How to Search Trunks in Protect the Border
Legal cargo pays the queue. Illegal cargo pays the cell.
After the face matches, the official loop moves to the trunk. Protect the Border asks you to tell legal goods from illegal goods while the next engine is already idling. This is the how-to-find page for contraband. It assumes you already ran how to check IDs. If you have not, go back. A dirty trunk does not excuse a skipped portrait.
Open with a method, not a vibe
- Confirm the window call: face good or face bad.
- Open the trunk or cargo space the BETA gives you for that vehicle.
- Scan left to right, then a second pass for small props.
- Separate what the game treats as legal from what it treats as illegal.
- Close the search before you start a bribe conversation.
The inspection checklist prints those five lines so a four-officer crew does not invent four different orders.
Legal versus illegal
The storefront text is explicit: trunks hold illegal and legal goods. That means a full trunk is not automatically a crime. Waving every packed car through is wrong. Cuffing every packed car is also wrong. You are paid to sort.
Treat a find as illegal when the game labels it that way, when it is hidden behind a false panel, or when it matches a pattern your party already agreed on (weapons in a civilian crate, unmarked bricks, obvious raid supplies). Treat a find as legal when it is ordinary cargo the BETA allows through. If you are unsure, do not invent law. Search once more, then process the driver using suspect processing only if the goods or the face give you a reason.
Time pressure is the real enemy
Endless Mode makes every later day longer. Officers start skipping the second pass. That is when illegal goods walk. A useful house rule: no officer may call “clean” until they have looked away and looked back. The extra second is cheaper than a night spawn you personally funded.
On mobile, the camera fights you in tight trunks. Crouch or orbit before you declare clean. Controls covers the camera difference. On console, raise sensitivity only after you stop clipping through the bumper.
Party calls at the rear
- “Opening” — trunk is being searched; window stays quiet
- “Legal” — wave unless the face was already bad
- “Illegal” — stop the driver; do not take a bribe until the goods are named
- “Need second eyes” — another officer confirms before you cuff
A second pair of eyes is not slow. It is how a crew of four stays consistent when two people are already watching the road for night survival.
What X-Ray used to do
The X-Ray Scanner pass is offsale. Its text said you could aim at a vehicle and read the cargo. If you own it from an earlier window, it is a shortcut, not a replacement for the walk-around. If you do not own it, do not buy rumors. The store no longer sells it. Spend attention on the gamepass value of VIP or a rifle you will actually fire.
Bribes at the bumper
Drivers offer money when the trunk is dirty. That offer is a processing choice. Taking it without naming the goods teaches you to stop searching. If you want the mechanical details — when an envelope is even possible — use the processing guide. This page only insists on one rule: search first, money second.
How cargo feeds the night
Illegal goods that pass the booth do not vanish. The BETA’s fantasy is that the line gets tested after dark. Play as if every missed crate becomes a later problem. That mindset pays even if the code does not spawn a literal crate-boss. You stay sharp, and sharp officers earn more cash and gold.
After a clean trunk
Wave, log the call, and reset your camera to the next plate. Do not celebrate. The next car is already the job. If the trunk was dirty, move the driver with the same calm you used on the portrait. Panic animations waste the queue and waste magazines you need after sunset.
When you can describe a trunk as legal or illegal in one breath, you are done with this guide. The next skill is not another search trick. It is deciding what happens to the person who brought the crate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers officers ask after every shift.
Is a full trunk always illegal?
No. The game stores legal and illegal goods. Sort them; do not cuff on volume alone.
Should I take a bribe when I see contraband?
Search first. Then decide with the processing guide. Do not skip the search because money appeared.
Does X-Ray still work?
The pass is offsale. If you already own it, treat it as a helper, not a replacement for a walk-around.
Who should search in a party of four?
One dedicated trunk officer. The window person stays on IDs. Someone else watches the road near sunset.