# To Catch a Smuggler (2015)

> Real airport police across Latin America and Europe track smugglers and seize contraband in this long-running documentary series.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/84886

## Facts

- Seasons: 11
- Episodes: 101
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: documentary, crime
- Network: National Geographic, National Geographic: Latinoamérica
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5099222/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: tense, matter of fact, observational, gritty

## What critics say

Audiences rate the documentary positively for its look at real airport police work and smuggling interdictions across Latin America and Europe.

## Synopsis

To Catch a Smuggler (2015-present) is an Argentine, Colombian and British co-produced documentary series broadcast on National Geographic and National Geographic Latinoamérica. Rather than following a single protagonist, it observes the police and customs officers working inside airports across Latin America and Europe, tracking the people who try to move drugs and contraband through terminals and baggage halls. Each episode is built from a self-contained case: officers spot a suspicious traveler, search luggage, make arrests and explain how the smuggling attempt unfolded. The engine is the constant cat and mouse between investigators and couriers who hide narcotics in clothing, electronics and cargo. Across eleven seasons and roughly a hundred episodes of forty-four minutes each, the format stays consistent: handheld observational footage, real officers speaking to camera and a steady procedural rhythm. The tone is tense and matter of fact, with moments of dark humor and a sense of the stakes for the people caught. Viewers who enjoy airport crime documentaries, true crime docuseries and border security observational shows will find this series a direct match. Fans of Border Security: Australia's Front Line and Cops will find resonance in its real-world access and procedural focus.

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