Thread: Nogales: Drug tunnel found beneath Ariz-Mexico border

Drug tunnel found beneath Ariz-Mexico border
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NOGALES - Another tunnel apparently dug by drug smugglers has been found beneath the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz.

The U.S. Border Patrol said the 83-foot-long tunnel, which was constructed with side walls framed with wooden studs, was found Wednesday. Agency spokesman Michael Scioli says it was large enough for a person to crawl through on their hands and knees.

The discovery followed the arrests of two people last week who were caught digging a hole in the floor of a Nogales building. Agents went to the building after someone reported hearing construction activity inside.
Scioli said it's the 63rd smuggling tunnel found beneath the border in the Nogales area since October 1995, and the 16th since last October.

He said crews would begin filling in the tunnel Thursday.


http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... unnel.html

On the noon news they called it the "longest" and most sophisticated one found to date.

The tunnel is approximately 48 feet in length in the United States and 35 feet in length in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. The tunnel was constructed with side walls framed with 2x4 wooden studs, ceiling construction and a hose that provided ventilation.

Inside the 83-foot Nogales tunnel with Som Lisaius

Posted: June 11, 2009 06:50 PM CDT

Updated: June 12, 2009 01:17 AM CDT

Illegal tunnel revealed: an inside look


By Som Lisaius - email

The Nogales port of entry, Nogales, Arizona: federal agents on both sides of the border and an elaborate, underground tunnel is the reason why.

It all started two weeks ago when a concerned citizen heard noise coming from what was thought to be an abandoned warehouse on the US side.

When agents checked it out, they found two men drilling a hole in the concrete. A hole, authorities say, that would've served as an exit for a tunnel connecting two countries.

US Border Patrol Agent Juventino Pacheco says, "It starts in Mexico and comes all the way down right below us here. It doesn't have an exit point, but it's quite elaborate."

He says elaborate because most illegal tunnels look nothing like this. They're crude holes, with no support or barriers keeping the tunnels in tact. Agents in Nogales have already found 16 such tunnels this fiscal year. But this one is definitely different.

When we went underground, we saw a very sophisticated operation. A ventilation tube providing a steady flow of oxygen. And enough space for a full-grown adult to move with relative ease.

"I can move forward fairly freely and backward pretty freely. Moving around or actually changing direction would be a little more problematic, but it is possible," I said trying to manuver through the space.

Even more impressive is the way this tunnel is engineered. Smugglers have been buried alive trying to make their way through dark, poorly supported passage-ways. But not here. We didn't see it ourselves, but agents tell us this tunnel has power and lights on the Mexican side. Not surprising considering the two-by-fours, and three-quarter inch plywood evident throughout.

"As you can see we have supports on both sides and overhead to prevent this tunnel from collapsing. That's what makes this tunnel a little more elaborate, more sophisticated than those in the past," I said.

Elaborate as it may be, this tunnel never saw the light of day. It was nixed just a few feet before completion. But another one is probably already underway. These smugglers are relentless, agents say. Millions of dollars in illegal profits never sleep.


There is a video at this link ...


http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S= ... v=14RTdzqA