The RCMP says the helicopter patrols are monitoring the Prairie border to search for and target all illegal activity along the 49th parallel, including illegal border crossing, smuggling and drug trafficking in and out of the country.

With Canada continuing to face pressure from the United States to beef up border security, the RCMP says a Black Hawk helicopter started patrolling the Alberta-U.S. boundary on Tuesday. Helicopter patrols will travel along the Prairie border searching for illegal activity,