The BEST episodes of Border Wars

Every episode of Border Wars ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Border Wars!

The officers and agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) scour the inhospitable landscape at one of the busiest border crossings in the country, seeking to intercept illegal entrants from the air, on the ground, and at the port of entry. Every day thousands of men, women and children attempt to enter the United States illegally -- some looking for work, some seeking a new life and others trying to smuggle drugs or other contraband. Many will do whatever it takes, often risking their lives by crossing Arizona's treacherous Sonoran Desert. Now, follow the officers and agents who struggle every day to defend this border, including: Officer Hector Navarro, part of the anti-terrorism contraband enforcement team; Agent Simon Keller, part of an 18-man all-terrain vehicle unit that navigates desert terrain too rough for cars; Officer Oscar Peru, who patrols the vast Arizona desert from a helicopter; Officer Mark Shanley, a 26-year CBP veteran who uses his hard-won experience to supplement the official manual; and Chief Rene Felix, a Nogales native with a personal mission to keep drug smugglers out of his town.

Last Updated: 4/25/2025Network: National GeographicStatus: Ended
star
9.00
28 votes

#1 - War on the Streets

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/28/2012

South Texas has become a hotspot for smuggling activities on the border.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
star
9.00
28 votes

#2 - War Games

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/21/2012

Tactical cat-and-mouse games used in the war on drugs.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Death on the Rio Grande
star
8.00
27 votes

#3 - Death on the Rio Grande

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/29/2010

Agents try to identify the body of a young man who drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande. Later, officers crack down on a human-smuggling operation and raid a safe house containing more than 20 illegal immigrants.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
8.00
28 votes

#4 - Special Ops

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/5/2012

Specially trained agents deal with problems specific to the border in South Texas.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Midnight Drug Run
star
7.50
56 votes

#5 - Midnight Drug Run

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/3/2010

Agents conduct a citywide sting in San Juan in an effort to bust gang-affiliated drug dealers. In Miami, deportation officers deal with a complex case of a family man facing deportation.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.50
56 votes

#6 - Traffic

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/14/2012

Illegal traffic between the Rio Grande and the Falfurrias Checkpoint in South Texas.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.50
56 votes

#7 - The War Comes Home

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/19/2012

Agents in South Texas work to stop drug dealers, smugglers and undocumented immigrants from infiltrating residential neighborhoods and getting innocent bystanders involved.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Contraband Highway
star
7.00
28 votes

#8 - Contraband Highway

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/8/2010

More than $600,000 worth of crystal meth is found hidden in an SUV. A car filled with firearms and ammunition tries to cross the border checkpoint in Hidalgo, Texas.

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.00
28 votes

#9 - 24-Hour Watch

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/26/2012

The action never stops for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents and local law enforcement who patrol the border 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As dawn breaks, agents track a group of suspected illegal immigrants from Mexico.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
star
7.00
28 votes

#10 - Meth Mobile

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/16/2012

The agents enlist the help of the A-Star surveillance helicopter to track a suspected smuggling ring.

star
7.00
56 votes

#11 - Murder Capital

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/2/2011

Customs and Border Protection patrol the crucial boundary between El Paso, one of the safest cities in the U.S. and Cuidad Juarez, considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Storm Surge
star
7.00
28 votes

#12 - Storm Surge

Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/22/2010

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Cartel Crackdown
star
7.00
28 votes

#13 - Cartel Crackdown

Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/8/2010

A search for suspected illegal immigrants turns into a rescue mission when they get disoriented in the sweltering heat. A SWAT team busts a suspected coke house.

Watch Now:Amazon
High-Speed Chase
star
7.00
28 votes

#14 - High-Speed Chase

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/1/2010

Border agents pursue a car filled with suspected illegal immigrants. Later, the SWAT team raids a suspected heroin stash house. A spare tire stuffed with hundred-dollar bills is discovered by officers.

Watch Now:Amazon
Gang Task Force
star
7.00
28 votes

#15 - Gang Task Force

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/20/2010

A gang member becomes an informant after he's apprehended in Miami. A marijuana grow house is raided by undercover agents. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepts a boat carrying more than 500 lbs. of cocaine and a strange mystery substance.

Watch Now:Amazon
Murder on the Lake
star
7.00
28 votes

#16 - Murder on the Lake

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/17/2010

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Hidden Narcotics
star
7.00
28 votes

#17 - Hidden Narcotics

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/13/2010

Agents stage a sting operation and infiltrate a human-smuggling operation. Hidden narcotics are uncovered in a car passing through California's San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Watch Now:Amazon
Dirty Money
star
7.00
28 votes

#18 - Dirty Money

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/29/2010

The California Border Patrol seeks out corruption within its own ranks. Rookie agents pursue illegal immigrants. Officers intercept a huge stash of drug-cartel money.

Watch Now:Amazon
Lost in the River
star
7.00
28 votes

#19 - Lost in the River

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/15/2010

Agents search for nine missing people in the Rio Grande. A man wanted for murder tries to cross the border in Hidalgo, Texas. A group of suspected drug smugglers are tracked through the night.

Watch Now:Amazon
Checkpoint Texas
star
7.00
28 votes

#20 - Checkpoint Texas

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/1/2010

A rookie agent and his canine partner uncover more than 1000 pounds of marijuana hidden in an 18-wheeler. An Ecuadorian woman and her daughter are rescued after being abandoned by smugglers. A group of illegal crossers send agents on a four-hour chase..

Watch Now:Amazon
star
7.00
28 votes

#21 - No End in Sight

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/10/2010

National Geographic goes inside the US-Mexico border with unprecedented access to the growing arsenal of high tech cameras, ground radar, and skilled trackers who are faced with the challenge of controlling the desert every day. A report on illegal immigration follows drug smugglers and job seekers as they risk their lives attempting to cross the Mexico-U.S. border. Also, a look inside the U.S. Border Patrol.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Front Lines
star
7.00
84 votes

#22 - The Front Lines

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/25/2010

Officer Hector Navarro apprehends a heroin smuggler at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry. Meanwhile, a wanted man with a criminal past tries crossing through the Nogales pedestrian gate.

Watch Now:Amazon
Dead of Night
star
7.00
84 votes

#23 - Dead of Night

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/18/2010

Five agents are outnumbered when they come across a group of armed drug mules in the desert. Later, a nervous woman tries crossing the border, but it appears that she's not who she claims.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
City Under Siege
star
7.00
56 votes

#24 - City Under Siege

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/11/2010

Undercover agents investigate a house in Nogales, Ariz., where illegal immigrants and human smugglers are believed to be living. Also, an elaborate tunnel used by smugglers, fugitives and illegal immigrants is found.

Watch Now:Amazon
Last Defense
star
7.00
84 votes

#25 - Last Defense

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/10/2010

Border Patrol agents stop a pickup truck filled with people who have crossed illegally from Mexico in the opener of this documentary series following officers and agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Also, a group of badly dehydrated border crossers are rescued in the scorching desert.

Watch Now:Amazon