Borderland: Dispatches with Katarina Szulc

In this SUPERCUT compilation of Borderland: Dispatches films, we look back at Katarina Szulc’s investigations into cartels fighting in the Ukraine War. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original. Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:39) Traveling to the Front Lines (00:04:15) Volunteers 3D Printing Drones and Bombs (00:08:53) Recruiting and Vetting Foreign Fighters (00:13:30) Inside a Drone Training School (00:17:45) Cartel Drone Attacks in Mexico (00:20:09) The Ukrainian Foreign Legion (00:37:47) A Ukrainian Official on Cartel Linked Fighters (00:49:57) Inside a Prisoner of War Camp (01:10:24) Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this SUPERCUT compilation of Borderland: Dispatches films, we look back at Katarina Szulc's investigations into the operation to take down CJNG leader El Mencho. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original. Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:22) Reporting from Tapalpa, Jalisco (00:02:09) Locating the Properties (00:02:53) The Cabin Complex (00:05:45) The Atmosphere in Tapalpa (00:08:41) The Country Club Residence (00:10:55) Shell Casings and Hideout Houses (00:12:40) Open Questions About the Operation (00:17:53) Violence Spreads to Colima (00:21:41) Messages Left for Officials (00:24:00) Police Presence in Colima (00:25:06) Civilians in the Crossfire (00:27:59) The Kingpin Strategy (00:30:10) Outro 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

Katarina Szulc joins Vince 'Rocco' Vargas to discuss her latest investigation into foreign fighters in Ukraine, cartel paramilitary groups, the state of trafficking, and the law enforcement wars on cartels. Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters (00:00:00) Cartels Recruiting Foreign Fighters From Ukraine (00:07:45) Are Cartels Really Threatening to Kidnap Federal Agents? (00:13:21) Colombian Mercenaries & the Los Zetas Playbook (00:21:41) US Drones & Lethal Boat Strikes in Latin America (00:31:00) How Cocaine Moves Now: Ports, Shipping Containers & Tunnels (00:35:50) Shield of the Americas & Latin American Autonomy (00:38:45) What's Next Sponsors: 1st Phorm: Go to https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katarina Szulc recently visited Ukraine to speak with foreign fighters who joined the International Legion, created two days after the 2022 Russian invasion. At a training facility, she asks about concerns that transnational criminal organizations are recruiting soldiers for the skills they learn. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters (00:00:00) Cold Open (00:00:59) The Ukrainian Foreign Legion (00:03:06) Into Ukraine (00:04:10) Road to the Front Lines (00:08:05) Inside a Foreign Fighter Base (00:11:29) The Cost of Staying (00:12:51) Aftermath on the Ground (00:14:43) Training Foreign Fighters (00:18:01) Cartel Concerns (00:23:00) The Legend of Dentist (00:25:47) Fighting for Russia: Inside a POW Camp (00:27:57) Final Reflections SYNC ID: MB01GCAFJGOVXMK 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

