Ep 1. Loaded Luggage

To Catch a Smuggler: Colombia is a documentary series that follows the officers of the Narcotics Police and Anti-Smuggling unit as they work tirelessly to detect and intercept drug traffickers at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. In the first episode of season one, titled Loaded Luggage, viewers are taken behind the scenes of one of the most significant drug busts in Colombian history.

The episode begins with a brief introduction to the Narcotics Police and Anti-Smuggling unit, outlining the scale of their mission and the challenges they face. The El Dorado airport is one of the busiest airports in Latin America, with over 30 million passengers passing through its doors every year. With so many travellers coming and going, it's no wonder that drug traffickers see it as an opportunity to smuggle drugs to other parts of the world.

The focus of this particular episode is on a group of drug smugglers who attempted to transport 24 kilograms of cocaine out of Colombia in their luggage. The police received a tip-off from an informant that the smugglers would be arriving at the airport that day, and they were waiting for them.

We follow the officers as they set up in the airport, waiting for their targets. They use a variety of tactics, including surveillance cameras and sniffer dogs, to identify suspicious passengers. The tension is palpable as they wait for the smugglers to arrive.

When the smugglers do arrive, the officers are ready. They quickly identify the targets and begin to monitor them as they make their way through the airport. It's clear that the smugglers have something to hide, as they are constantly looking over their shoulders and trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

The smugglers make their way to the check-in counter, with their bags in tow. The officers know that this is the critical moment – if they can identify which bags contain the drugs, they can make the bust. The officers use x-ray machines to scan the luggage, looking for any anomalies. It's a tense moment as they wait for the results to come in.

When the x-rays reveal that the bags contain cocaine, the officers spring into action. They approach the smugglers and perform a thorough search of their luggage, uncovering the drugs hidden inside. The smugglers are arrested, and the police have successfully prevented 24 kilograms of cocaine from reaching their intended destination.

Throughout the episode, we get an insight into the work that goes into intercepting drug smugglers at an airport. The officers talk about the various tactics they use to identify and stop traffickers, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, and sniffer dogs. We also get to see the difficulty of the task, with so many travellers passing through the airport every day. It's a never-ending battle for the police, but one that they're determined to win.

To Catch a Smuggler: Colombia season 1 episode 1 is a gripping and suspenseful look into the world of drug trafficking. It shows us the lengths that drug smugglers will go to transport their illicit cargo, and the diligence and dedication that the police must show to prevent them. It's a fascinating watch, and one that leaves viewers in awe of the work done by these officers to keep their country safe.