Mexican military holding 15 tied to tunnel case

By Sandra Dibble
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2 a.m.

TIJUANA — Fifteen suspects were being held yesterday at the Morelos Military Base after Saturday’s discovery of a sophisticated tunnel under construction west of A.L. Rodriguez International Airport.

A group of seven men and a woman, arrested by soldiers Saturday afternoon inside a house that hid the passageway’s entrance, were presented to reporters yesterday. Several were wearing boots and clothing stained with reddish dirt.

A separate group of seven men, detained Saturday at a warehouse across town as a result of information obtained at the tunnel residence, was also being held at the base.

They were made to stand alongside 300 pounds of marijuana and several of the 26 vehicles seized on the property; two of the vehicles had secret compartments, authorities said. Two women and a child also detained at the warehouse in Colonia 20 de Noviembre were being held for questioning.

The tunnel measured 400 feet, and was equipped with electricity, a ventilation system and walls shored up with wood. Reporters allowed to enter the passageway found a small elevator, a shrine and tools used by the workers.

The tunnel was 471 feet shy of the border.

Military authorities said the tunnel was being built to smuggle drugs into the United States. Similar passageways discovered in the past also have also been used to smuggle people.

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