To Catch a Smuggler

To Catch a Smuggler is a documentary television series that depicts the work of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) law enforcement officers at multiple United States airports. Violations include fraudulent visas, human trafficking, and transportation of contraband items. To Catch a Smuggler is featured on National Geographic.^[1]

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 to find suspected contraband, such as drugs, undeclared currency, or prohibited food items.
• Searching the bodies of individuals suspected of concealing contraband, using methods such as pat-downs, detection dogs, and X-ray scans.
• Detaining individuals suspected of smuggling and turning them over to law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution.
• Investigating criminal smuggling operations (drugs, weapons, counterfeit merchandise, etc.) with the goal of arresting the perpetrators.

The channel features several sister series under the same title, which focus on law enforcement activities at airports and facilities in other countries, including Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, and the Dutch Caribbean.

The series has been produced by Lucky8 since 2020. National Geographic's site aligns seasons with Lucky8's production.