Borderland: Dispatches with Katarina Szulc

On today’s episode, Katarina speaks directly with a man who smuggles people across borders. He explains how the system works — and just how little resistance he faces. From rural roads in Quebec and Vermont to backwoods crossings used year-round, even in dangerous winter conditions, Katarina explores how the U.S.–Canada border is being exploited by smugglers moving people from countries around the world. She also investigates how illegal firearms enter Canada, often through straw purchases or smuggling routes from the U.S. Used in the majority of gun crimes in major cities, these weapons move through informal street markets and online platforms with little oversight. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina Szulc breaks down the latest developments in the case of Ovidio Guzmán, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and a former high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel. After pleading guilty in U.S. federal court, Ovidio has now been moved to an undisclosed location. Katarina explains what this likely means—especially regarding cooperation with U.S. authorities—and how it could reshape ongoing cartel investigations and U.S.-Mexico relations. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina travels to Ontario’s Six Nations Reserve—one of the largest Indigenous territories in Canada—to expose how organized crime groups are exploiting Native communities along the northern U.S. border. From illegal marijuana grow operations to gun and drug trafficking routes, Katarina uncovers how criminal syndicates are embedding within reservation lands, using jurisdictional loopholes and economic desperation to operate in the shadows. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina breaks down the recent ICE detention of Julio César Chávez Jr., the former boxing champion and son of a Mexican sports icon, amid allegations of cartel connections. As the U.S. pressures Mexico to crack down on organized crime, Katarina examines why Chávez Jr. was living freely in Los Angeles despite mounting scrutiny—and whether his treatment reflects a double standard. She also explores how cartel influence increasingly reaches into entertainment and celebrity circles, raising deeper questions about soft power, protection, and accountability across borders. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Katarina speaks with Stefano Ritondale from @AllSourceNews to examine the current situation unfolding in Sinaloa, Mexico. They discuss the internal divisions within the Sinaloa Cartel, the evolving relationship between Sinaloa and CJNG, and the shifting power dynamics in the region. The conversation also explores possible successors to the cartel’s leadership amid increasing instability. Follow Stefano on socials: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllSourceNews X: @All_Source_News Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina breaks down the recent wave of violence in Sinaloa, Mexico, where 20 bodies were found across multiple crime scenes—including four decapitated victims hung from a bridge and five severed heads left in a bag. The killings are believed to be linked to an internal conflict within the Sinaloa cartel, between factions associated with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons—known as the Chapitos—and the group tied to longtime cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina breaks down a recently released Justice Department report detailing how the Sinaloa cartel hired a hacker in 2018 to track FBI personnel and informants in Mexico City. The hacker accessed phone data and surveillance cameras to monitor the movements of an FBI attaché and identify individuals meeting with U.S. officials. Some of those individuals were later targeted by the cartel. The episode explores how cartels are using digital tools to support their operations and what this means for U.S. law enforcement and intelligence efforts abroad. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina breaks down how a potential war between the U.S. and Iran could ignite a parallel conflict in the shadows—one driven not by missiles, but by smugglers, cartels, and covert networks. She unpacks how chaos in the Gulf could ripple across Latin America, empowering groups like the Sinaloa Cartel to expand their reach. From fuel theft and arms diversion to drug trafficking and border infiltration, this is the war few are watching—but one that could reshape the criminal underworld and hit the U.S. homeland in unexpected ways. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina examines the complex and often contradictory U.S. strategy toward cartel networks. While recent sanctions target businesses tied to criminal organizations—ranging from luxury spas to shell companies—internal records suggest that some cartel-affiliated individuals are quietly crossing the U.S. border with legal authorization. This dispatch explores the murky space between public enforcement actions and behind-the-scenes agreements, raising new questions about how the drug war is being fought—and who is shielded from its consequences. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original. SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borderland-dispatches-with-katarina-szulc/id1814920364 SUBSCRIBE ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EvQ4S8NnDqqSdCRhZvPaI?si=ea91d3147b6b46bc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina reports from the streets of downtown Los Angeles, where protests erupted in response to a wave of ICE raids targeting undocumented workers. But this isn’t just about one city or one agency. It’s about the evolution of ICE from a post-9/11 security force to a multibillion-dollar enforcement machine. Katarina traces how LA became ground zero for resistance—again—while unpacking the quiet cross-border deals between the U.S. and Mexico, the expansion of biometric surveillance, and the profit motives behind mass detention. With field tape, interviews, and sharp analysis, this dispatch reveals how two governments are using immigration as a tool of control—and how the streets are pushing back. