CBP, Homeland Security Discover “Most Sophisticated” Smuggling Tunnel Ever Found at US-Mexico Border in San Luis, Arizona
Richard Moorhead
|
An unfinished cross-border smuggling tunnel has been discovered at the US-Mexico border at San Luis, Arizona, and authorities are describing the structure as the longest ever to be discovered at the southern border.
Graphics of the passageway reveal its length. The tunnel extends 1,300 feet from San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, to San Luis, Arizona. Its terminus is located just yards away from a residential neighborhood on the American side of the border, although it’s likely the unfinished tunnel was meant to conclude within a residence controlled by smugglers within the United States.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly discovered the tunnel on Tuesday, after CBP noticed sinkholes in the vicinity of the walled-off US-Mexico border. Authorities located further wood construction material and water hoses by digging into the ground near the sinkholes, later concluding that a void was present. The insertion of an underground camera system confirmed that a tunnel had been built in the direction of Mexico.
After locating the tunnel’s terminus, federal law enforcement were surprised to find that the sophisticated tunnel structure contained its own ventilation system, water lines, electrical railings, and reinforcement commonly seen in industrial-style tunnel constructions. This is in all likelihood the most sophisticated tunnel ever built for smuggling purposes between the United States and Mexico.
“This appears to be the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history, and certainly the most sophisticated I’ve seen in my career,” said Carl E Landrum, the acting chief patrol agent of CBP’s Yuma Sector. “We will continue to work closely with our partners – Homeland Security Investigations and state and local agencies to provide the best national security possible.”
Border Patrol have located cross-border smuggling tunnels in the vicinity of the San Luis area before, and it appears the transnational community is a hotspot for criminal smuggling activity.
After a lull in transnational smuggling activity on account of the coronavirus epidemic, criminal groups appear to have suddenly ramped up their activity, coordinating infiltration of the United States with open borders groups operating in America.
Share: