. Why would you hope so?

Because I'm trying to tell you. I know,
but we're not the ones that put you in

this position.

All I'm going to do is give you a phone.

No, ma'am, it doesn't work that way.

Okay.

You can bang all you want, but nobody's
going to get your call, ma'am.

Local police arrive to take the woman to
county jail.

where she'll be held until extradited
350 miles to Houston.

If later found guilty of the drug
offenses, then she could face up to 10

years in jail.

at Eagle Pass International Bridge.

Officers have discovered what appears to
be a large stash of narcotics hidden in

a vehicle entering the United States.

Look at the tire, it's not even a tire
that it goes in.

Officer Estrada suspects there's even
more drugs concealed inside the spare

wheel.

Body check, the spare tire right there
is definitely a red flag just because of

the fact that it's not the same, right?

It looks like it's a different type of
tire.

Is it going down? Is it going down?

Nah, man, that's not moving.

Maybe I have to cut it.

We tried, bro.

Officers must find a way of getting into
the tire.

Oh, it's right there, bro.

If there are drugs inside and a packet
is broken,

as well as damaging evidence, it could
risk harming the officers.

I think this is, um, this is coke, yeah,
coke.

Ready?

It's a boy.

As of right now, six more, but there's
still a lot more in here.

I'm in the shower right now.

There's a lot more, bro.

They're all stuck. They're like all
stuck.

Officer Barrera takes over.

They're slippery. Yeah, they're super,
super.

and removes the final package.

17 in the tire, which seems to be like
mixed drugs because they feel different.

So the ones over here feel like some
sort of crystal meth, and these look

like cocaine.

Officers aren't convinced they've found
everything, though, and bring in a

canine.

The dog alerts to the floor of the
trunk.

where more packages are discovered.

Along with the 32 already

found, today's seizure totals 54 bundles
of narcotics.

Anything you're bringing back with you
other than your personal belongings?

All right, boss. Take care.

With an estimated 393 million privately
owned firearms, the United States has

the highest rate of gun ownership in the
world.

But without special permission,
transporting firearms across a federal

border is strictly forbidden.

It can result in criminal charges.

Any alcohol, tobacco, firearms in the
vehicle?

You guys are all set. You have a good
day.

At the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Officer Watson is working with an
American delivery driver who has refused

entry into Canada after a rifle was
found in his van.

This individual was sent back.

He was trying to go to Canada, and I
believe he's trying to make a delivery,

but they refused his entry because he
has a makeshift firearm in the back.

Ah, look, there it is, too.

There's no source of ammunition.

I don't know if there's going to be any
documentation for that. There's no

serial number.

This one's going to be a little
interesting.

What are you doing?

The man, who says the van is also his
home, claims that taking the gun to

Canada was an accident.

I had forgotten about half of the stuff
I got in there, so that's why I still

have it today. I thought it was gone.

I can't believe this is happening.

Yeah, I mean, you can't take firearms to
Canada, boss. I know, I didn't even have

it. I know.

While the delivery driver waits for the
inspection to be completed, Officer

Watson attempts to identify the unusual
firearm.

After making sure the weapon was already
safe and clear, we were able to handle

it.

Home modified, maybe not homemade, but
this was an actual functioning firearm

that he looks like he modified himself
with paracord and some

piece of rubber.

Although the weapon appears makeshift,
since it's still technically a working

firearm, the man has committed an
offense by transporting it through a

federal border.

Once he gets outside, ask him a little
more about the weapon because there's

nothing, I mean, there's no way to truly
identify it.

This is going to be an interesting
thing.

There's a pundit right there, bro.

I think this is Coke, yeah, Coke.

An eagle path.

CBP officers have seized 54 packages of
suspected narcotics stashed inside an

SUV.

With the drugs hidden across multiple
parts of the vehicle, officers believe

there could still be more.

Okay, let's go.

And want reassurance that nothing has
been missed.

There's no more anomalies.

54 packages and a lot of drugs for one
vehicle.

The X-ray confirms that the car has been
completely stripped of all remaining

contraband, and officers can begin
processing the load.

Okay, so we're still going to measure
everything out, weigh everything out.

They suspect that the three types of
packages contain three different types

of drugs.

So right now what we're doing is we're
going to get our test kits going and

maybe get a more definitive answer of
what we're working with right now.

They use a laser detection device to
accurately identify each type, starting

with the rectangular bricks.

So the Gemini tested positive for
cocaine, hydrochloride, so it is

cocaine.

Next, they test a rounder package
wrapped in black tape.

