Cross-Border Tunnel Discovered In Nogales

Posted: Dec 11, 2007 03:17 PM PST



From The KOLD News 13 Newsroom

Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Tucson Sector discovered a cross-border tunnel in Nogales after encountering a vehicle loaded with narcotics.

Early Tuesday morning, Nogales Border Patrol agents working with the Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) spotted a vehicle parked in downtown Nogales, Ariz. near the international boundary fence, according to Border Patrol agents. After witnessing suspicious activity in and around the vehicle, agents were dispatched to investigate the scene further.

When agents approached the white Dodge minivan, agents report they observed what appeared to be numerous bundles of marijuana inside the vehicle. The surrounding area was then searched, and a tunnel was discovered 10 feet east of the minivan. The tunnel was found to be crudely constructed, about 15-feet-long and showed evidence that it had been used for smuggling recently.

The vehicle yielded 24 bundles of marijuana, having a total weight of 621.05 pounds, with an estimated value of $496,840, agents report. The marijuana was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the minivan was seized, according to authorities.

The tunnel has been secured, and will be investigated further in cooperation with Mexican law enforcement in the area.

This is the second tunnel found in Tucson Sector since October 1, 2008.

Since 2003 there have been 21 tunnels unearthed in the Sector, evidence of the successful integration of field operations and technology in the area, according to agents.

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