The United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has announced the discovery of the longest drug-smuggling tunnel ever to be found on, or rather, under the US-Mexican border.
The tunnel is more than 1,313 meters long, starting in an industrial section of Tijuana and ending near an area which houses several warehouses in San Diego.
The Washington Post reports that the tunnel is equipped with a rail cart system, elevator, high voltage electrical cables, ventilation, and a drainage system, according to the Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP).
Mexican authorities discovered the “high-level narco-tunnel” last August, but the discovery was only announced last week.
“The sophistication of this tunnel demonstrates the determination and monetary resources of the cartels,” said John Callery, the special agent in charge of the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Cross-border tunnels are not new along the U.S.-Mexico border, but the size of the tunnel and its technical components are unusual.”
“The sophistication of this tunnel demonstrates the determination and monetary resources of the cartels,” said John Callery, the special agent in charge of the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Cross-border tunnels are not new along the U.S.-Mexico border, but the size of the tunnel and its technical components are unusual.
“We never really thought they had the moxie to go that far,” said Lance LeNoir, a Border Patrol operations supervisor. “They continue to surprise me.”
Critics of President Donald Trump’s plan for an expansion of the border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border pointed out that tunnel discovery shows the limitations of any border wall scheme.
The tunnel runs 21 meters below the surface, which is well below the current underground limit of the border wall. The tunnel measures around 5.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
Law enforcement officials say that the discovery of the tunnel has not yet led to any arrests or drug seizures. The area where the tunnel originated in Mexico is a stronghold of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel.