So on the way, I felt it was a little
bit more crystalline, so right now we

assume it's crystal meth.

2.6 million Americans ages 12 and up
report using methamphetamines every

year, and it accounts for the majority
of deaths caused by narcotic overdoses.

Methamphetamine, yeah.

Methamphetamine, hydrochloric, what we
suspected it was.

Finally, Officer Barrera tests the
cylindrical package, wrapped with yellow

tape. And upon removing the layers and
him pulling it out, you got a black,

like, super sticky substance.

We're going to go ahead and run it
through our narco patches.

A sticky black consistency is a sign
that the third drug could be heroin.

If the test pouch turns green, It's a
positive match.

Black tar

is an unrefined, impure form of heroin,
teeming

with dangerous chemicals.

It's even more deadly to users.

Take our kids and take our
neighborhoods.

It always feels good.

The hall has an estimated street value
of $1.7 million.

It's a huge win for Officer Barrera and
his team.

One, two, three.

Well, the officers have something to
celebrate.

The party is over for the driver of the
vehicle.

She is handed over to Homeland Security
Investigation, who will take over the

case.

If found guilty of trafficking such a
large quantity of narcotics, she could

face up to life in prison.

On the northern bank

of the Rio Grande, it's the U.S. city of
Brownsville.

Across the river in Mexico is Matamoros,
a stronghold for organized crime, where

Mexican cartels use fleets of vehicles
to carry out cross-border smuggling.

When someone's lying to you, you can
kind of tell. And when they're telling

you the truth, it just kind of flows
out. It's natural.

Four?

Okay. And why so much detergent?

But for the most part, you hear the same
thing over and over again. Going

shopping, bringing back minuscule items.

But how they say it, that's what's real.
That's what you're looking for. That's

the pattern you're trying to pick up on.

The vehicle,

is it registered under your name?

Anybody else?

Tonight,

at the Brownsville Gateway Bridge, a
woman has been selected for a random

inspection.

Officers quickly find items that arouse
suspicion.

Cartels reuse license plates across
different vehicles to confuse detection

systems and disrupt CBP operations.

Concerned this woman could be involved
in some kind of smuggling, officers need

to investigate more.

Large amounts of cash can be linked to
criminal activity, but the woman says

she only has $250.

Hidden in the woman's back pocket is a
stack of $100 bills.

Any currency over $10,000 must

be declared.

If she's carrying more...

She could face federal prosecution.

At the Detroit Windsor Tunnel.

Ah, look, there it is, too.

Officers are investigating an unusual
firearm found in the back of a van.

This one's going to be a little
interesting.

Okay. The driver has a delivery to make
across the border in Canada, but his

homemade rifle caught him in the
crosshairs of CBP.

Why were you trying to go to Canada?
This needs to be delivered to the

Chrysler Windsor place. Do you have any
paperwork at all for that fire?

No, sir.

Self-modified? Self-made?

Somebody tried to shoot my dad with it,
and he grabbed it and jerked it away

from him, and then he broke it. So I
kind of made it so I could shoot it from

like that with a pistol, and I used to
shoot hogs with it. Where was home for

you?

Like Coons, Texas, but I sold my house
in Coons. I put a dollar through

college, through law school. So I sold
the house and moved out to my mom and

dad's farm out in Spurger, Texas.

Okay. How long have you been on the
road?

Probably about six months.

Okay. My mom died last year, and I just
really didn't have nothing left.

Well, I'm sorry for your loss, boss. I'm
sorry to hear about your mom. That was

about the last thing I took. I was
bringing them around with me.

I thought it was gone.

Fortunately for this driver, the officer
is satisfied it was an honest mistake.

All right, boss.

Well, I'm going to put that back in the
van. We'll get you out of your way,

okay? Thank you. God bless you. Thank
you.

All right.

But the gun will need to be disposed of
before he tries to cross the border

again. So I put it on the side.

That way when he gets to wherever he's
going here in Michigan that he can drop

it off at or properly disposed of. You
know, a couple of our police stations

will take it from him and dispose of it.

Everybody's got stories. So thankfully
in this case, it's just a guy trying to

make a living.

Has an unusual story for a firearm that
he's got with him. But other than that,

everything is good to go.

All right, sir, you're good to grab your
dog and get in the van, okay?

Thank you.

Years ago, I used to have like 10 or 12
guns. But, you know, I used to hunt deer

and hunt game and everything.

And when my daughter got in college, I
had to sell everything.

