Justice Department Reports 60 Percent Increase in Number of Drug-Smuggling Tunnels at U.S.-Mexican Border
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
By Edwin Mora


Uncompleted drug tunnel discovered along the U.S.-Mexican border. (Photo courtesy U.S. Border Patrol)
(CNSNews.com) – The number of tunnels being used to smuggle illegal drugs across the Southwestern border grew by more than half from 2008 to 2009, according to a March 25 report from the National Drug Intelligence Center.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents stationed along U.S.-Mexico border discovered 26 illegal tunnels – a 60 percent increase over the 16 tunnels that authorities discovered in 2008.

Most of the subterranean routes were discovered in Arizona, with 20 found in the “Tucson Sectorâ€