Vince “Rocco” Vargas sits down with Katarina Szulc to discuss her recent investigation in Tlaxcala, Mexico (which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rXThHW2xeg), an uptick in violence in Zacatecas, cartels operating Canada and more. Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original. Chapters (00:00:37) Being chased on camera while reporting in Mexico (00:04:09) The cartel's PR angle and the FTO designation debate (00:06:33) Claudia Sheinbaum's stress and Mexican political intrigue (00:12:38) Car bombings and cartel war in Zacatecas (00:17:10) Hells Angels' role in Canada's drug trade (00:21:23) Why prosecution fails in Canada (00:26:42) Record-low border seizures vs. ongoing drug flow (00:29:22) How smuggling methods have shifted — tunnels, aircraft (00:37:16) What's next for Katarina Sponsors: 1st Phorm: Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. Marek Health: Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this SUPERCUT compilation of Borderland: Dispatches films, we look back at Katarina Szulc's investigations in to cartel activity in North America. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original. Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:36) Searching a Border Trail Near San Diego (00:10:23) The Border Wall in San Diego County (00:20:13) Passports and Phones Collected Along the Border (00:25:05) Tracing a Migrant's Route Through a Discarded Phone (00:36:01) Fentanyl in Northern Montana (00:45:21) The Northern Border on Blackfeet Nation Land (00:59:23) A Highway Interdiction Ride Along in Indiana (01:17:30) The Port of Vancouver and the British Columbia Border (01:27:33) Outro Marek Health: Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off The Uprising: From the director of JASON BOURNE, Paul Greengrass brings you THE UPRISING. Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice. Only in theaters September 10. Get tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this SUPERCUT compilation of Borderland: Dispatches films, we look back at some of Katarina Szulc's most dangerous assignments inside of Mexico. From exposing trafficking operations to investigating the Tijuana drug underworld, we look at some the year's most-discussed Dispatch's films. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original. Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:29) Investigating Baby Trafficking in Ciudad Juárez (00:21:15) Tijuana's Drug Crisis and a Clandestine Rehab Center (00:40:47) Gang Members in Tijuana (00:46:52) The Site of the Operation in Tapalpa (01:03:37) Tapalpa After the Operation (01:14:56) The Kingpin Strategy (01:17:26) Tijuana's Red Light District (01:20:18) Reporting From Tlaxcala (01:38:01) Outro Marek Health: Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off The Uprising: From the director of JASON BOURNE, Paul Greengrass brings you THE UPRISING. Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice. Only in theaters September 10. Get tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, Katarina Szulc investigated reports that women from Tlaxcala, Mexico were being trafficked to Tijuana, where they were enslaved by “managers” and forced into the city’s underground. On the latest episode of Borderland: Dispatches, she reveals her shocking findings. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:26) Tijuana’s Red Light District (00:02:49) The Road to Tlaxcala (00:04:19) Arranging the Interview (00:06:16) A Survivor’s Account (00:11:20) Family Networks and Night Streets (00:12:34) Interview at the Government Palace (00:16:06) The Secretary of Women (00:18:11) Black Truck Encounter (00:20:11) Outro< SYNC ID: MB019Y7ZR0FMCD0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest Borderland: Dispatches film, Katarina Szulc travels to the frontlines of the war in Ukraine to investigate reports that Mexican cartel sicarios and operatives are traveling to Ukraine to learn FPV drone combat. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:42) Mexico's cartels infiltrate Ukraine's foreign fighter program (00:04:53) Meeting a volunteer 3D-printing bombs (00:09:39) The four layers of background checks (00:12:17) The case of "Aguilar Siete" (00:17:54) Mexico's escalating cartel drone attacks 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

Producer's Note: Enjoy this interview from Katarina's appearance on the IRONCLAD Original, Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent "Rocco" Vargas. On today’s episode, Vince welcomes back Katarina Szulc, investigative journalist and host of the Ironclad Original, Borderland: Dispatches. Kat shares insights from her recent reporting in Ukraine, where authorities are investigating claims that foreign fighters with cartel ties traveled to the front lines to learn modern combat tactics before returning to Latin America. The conversation also explores foreign mercenaries in Ukraine, the evolution of cartel warfare, U.S. pressure on cartel leadership, corruption in Mexico, and what these developments could mean for the future of organized crime. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:44) Cartels, Ukraine, and FPV Drone Warfare (00:03:26) The Colombian Connection & Drone Schools in Lviv (00:09:52) American Mercenaries & Background Checks on the Front Lines (00:11:33) Gamers vs. Combat: How Simple is FPV Drone Flying? (00:15:24) Behind the Scenes of the Global Mercenary Recruitment Machine (00:25:06) US Boots on the Ground & The Standoff over Drone Strikes in Mexico (00:29:51) Cartel Corruption & Political Gaslighting in Sinaloa (00:34:22) The 2026 World Cup: A Cartel Moneymaker? (00:47:17) 2026 Wrap-Up: The Year of the Fallen Kingpins & The Endless Drug War Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices