Page 6 - MIN JUS 24 OCT 2015
P. 6
U.S. NEWS A7
Saturday 24 October 2015
Major drug tunnel found
on US-Mexico border in
California Attorney Laura Duffy. “Just This photo released by Mexico’s Federal Police shows an underground tunnel that police say was
when they think they’re built to smuggle drugs from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego in the United States. Mexican federal
ELLIOT SPAGAT ready to move, we put it police said the tunnel extends about 2,600 feet (800 meters) and is lit, ventilated, equipped with a
Associated Press out of business. We con- rail car system, and lined with metal beams to prevent collapse.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authori- tinue to make good on
ties seized 12 tons of mari- our promise to relentlessly (Mexico Federal Police via AP)
juana and arrested 22 peo- pursue and shut down any
ple after discovering one tunnel as soon as it opens.”
of the longest cross-border The San Diego-Tijuana re-
tunnels between the U.S. gion is popular because
and Mexico, officials said its clay-like soil is relatively
Thursday. easy to dig with shovels
The passage connecting and pneumatic tools, and
warehouses in San Diego both sides of the border
and Tijuana, Mexico, was have warehouses that pro-
about 2,400 feet long and vide cover for trucks and
30 feet deep. It was lit, ven- heavy equipment.
tilated and equipped with It was unclear which drug
a rail system — hallmarks of trafficking organization
the most sophisticated tun- orchestrated the latest
nels found along the bor- passage but the region is
der. Near-simultaneous po- largely controlled by Mex-
lice stings on Wednesday ico’s Sinaloa cartel, whose
resulted in six arrests in San leader Joaquin “El Chapo”
Diego and 16 in Mexico. Guzman escaped from a
Authorities recovered two maximum-security prison in
tons of marijuana in the U.S. Mexico in July through an
and 10 tons in Mexico. elaborate tunnel.
U.S. authorities said smug- Mexican federal police
glers tried to move the first said in a news release that
load of drugs through the those arrested on suspicion
tunnel on Wednesday but of drug trafficking told au-
that nothing got through thorities that they had ties
undetected. to a criminal group that
The sting came after an operates in the state of
undercover agent for U.S. Jalisco — an apparent ref-
Homeland Security Investi- erence to the Jalisco New
gations agreed to provide Generation cartel, which
the drug smugglers with controls that part of west-
drivers and use of a ware- ern Mexico.
house in exchange for a The Mexican suspects were
$10,000 payment for each caught off-guard when
truckload of drugs moved, authorities arrived at the
according to a probable Tijuana warehouse with
cause statement. a search warrant, police
The discovery demon- said. No shots were fired.
strates the enduring ap- The drugs found were
peal of tunnels to smug- wrapped in 873 packages
glers, despite the significant covered with plastic and
time and money required tape.
to build one. Dozens of On the U.S. side, the tunnel
tunnels have been found entry point in a warehouse
along the U.S.-Mexico bor- near the Otay Mesa bor-
der in recent years, some der crossing had no stairs
equipped with hydraulic or ladder. Duffy said smug-
lifts and electric rail cars. glers were believed to be
“We see a super tunnel using pulleys.
open for business once
every year or so,” said U.S.
