Smuggler
Drugs, Gangs, and Refugees at America's Northern Border
by Reece Jones; Greg Boos
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Pub Date 20 Oct 2026 | Archive Date 18 Aug 2026
Globe Pequot | Prometheus
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Description
When an ordinary man is thrust into the dangerous world of smuggling at America’s northern border, he finds himself at the center of debates about violent immigration policing inside the United States.
Soon after Bob Boulé opens the Smuggler’s Inn, a quirky bed and breakfast in Blaine, Washington directly on the US-Canada border, refugees, drug traffickers, and ICE agents all trust him with their secrets. The refugees tell Bob heartbreaking stories of persecution and death, leading him to question his core beliefs about right and wrong. The drug traffickers and ICE agents try to recruit Bob to their side in the dangerous game of smuggling at the border. Bob’s double life helping refugees cross the border while informing on drug traffickers eventually comes crashing down after a violent confrontation with a Border Patrol agent in his driveway. Bob’s case goes all the way to the US Supreme Court, whose landmark decision in Egbert v. Boule paves the way for the apparent impunity of ICE agents on American streets in the second presidency of Donald Trump. In this gripping expose, Border expert Reece Jones and immigration lawyer Greg Boos reveal the hidden world of the America’s northern border and provide readers with urgent insights into immigration and border policing throughout the United States.
From the Taliban-controlled countryside of Afghanistan to the infamous La Joya prison in Panama, the stories featured in Smuggler converge in the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest in the borderlands between Seattle and Vancouver. There are car chases, drug deals between the Hells Angels and the Sinaloa cartel, and over a thousand people who slip quietly across the border to safety in Canada in the dead of night. As Bob’s work at the Smuggler’s Inn spirals, he is forced to make a series of risky decisions that draw him deeper and deeper into the murky border underworld, putting his own life and freedom at risk. Featuring personal interviews, in-depth research, and a propulsive narrative, Smuggler is the untold true story of how a quaint bed and breakfast on the northern border became the epicenter of debates about refugee protections and violent immigration policing inside the United States.
(Includes 15 B&W Photographs.)
Advance Praise
“A most anticipated book of 2026” ~ Inkstick Media
“A most anticipated book of 2026” ~ Inkstick Media
Marketing Plan
*** HBO/MAX has already optioned this book to make into a scripted series.
*** This book has already been declared “A most anticipated book of 2026” by Inkstick Media – https://inkstickmedia.com/inksticks-most-anticipated-books-of-2026-so-far/
Author Op-Eds
The New York Times has published (on January 29) an “op-ed” piece written by author Reece Jones (based around the Egbert vs. Boule case that springs from this book's content, and is now being used by the Supreme Court as legal justification for recent acts of violence by ICE agents throughout the US). See below for article link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/border-patrol-ice-minneapolis.html
A second op-ed with The New York Times will likely appear at the time of this book's release this autumn (October 2026).
Media Outlets will include all trade publications, the Top 25 daily newspapers in the US (including The Wall Street Journal), and others listed below:
Foreign Affairs (937K audience)
NPR All Things Considered (35.5M listeners)
PBS NewsHour ("Frontline") (13.6M viewers)
C-SPAN “Book TV” (901K viewers)
USA TODAY (potent national readership) (69.9M readers)
TIME (13.1M readers)
Newsweek (38.5M readers)
VOX (online) (7.1M readers)
SLATE (online)
The Intercept (845K readers)
ProPublica (6.6M readers)
Regional Media (in border cities) will include:
The Detroit Free Press (MI) (6M readers)
The Minneapolis Star Tribune (MI) (5.8M readers)
The Buffalo News (NY) (537K readers)
The Seattle Times (WA) (4.6M readers)
The Burlington Free Press (VT) (273K readers)
Network TV (news programs, True Crime programming)
* ABC (3M viewers)
* CBS (2.8M viewers)
* NBC (863K viewers)
* CNN (92M viewers)
* MSNBC
* FOX (counter-programming move) (4.3M viewers)
* Comedy Central ("The Daily Show") (1.3M viewers)
* HBO ("Last Week Tonight") (1.1M viewers)
Podcasts
Going after a robust list of 20+ podcasts, all focused on Social Issues, Nationalism (pro & con), Political Unrest, Justice, Drugs, with shows like:
Pod Save America (policy/politics) (500K+ listeners)
On the Media (WNYC) (500K+ listeners)
Reveal (investigative journalism)
The New Yorker Radio Hour (225K listeners)
Legal podcasts: Advisory Opinions (100K listeners)
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781493092093 |
| PRICE | $34.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 280 |
Links
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