Thread: Suspected drug passageway found near border

Suspected drug passageway found near border

By Sandra Dibble, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 10:28 p.m.

TIJUANA — The Mexican Army on Saturday announced the discovery of a suspected smuggling tunnel east of the San Ysidro border crossing in Colonia Libertad.

The passageway is 500 feet long, more than a yard wide and 2 1/2 feet high, according to a statement from the Second Military Zone. An anonymous call about suspicious activity near the tunnel’s entrance led soldiers and municipal police to the passageway, the statement said.

Two suspects, one a minor, were arrested. The other was identified as Gilberto Perez Espinoza, 41.

Mexican media first reported the structure’s discovery on Friday, publishing photographs of Mexican soldiers guarding what appears to be a large drainage pipe that pierces the border fence. The military statement offered few details about the passageway, and it was unclear whether it was in use.

In recent years, authorities have found many tunnels of varying sizes and sophistication that are used to smuggle drugs and people into the United States.

www.signonsandiego.com

Border tunnel wasn't in use, authorities say

By Sandra Dibble, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Monday, June 7, 2010 at 6:25 p.m.

Mexican army soldiers stand guard next to the entrance to a tunnel at the border fence in Tijuana on Saturday. U.S. authorities said Monday that the tunnel, which made use of drainage pipes, did not appear to be in use.

A suspected smuggling tunnel discovered last week east of the San Ysidro border crossing was incomplete and not in use, U.S. authorities said Monday.

The passageway leads from a drainage pipe that surfaces at the border fence in Tijuana’s Colonia Libertad. The Mexican military reported Saturday that the tunnel measured 500 feet in length, was more than a yard wide and 2½ feet high. Two suspects were detained in connection with the discovery.

Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego said the passageway was initially discovered a month ago, and it “appeared that they were continuing to attempt to dig a tunnel through.â€