--- title: Aerial Drug Bust at the Mexican Border | TIME description: TIME contract photographer Shaul Schwarz captures a dramatic drug bust from a helicopter above the Mexican border. canonical: https://time.com/video/Tra1WjL1/ og:title: Aerial Drug Bust at the Mexican Border og:description: TIME contract photographer Shaul Schwarz captures a dramatic drug bust from a helicopter above the Mexican border. og:url: https://time.com/video/Tra1WjL1/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Tra1WjL1/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Aerial Drug Bust at the Mexican Border twitter:description: TIME contract photographer Shaul Schwarz captures a dramatic drug bust from a helicopter above the Mexican border. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Tra1WjL1/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Aerial Drug Bust at the Mexican Border > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Aerial Drug Bust at the Mexican Border [Watch (HLS stream): Aerial Drug Bust at the Mexican Border](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Tra1WjL1.m3u8) (4:28)  _Published 2011-06-30. TIME contract photographer Shaul Schwarz captures a dramatic drug bust from a helicopter above the Mexican border._ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:14 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Aftermath of Drug Lord El Mencho's Killing and the U.S.’s Role](/video/X1aAxpUW/) ### Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Aftermath of Drug Lord El Mencho's Killing and the U.S.’s Role [Mexican Officials Criticized After Drug Lord's Second Escape](/video/0VWJ5dE3/) ### Mexican Officials Criticized After Drug Lord's Second Escape [Mexican Drug Lord Nazario Moreno Killed \(Real](/video/aZkhtRNE/) ### Mexican Drug Lord Nazario Moreno Killed (Real --- ## Transcript [ SOUND ] We maintain a very narrow mission. Interdict narcotics and people trying to come across the border, into the United States. 9: 16 Mike 426, key advice Mexican immigration. I have a total of five adult males. The McAllen area is a very active stretch. It's all day everyday. There's always something going on. And it's not all about illegal immigration, it's about narcotics smuggling, and who knows what else is coming across that border. [ SOUND ] We're gonna help look for this little girl who got separated from the rest of the group. Sometimes, you can be out on a, a narcotics interdiction, that will suddenly turn into a a rescue mission. Four we're gonna need an ambulance out here. He's got water in his lungs we have him on the boat now but he He's gonna need some assistance. A migrant coming over. His ambition is to come to this country, make a better life for himself, for his family. Now the Narco's mother that's a different, that's a different animal. That's a criminal. These guys are brutal, whether it means taking your life or my life. Nothing's gonna get in the way, of them making their money. [ SOUND ] Looks like they're coming South. Okay, they're coming South on 39 road guys, South on 39 road. They're starting to get more aggressive with us, you got the ground agents in their vehicles chasing them, and they're willing to fight us to get their narcotics back to Mexico so they don't lose the load. OK, he passed pothole. He's east bound: They'll turn for the river, and they'll drive against oncoming traffic. They'll do whatever they can that's the most unsafe, to try to cause us to stop chasing them. During these pursuits, the suspects are throwing out homemade spikes, that are disabling vehicles. We've had ten, fifteen cars disabled. You know, in a matter of a few minutes, in these pursuits. They'll drive the vehicle, usually it's stolen, into the Rio Grande River. The mules, we call them, are waiting on the US side for the truck to bail into the river. Whereas they can start, offloading the dope onto the rafts. and, they'll break out the windows or open the doors. And, they'll take the narchotics in the vehicle. And take it back to Mexico. Unfortunately, the, the ground agents on our side. There's not really anything that they can do to, to stop it. [ SOUND ] Okay. He's coming up to the levee. He's getting on the levee. Looks like you may loose him. Stand by. He's getting back down on the, on Military. He didn't make Macon, he's on Military again, eastbound. [ SOUND ] They're gonna bail out. [ SOUND ] Okay, he just cut across the sugar cane field right here at the edge of Abram. The uhh, west side of Abrams, ok, it looks like he's bailing out in the uhh, cane, ok, northbound in the cane. I guess he changed his mind and went to the field. [ SOUND ] If anybody can tell the uhh, PD he's right under the nose of the helicopter, right under the helicopter. Are you sure he doesn't have any weapons? Can you see his hands? Yeah, no weapons, I don't see them. Do you think he's pissed off? Pissed off? Yeah, he's just walking. He stopped running. Yeah, he's got his hands up. But the, PDPD is on him. It looks like they're gonna take him into custody, he's got his hands up, guys. [ NOISE ] The PD has the subject, handcuffs ready. That's what I'm talking about. [ NOISE ] I'll tell you what I do like. I take no more pride, the most prideful thing in the world, is to take their drugs from them, because when I take their drugs from em, or we, this agency takes their drugs from them, we hurt em, we hurt em bad. And yeah, tomorrow they'll be coming back across with it, but you know what? We'll be back out there tomorrow chasing it again. 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