Agents studying massive US-Mexico tunnel
Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 19:34 CST
By Marty Graham
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Federal authorities were trying to determine on Thursday what was smuggled through a sophisticated tunnel into the United States from Mexico they call one of the longest ever found.
"Whether the tunnel was used for smuggling aliens, smuggling narcotics or a worst case scenario, some sort of weapon, we don't know," Michael Unzueta, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego, said at a news conference.
Federal authorities, who uncovered the 2,400-foot (731 meter) tunnel on Wednesday, brought in a forensic team to look for fingerprints and DNA, and to sample the air and walls, so they can determine how long the tunnel has been in use and what it was used for, Unzueta said.
The tunnel has cement walls and supporting planks, is no less than five feet (1.2 meter) tall and wide, and runs as far as 60 feet underground, Unzueta said. It has lighting and ventilation, and a pumping system to drain groundwater.
The U.S. entrance has a cement ramp with a washboard pattern for better footing. "We believe this tunnel is, in fact, the largest tunnel ever found on the Southwest border," he said.
The passageway links a warehouse in Otay Mesa, California, with a warehouse near Tijuana international airport in Mexico, officials said.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found 200 pounds (90 kg) of marijuana on the U.S. side, while Mexican authorities said they discovered 2 tons of the drug on that side of the border.
Because of the sophistication of the tunnel, the DEA is investigating major drug cartels.
"We know it's been used for drug traffic but this really illustrates the dangers and risks of security to Americans," said John Fernandez, special agent at the DEA in San Diego.
The tunnel was the forth underground passage found between Tijuana and the San Diego region in two weeks, but far surpasses the other three, and most of the tunnels ever found, in size, Unzueta said. Most tunnels are little more than crawl spaces.
(Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor in Mexico)
Source: REUTERS
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