And that was the last one I had. I
hadn't even fired it in like 10 years.

I don't want it.

But I'm not going to make sure. I may
just take it to the police department

and give it to them because I don't want
anybody to get a hold of it and be able

to do anything with it.

The man has been spared a penalty, and
it's sent on its way.

Back in Brownsville, a woman is being

questioned after a search found multiple
license plates in her vehicle and a

large sum of money in her possession.

Failure to declare cash over $10,000 is
a federal crime, which can result in a

fine or prosecution.

Okay, so how much money do you have?

$5,000?

Just there.

$220.

$250. Ma'am, so how much money do you
have in total?

So $5,250.

Okay, so we're just going to verify that
you have that amount?

Okay, so let's go inside.

Do you have any more money in the
vehicle? No. No? Are you sure?

Okay.

The woman is taken inside to determine
why she has so much cash and why she

concealed it.

She amended her declaration at the last
second.

It's a red flag when they don't declare
it on primary, and then they do declare

it on secondary. We get that a lot. We
get people who come across, say, how

much money are you bringing over?

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I know
exactly what I have on my person. You

know, with a couple questions and an
interview, we could get to the bottom of

things.

Officers suspect the woman could be
working for a cartel, driving vehicles

with false license plates to be used in
smuggling activities.

Since any currency over $10,000 must be

declared, the cash is counted.

What's your uncle's name?

What's your uncle's name?

Why wouldn't you?

I'm sure we already have it, but...
What's that?

Okay, super common name.

How did you get the two plates they
found in your possession?

Oh, I found them. You found them? Yeah.

I couldn't get them.

Is there a rhyme or reason? Like, you
just like different plates?

Yeah.

Just whatever. Looks good?

Yeah.

The undeclared money is below the
$10,000 limit.

Despite officers' suspicions, there's no
hard evidence that the woman is

doing anything illegal.

She'll be released.

But not before the license plates are
seized.

She's going to keep all her money, minus
the license plates, but she'll be on her

way. If the woman crosses in the future,
she will need to be more careful about

what she is taking with her.

She's a regular, and yeah, we see her
often.

In the United States, the average
American will spend over $85,000 on

medication in a lifetime.

But lower prices in Mexico fuel a black
market.

with people illegally smuggling cheap
medicine back into the U.S.

This

afternoon

in Progreso, a man has been detained
after Officer Trevino found suspicious

packages in the trunk of his car.

And I asked him what he was bringing
back.

And he said, oh, just cookies and chips
and treats for my family members over

here in the U.S. And I was like, oh,
okay. So I opened the trunk.

It was like this.

So when I grabbed one, they felt
different.

Usually with the crackers, you can feel
whenever you push it, you can break the

crackers. And not this. This is very
hard.

You could tell the packages were altered
because they were ripped when we opened

them. This is what we got.

Medication.

This one too.

Pills, Xanax, Accion.

Pretty much everything. They're full to
the rim.

All the pills are controlled substances
in the United States.

A lot of times what they do this is
because family members don't have jobs

in the U.S. and they rely on selling
medication in flea markets, on

Marketplace, on Facebook.

just to make, you know, extra money,
which is illegal.

So right now we took him inside. He's
being fingerprinted, and they're going

to see if they're going to prosecute
him.

Smuggling more than 50 pills of a
controlled substance can carry a penalty

of up to five years in prison.

The man's fingerprints are taken to see
if he has a criminal history.

He has a clean record.

but reveals something shocking about his
profession.

The subject stated that he is a general
doctor in Mexico.

I can only assume that he is selling
this medication to

people over here in the United States.

This quantity of prescription
medications could be worth thousands of

dollars on the black market in the U.S.

if the man is selling them.

He faces losing his medical license as
well as jail time.

The Ambassador Bridge is North America's
busiest commercial artery, facilitating

25% of all U.S.-Canada trade.

Hi, how are you? How are you? How many?
Two. Two? Any weapons or firearms?

No, sir.

Have a good evening, okay? Thank you.
Take care. Bye.

It's also a popular crossing for artists
and musical acts.

Super diverse.

All different walks of life coming
across the bridge every day.

It definitely helps to know the
surrounding area because if somebody

tells you they're going to a concert
that's not here and they say it's here,

obviously they're lying about something.
So it kind of heightens our awareness

and what to look for.

This afternoon, a touring band
attempting to get across into Canada has

been sent back to CBP officers in
Detroit.

