''To Catch a Smuggler'' is a

documentary television series Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. *Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

that depicts the work of

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

and

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

law enforcement officers at multiple United States airports. Violations range from fraudulent visas to human trafficking. ''To Catch a Smuggler'' is featured on

National Geographic Television National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General En ...

. A typical episode presents several incidents of the following types: * Interviewing travelers from abroad and examining their documents (passports, visas, etc.), in order to determine whether or not to allow them to enter the country. * Examining passengers' luggage and conducting body searches to find suspected contraband, such as drugs, artifacts, or prohibited food items. * Detaining individuals suspected of drug smuggling and turning them over to law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution. * Investigating criminal smuggling operations (drugs, counterfeit merchandise, human trafficking, etc.) with the goal of arresting the perpetrators. Some episodes focus on similar activity at airports and transport facilities in other countries, such as: * Peru (

Jorge Chávez International Airport Jorge Chávez International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez) is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, northwest from Lima Center, the nation's capital city and from the district of Miraflo ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

) * Italy (

Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport Rome–Fiumicino International Airport "Leonardo da Vinci" ( it, Aeroporto Internazionale di Roma–Fiumicino "Leonardo da Vinci"; ) is an international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, serving Rome. It is the busiest airport in the country, the ...

, serving

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

) * Spain (

Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas ) , commonly known as Madrid–Barajas Airport, is the main international airport serving Madrid in Spain. At in area, it is the second-largest ai ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

) * Colombia (

El Dorado International Airport El Dorado International Airport is an international airport serving Bogotá, Colombia and its surrounding areas. The airport is located mostly in the Fontibón district of Bogotá, although it partially extends into the Engativá district and ...

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

) * Brazil (

São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport São Paulo/Guarulhos – Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport is the primary international airport serving São Paulo. It is popularly known locally as either ''Cumbica Airport'', after the district where it is located and the B ...

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

) * New Zealand (various facilities including

Auckland Airport Auckland Airport is the largest and busiest airport in New Zealand, with over 21 million passengers in the year ended March 2019. The airport is located near Māngere, a residential suburb, and Airport Oaks, a service hub suburb south of the ...

Christchurch Airport Christchurch Airport is the main airport that serves Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Harewood. Christchurch (Harewood) Airport officially opened on 18 May 1940 and became New Zea ...

, and

Queenstown Airport Queenstown Airport is located in Frankton, Otago, New Zealand, and serves the resort town of Queenstown. The airport is from the Queenstown CBD. The airport handled 2.25 million passengers as of 2018 making it the fourth busiest airport ...

)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2012)

Season 2 (2020)

Season 3 (2021)

Season 4 (2022)

Season 5 (2022)

References

External links

* * American documentary television series about crime 2010s American documentary television series 2020s American documentary television series 2012 American television series debuts National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming Television series about border control {{US-tv-prog-stub