NEW ANIMAL PLANET SERIES "BATTLE FOR THE BORDER" FOLLOWS THE MEN AND CANINES KEEPING OUR BORDERS IN ORDER
-- The Nogales Police Department K9 Unit Wages Ware on Crime in a Desert Town on the Border Between the
United States and Mexico --
(New York, New York, August 8, 2012) - Caught between a vast desert and a 20-foot tall
steel fence, Nogales, Arizona is a small town dead center in the middle of the war on drugs. The
enemy is a ruthless Mexican cartel consisting of a highly organized and well-financed army of
criminals smuggling narcotics, weapons, cash and humans day and night. The cartel makes billions
of dollars in illegal profits. Fortunately, the men of the elite Nogales Police Department K-9 unit are
sworn to protect their town and border and will stop at nothing to put an end to this dangerous
cartel. Whether raiding drug-stash houses, capturing human traffickers, or busting weapons caches,
these officers and their canines put their lives on the line fighting a never-ending battle. It's
BATTLE FOR THE BORDER (wt), with a special premiere episode airing on Sunday, August
19, at 11 PM (ET/PT) following CALL OF THE WILDMAN. BATTLE FOR THE
BORDER moves into its regular timeslot on Friday, August 24, at 10 PM (ET/PT) with the sixpart
series airing every Friday thereafter.
The BATTLE FOR THE BORDER officers and canines in the line of duty include the
following:
· Officer Mario Lopez aka "Falcon" and K-9 "Readi"
· With a master's degree in psychology, Lopez is the unit's "brainiac." Born and raised
in Nogales, Lopez has been with the Nogales Police Department for nine years. He's
always wanted to be a part of the K-9 unit, and just three months ago, his dream
came true, and he has been hard at work learning the ropes.
· Officer Amador Vasquez aka "Gecko" and K-9 "Ilo"
· Although Officer Vasquez may look a little like the famous lizard from the television
commercials, don't underestimate his abilities. His expertise is reading suspects, and
he has a keen sense for finding the real story behind words and body language.
Vasquez was born in Mexico and moved to Nogales when he was 16-years-old. He
has been a police officer for seven years and a K-9 officer for one.
· Officer John Zuniga aka "Captain Chaos" and K-9 "Tesko"
· Wherever Zuniga goes, action follows. He is the team's weapons expert and gets an
"A+" in aggression. He has been a police officer for 13 years and a K-9 handler for
four. He's lived in Nogales for 34 years and will never call any other place home.
· Officer Christian Flores aka "Patron" and K-9 "Thorpe"
· Officer Flores is the boss, but he's a surprisingly mild-mannered guy. Respected for
his excellent judgment and calm demeanor in even the most dangerous situations,
Flores was born and raised in Nogales and has been a K-9 officer for six years.
· Officer Oscar Mesta II aka "Crash" and K-9 "Ari"
· Mesta is the joker. He's never short of a funny story or a witty line, but he's dead
serious when it comes to protecting Nogales. Mesta is a new K-9 officer and before
working at Nogales Police Department, he was living in Tucson working as a
sheriff's deputy.
BATTLE FOR THE BORDER officers see it all from high-risk drug busts, human trafficking
and gunrunners to cash smuggling and a runaway bull downtown. Exploits seen in the all-new series
include: a death-defying escape artist, apprehending a gang of possible cartel cash smugglers and the
confiscation of bundles of dope worth nearly $100,000.
BATTLE FOR THE BORDER is produced for Animal Planet by Hoff Productions. Michael
Hoff is the executive producer for Hoff Productions, and Dawn Sinsel is the executive producer for
Animal Planet.
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the
world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal
kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners
access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, highquality
entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television
network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com,
the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet
Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and
other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and
merchandising extensions.
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