Forget your typical airport delays. This week’s Contraband: Seized at the Airport trades screaming toddlers and overpriced snacks for fake passports and six-figure contraband. “A Hard Pill to Swallow” skips the usual travel anxieties and heads straight for the heart of high-stakes smuggling.
Sure, we’ve all seen the occasional nervous traveler sweating over a slightly-too-large bottle of shampoo. But a video game case concealing a fake passport? That’s a whole different level of airport intrigue. The Discovery Channel series continues its exploration of customs enforcement, and this episode looks set to offer a potent dose of criminal ingenuity.
Then there’s the classic “nothing to declare” bluff, taken to a whole new level. Imagine strolling back from a Parisian getaway, claiming to be baggage-free, only to have officers uncover a diamond watch worth more than a small house. That’s the kind of discovery that makes one appreciate the complexities of customs work.
Contraband: Seized at the Airport doesn’t limit its scope to a single location. This episode brings together the efforts of Department of Homeland Security officers from five major U.S. airports—San Francisco, Detroit, Newark, Atlanta, and Honolulu—demonstrating the extensive network involved in preventing illegal goods from crossing American borders.
Contraband: Seized at the Airport airs Monday, December 16 at 9 PM (ET/PT) on Discovery.
