About this episode

Katarina Szulc reports on the exploitation of Montana's northern border by cartels, featuring personal stories and law enforcement challenges.

On today's episode, Katarina reports from Montana’s northern border near the Blackfeet Nation, where vast stretches of open land are being exploited for drug and human trafficking. She’s joined by former game warden John Nores, who spent decades confronting cartel operations on public and tribal lands. Katarina also shares the story of Marla Ollinger, a grandmother who tragically lost both of her children to fentanyl and now raises her grandchildren while navigating the dangers and fallout of the ongoing crisis in rural and tribal communities. Borderland: Dispatches is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00) Introduction: The Fentanyl Crisis in Montana (01:25) A Mother's Heartbreak: Marla's Story of Loss (07:07) Breaking the Cycle: Raising the Grandkids (09:17) The Vulnerable Northern Border (14:02) Smuggling Routes and Environmental Destruction (16:11) The Law Enforcement Challenge: Complex Jurisdictions (18:56) Anonymous Interview with a Tribal Police Officer Sponsors: GHOSTBED: Go to https://www.GhostBed.com/IRONCLAD and use code IRONCLAD for an extra 15% off sitewide. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at…

People in this episode

Host: Katarina Szulc

Guest: John Nores

Topics covered

• drug trafficking
• human trafficking
• tribal lands
• fentanyl crisis
• law enforcement challenges
• personal stories

Keywords

• cartel
• drug trafficking
• fentanyl
• tribal lands
• Montana
• law enforcement
• human trafficking
• personal stories

Sponsors

GHOSTBED, Norwood Sawmills

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IRONCLAD

Products: GHOSTBED, Norwood Sawmills

Places: Montana, Blackfeet Nation

More episodes of Borderland: Dispatches with Katarina Szulc

• Inside The CIA's Secret Cartel War — And The Raid That Killed 2 Officers · April 24, 2026 · 21 min
• Mexico’s Narco Governors — The Power Behind the Cartels · April 16, 2026 · 28 min
• CJNG’s Next Chapter: The American Citizen Now Leading the Cartel · April 9, 2026 · 23 min
• The New Cartel War Is Happening in U.S. Federal Court · April 2, 2026 · 34 min
• On the Ground in Jalisco, Mexico: Inside the Ongoing Threat of CJNG Violence · March 27, 2026 · 19 min
• Inside El Mencho’s Compound After the Raid: What the Scene Reveals · March 20, 2026 · 21 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Borderland: Dispatches with Katarina Szulc podcast page.