We are Death by Romy. I'm Death by
Romy's manager. We got turned around in

Canada because we didn't have a stamp in
our carnet for all of our audio

equipment. A permit known as a carnet
allows expensive equipment to enter a

country for a limited time without
paying import duty.

With errors in the band's paperwork,
officers must further investigate.

Anytime somebody's returning back from
Canada, we do our routine inspection

here. So we're going to go through the
band here, go through the trailer that

they're pulling.

The band's performance is scheduled to
start in just a few hours.

But for now, they're going nowhere.

We don't want to get stopped and have to
cancel the show. That's the worst case

scenario. The clock is ticking.

But Officer Lowe must check that the
band has accounted for every piece of

equipment on their carnet.

So it's an inventory of what they've
taken out of the country and bringing

back into the country.

Well, it's like they're not bringing
something in, like skipping out on

paying taxes or duty on. It's like an
expensive guitar, so it's just them

showing that, hey, I bought this here in
the States, I didn't buy this in another

country, and I'm bringing it back.

While Officer Lowe continues to inspect
the contents of the tour bus, officers

inside assist with the band's paperwork.

So when you go to Canada, tell them that
you have a carnet. We did all of that

already.

Oh, they refused you guys because if you
turn the carne in and you're missing any

of the blocks in it, they can actually
fine you for not exporting or importing

properly. And the fines can be pretty
hefty from what we hear. So it's

actually to your benefit that they
refused you.

Well, that was a good thing. Yeah.

What do you do in the band?

I'm the manager.

Oh, are you?

That's why they left you with the big
part. Yeah, exactly.

I do all the admin.

And you guys are going to Toronto for
your show?

Yes. What kind of music is it?

It's like alternative pop.

Where do you play? Like a bar?

We're playing at Adelaide Hall.

Oh, I think I've heard of that. Is that
pretty big?

I think it's like 500 cabs. It's not
huge. Wow.

With the inspection of the van complete,
the necessary amendments are made to the

carnet.

Good luck at your show. Thank you so
much.

Thank you.

Group out.

They were great. They were super
friendly. It was pretty easy.

Just had to wait around for a while, but
it was good.

With the help of the CBP team, the show
will go on, and the band can continue

their journey to Toronto for tonight's
gig.

So once they're done with their show,
they've got to go back through the

process again, and we're going to see
them again tomorrow.

In Progreso.

So I opened the trunk.

This is what we got.

Pills, Xanax, Axion, pretty much
everything. They're pulled to the rim.

A doctor from Mexico has been caught
attempting to smuggle large quantities

of controlled medication into the U.S.

It's easy for somebody to just try to
get a hold of a doctor from Mexico and

then just get...

prescribe something, and then he brings
them over.

We're going to have to count the pills
that we have.

All the medication must be identified
and counted. The more there are, the

stiffer the penalty.

Right now we're dealing with Daxion.

This is the use mainly for diet and
energy.

but they do have a control substance.

Officer Robles has also identified
tramadol, Xanax,

and a surprising fourth drug,
misoprostol.

The other medication that is used for
abortion, that's a new one. We really

haven't seen that as much.

It's usually used or prescribed for
ulcers. However, if any pregnant...

female uses it, it can cause abortion of
the fetus.

Following the end of the constitutional
right to abortion in 2022,

mysoprostol has been increasingly
smuggled from Mexico into the United

States to enable self-managed abortions.

The Xanax is going to be 32206 grams.

Oxygen is going to be 60.1 grams.

Tramadol is going to be 584.78.

This kind of quantity of controlled
medications can only mean one thing,

that the man is a dealer.

The street value for the Xanax and
Tramadol alone is in excess of $53

,000.

But this man isn't going to get his
payday.

Local law enforcement arrives to take
the doctor into custody.

You all have a heart count of all of
them, right?

Yes. So these are the abortion ones?
Yeah.

450 pills.

Do you all see those a lot?

No, we don't see them.

They are going to take the subject and
present all the evidence, and the judge

will decide what the consequence will be
for him.

The doctor is escorted from the cells to
be handed over to the state troopers.

They're going to do state prosecution
for smuggling this medication into the

United States, which is a felony.

And also because he is a Mexican
resident with a visa, he will be losing

his visa today.

We're going to take you to our office in
McAllen. Okay.

And then we'll interview you there, talk
to you a little bit in regards to what

you've got here. Okay. And then we'll
probably take you to the county jail

from there.

You're going to be charged with the
possession of these pills? How long time

am I going to spend in that?

With the doctor on his way to county
jail,

it's been a successful seizure for
Officer Robles and the Progreso CBP

team.