Drug Tunnel Found Under Customs Parking Lot
Smugglers Punched Hole Through Asphalt
POSTED: 9:59 a.m. PDT April 16, 2002
UPDATED: 10:09 a.m. PDT April 16, 2002
TUCSON, Ariz. -- An 85-foot drug tunnel that was strung with bare light bulbs and ended near a parking lot used by Customs Service employees was discovered underneath the Mexican border, 10News reported.
The tunnel, found on Monday, is the 12th discovered in Nogales, Ariz., since 1995, and the second in the border city to run directly beneath the international boundary.
No drugs were found inside the tunnel, which was reinforced with 2-by-4-inch boards, Customs spokesman Roger Maier said.
Investigators believe smugglers punched a hole through the asphalt and would pass narcotics up into a waiting vehicle, then seal the hole with an asphalt plug.
The tunnel ran just below the asphalt surface of the parking lot. Rain may have weakened the structure because a security guard noticed a slight depression in the pavement over the weekend and saw a tiny hole that opened to a larger cavity, Maier said.
Meanwhile, crews in rural east San Diego County destroyed a cross-border tunnel last week that authorities said was used by associates of the Arellano Felix drug cartel to smuggle marijuana and cocaine into the United States.
Drug enforcement agents, acting on an anonymous tip, found the tunnel Feb. 27 while executing a search warrant at a house about 60 miles east of San Diego in the U.S. community of Tierra del Sol near Boulevard.
A construction crew poured concrete into the U.S. portion of the 1,000-foot tunnel.
The tunnel, which was wood-framed and equipped with electric lights and a ventilation system, began in Mexico on the outskirts of Tecate under a fireplace in a ranch house located about 200 feet from the border fence.
Its opening on the U.S. side of the border was in an unoccupied two-story house. The home's owner was not believed to be involved in drug smuggling and apparently had no knowledge of the tunnel's existence, authorities said.
Agents found 500 pounds of marijuana near the entrance of the tunnel when they entered it, and said it likely was also used to bring cocaine into this country.
Authorities believe the tunnel has been in place for several years and whoever used it was associated with the Arellano Felix cartel.
Drug enforcement agents, acting on an anonymous tip, found the tunnel Feb. 27 while executing a search warrant at a house about 60 miles east of San Diego in the U.S. community of Tierra del Sol near Boulevard.
A construction crew poured concrete into the U.S. portion of the 1,000-foot tunnel.
The tunnel, which was wood-framed and equipped with electric lights and a ventilation system, began in Mexico on the outskirts of Tecate under a fireplace in a ranch house located about 200 feet from the border fence.
Its opening on the U.S. side of the border was in an unoccupied two-story house. The home's owner was not believed to be involved in drug smuggling and apparently had no knowledge of the tunnel's existence, authorities said.
Agents found 500 pounds of marijuana near the entrance of the tunnel when they entered it, and said it likely was also used to bring cocaine into this country.
Authorities believe the tunnel has been in place for several years and whoever used it was associated with the Arellano Felix cartel.
Previous Stories:
- April 5, 2002: Drug Tunnel Sealed By Concrete
- February 28, 2002: Drug Tunnel Discovered Along Border
Copyright 2002 by TheSanDiegoChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
