Originally published on November 2, 2013
A newly built drug tunnel equipped with ventilation and an electric rail and cart system was discovered on the US-Mexico border on Wednesday.
The entrance to the tunnel was found in a warehouse district in Tijuana. While tracking trucks and shipments during the investigation, San Diego Tunnel Task Force arrested three suspects and seized 8.5 tonnes of marijuana and 148 kg of cocaine.
The tunnel was dug 11 metres into the clay-like soil, likely chosen for its easy maneuverability and resistance to collapse, Derek Benner, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Department investigations in San Diego, said in a New York Times report.
The tunnel runs 600 metres underground and emerges in another warehouse district in Otay Mesa, San Diego.
With electricity and ventilation built into the tunnel, the project is estimated to have cost over US$1 million and involved engineers and architects, in addition to laborers, Brenner said. The tunnel took about a year to complete.
As security continues to heighten on both sides of the border, Mexican drug cartels are seeking alternative routes to smuggle drugs into the U.S. In addition to tunnel transport, they have resorted to maritime shipping and airlifting.
"Once again, we've succeeded in taking down a smuggling tunnel before it was fully operational," John Sandweg, acting director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which heads the task force, said in a Los Angeles Times report.
"This action is another huge setback for the Mexican cartels, which invest vast amounts of time and money to build them. These criminal organizations should not mistakenly believe tunnels will be their ticket to success."
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