Discovery Uncovers the World of Illegal Smuggling and in New Series, Airs 1/14

Related: EXTREME SMUGGLING, Discovery Channel

Beginning on Monday, January 14th at 8:00PM ET/PT, Discovery Channel invites viewers to peer into the underground world of drug smuggling, animal trafficking and illegal gun trading. Each hour-long episode uncovers the sophisticated methods and radical techniques used by criminals who are willing to take drastic measures in order to turn a profit. Discovery Channel's new series EXTREME SMUGGLING, shot partly from the point of view of smugglers themselves, reveals the oftentimes bizarre and disturbing ways that criminals try to feed the United States' insatiable demand for drugs, exotic animals and guns.

Extreme Smuggling: Drugs (Part 1) - airing 1/14 at 8:00PM ET/PT

The rising demand in the United States for illicit drugs has created a fearless group of smugglers who are driven by greed to get their drugs to market by land, sea or air. This episode reveals the mind-boggling smuggling schemes employed by drug dealers, who will go as far as building real submarines and smuggling drugs inside bars of soap in order to push their products. Interviews with field agents directly involved in the cases will provide the inside stories of these risky drug busts, while footage shot by a producer brings viewers an unprecedented glimpse at the lives, inner workings and even homes of the smugglers themselves.

Extreme Smuggling: Drugs (Part 2) - airing 1/21 at 8:00PM ET/PT

In this episode, learn how cartels utilize inventive trafficking tricks to get their drugs into the U.S. and employ extreme techniques to transport the mountains of money they make. Exclusive video footage takes viewers on high-speed pursuits of drug runners at sea and into a cartel's sophisticated tunnel network. Witness helicopter drug drops near the Canadian border and get inside access to a Peruvian cocaine smuggling ring. Compelling interviews with law enforcement and undercover video provides an inside look at what it takes to catch these criminals.

Extreme Smuggling: Animals - airing 1/28 at 8:00PM ET/PT

In this episode, enter the cruel and clandestine world of illegal wildlife trafficking, where millions of people pay big bucks for rare and exotic animals. Six out of every ten households in the United States owns a pet, but there is a dark side to the exotic pet trade: endangerment and extinction of species, irresponsible ownership and the spread of animal-borne diseases. The trafficking and smuggling of exotic and endangered wildlife is a booming black market business estimated to reel in an excess of ten billion dollars annually. Traffickers go to extremes from carrying live animals under their clothes to concealing millions of dollar's worth of ivory in hidden panels inside shipping containers. Watch undercover surveillance of the largest seizure of animals in American history, a restaurant raid in Cambodia and footage of shocking airport confiscations.

Extreme Smuggling: Weapons - airing 2/4 at 8:00PM ET/PT

Pulling back the curtain of the illegal gun trade, this episode gives an insider look at how criminals access and distribute weapons on the black market through corrupt gun dealers, straw buys and lack of regulation at gun shows. Watch actual surveillance footage of illegal gun deals going down with interviews from the agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Explosives who put their lives on the line to stop violent crimes and get illegal guns off America's streets.

EXTREME SMUGGLING is produced for Discovery Channel by Discovery Studios. Eddie Barbini is the executive producer. For Discovery Channel, Craig Coffman is executive producer and Sydney Clover is associate producer.

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.1 million U.S. homes, can be seen in over 180 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries -more- and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying Curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The HUB and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.