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Borderland: Dispatches, Katarina examines the long-running “kingpin strategy” used by the U.S. and Mexican governments to dismantle drug cartels by targeting their top leaders. Drawing on case studies from major criminal organizations, she outlines how this approach often leads to the fragmentation of cartels, the rise of rival factions, and increased violence. The episode explores the operational logic behind the strategy, its historical outcomes, and why some experts argue it may be counterproductive. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina explores how fuel theft—known as huachicol—has evolved from a local criminal tactic into a multinational enterprise with direct links to U.S. ports, businesses, and national security. As Mexico’s CJNG cartel diversifies beyond drugs, stolen crude oil and diesel have become major revenue sources, flowing from Pemex pipelines into the American energy market through a network of corrupt officials, shell companies, and fraudulent shipping manifests. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Borderland: Dispatches, Katarina unpacks how the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has emerged as the dominant force in Mexico’s criminal underworld. From brutal turf wars to high-level corruption and global drug trafficking routes, the CJNG is no longer just another cartel—it’s a paramilitary powerhouse reshaping the entire landscape. Katarina explores how they’ve outpaced rivals, infiltrated local governments, and expanded their reach beyond borders, and what their rise means for U.S. security, Mexican sovereignty, and the future of organized crime. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina examines how Mexican cartels have developed sophisticated propaganda strategies to expand their influence and control. From traditional narcocorridos to viral TikTok videos, cartels use music, social media, public banners, and graphic videos to recruit members, intimidate rivals, and shape public perception. She traces the historical roots of narco culture, explores its modern evolution through artists like Peso Pluma, and highlights how platforms like YouTube and Telegram have become tools of digital warfare. The episode also looks at physical propaganda—such as narcomantas—and the strategic release of violent videos used to send messages and shift blame. Katarina also investigates how disinformation campaigns, pseudo-philanthropy, and public messaging allow cartels to act as parallel powers in communities across Mexico. Through this lens, the episode reveals how the fight for narrative control has become central to cartel operations—on screens, in songs, and in the streets. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina breaks down how cartels are cashing in on more than just drugs. It starts with crude oil theft—massive, organized operations draining fuel straight from pipelines. Then it’s into the fields, where farmers are being extorted and crops trafficked across borders. And finally, into cyberspace, where cartel-linked hackers are running scams, stealing data, and moving money in the shadows. It’s a look at the criminal industries most people never see—but everyone feels. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Katarina begins her journey at the bustling Port of Vancouver, a key gateway where global trade intersects with local challenges. She then heads to East Hastings Street, one of North America’s toughest neighborhoods battling widespread drug addiction. Katarina explores how the open Canadian border fuels the flow of fentanyl and drug precursors, uncovering the use of small aircraft trafficking just yards from the border. Join her as she reveals the complex realities driving the drug crisis on both sides of the Northern border.Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Katarina unpacks the DOJ’s unprecedented April 2025 indictment of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez—the first time terrorism charges have been brought against a cartel operative for providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization (CJNG). This marks a seismic shift in U.S. legal strategy, unlocking surveillance powers under FISA and introducing military-grade prosecutorial tools to the cartel fight. With insights from DEA El Paso and top legal analysts, Katarina explores what this means for future cases and the broader war on organized crime. Also in this episode: the fallout from leaked ICE fentanyl lab photos in Sinaloa, rising tensions between U.S. and Mexican authorities, new tactics in financial warfare against cartels, and the growing list of Mexican officials under U.S. scrutiny for suspected cartel ties. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the debut episode of Borderland: Dispatches, Katarina takes viewers to the U.S.-Mexico border near Anapra, New Mexico, to examine the impact of new executive orders issued since Trump’s return to office. She documents changes on the ground, including increased Border Patrol presence, expanded deportation efforts, and shifting smuggling routes. Through firsthand reporting and interviews with people on both sides of the border, the episode explores how recent federal actions are affecting local communities, cartel activity, and the broader border landscape. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cartel violence. Kidnappings. Disappearances. The headlines don’t tell the full story. Borderland: DISPATCHES delivers raw, on-the-ground updates from Mexico’s cartel war. Hosted by investigative journalist Katarina Szulc, the series offers real-time snapshots of a conflict reshaping the future of both Mexico and the U.S. With rare access to traffickers, law enforcement, and civilians caught in the crossfire, these fast-moving episodes expose the brutal truth behind the drug war. New dispatches drop every Tuesday and Thursday starting May 20th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices