cannabisnews.com: Probe Finds Tunnels Near Border! 





Probe Finds Tunnels Near Border! 
Posted by FoM on January 22, 1999 at 12:07:50 PT

Arizona: Discovery of two passageways in Nogales underscores growing ingenuity of drug smugglers, officials say. A drug surveillance operation in Nogales, Ariz., has uncovered two extensive tunnels that authorities suspect were intended to smuggle drugs across the border from Mexico. 
   The tunnels were found Tuesday and fully explored Thursday. One tunnel led to a storm drain that officials said is a regular pathway for drugs and illegal immigrants to enter the country. Another more elaborate tunnel led searchers to the basement of a nearby Roman Catholic Church.   According to officials, a Santa Cruz County drug task force had been watching a home in downtown Nogales on Tuesday and, acting on an informant's tip, asked the occupants if they could enter.   They were given permission and discovered the trap door to the first tunnel under the living room carpet. The officers left and returned with a search warrant that triggered a three-day, multi-agency search.   Authorities say the discovery of the tunnel network underscores the increasing ingenuity of drug smugglers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Awilda Villafana, special agent in charge for the U.S. Customs Service, said the tunnels are a trail that officials hope may lead to highly organized smugglers. According to the Customs Service, drug seizures in Arizona last year were at record levels.   So far, no drugs have been found and no arrests have been made in Nogales.   The first tunnel was probed by an electronic robot supplied by the Arizona Department of Public Service. Debris hindered the robot's progress and a search and rescue team from Maricopa County was brought in.   The team followed the tunnel 250 feet to a point where it joined the Nogales Wash, a covered concrete pipeline that leads to Nogales, Mexico. Officials said a swamp cooler was rigged to provide ventilation into the otherwise crudely built passageway.   The second tunnel was discovered in a structure directly behind the house. The search and rescue team worked underground for 15 hours Thursday and determined that it extended 400 feet south. Searchers said the tunnel was reinforced with some concrete and wood shoring. A red wagon was found in the tunnel and apparently had been used to ferry construction implements, officials said.   Slowly crawling and pulling lights, the team eventually came to a dead end that led upward about 60 feet to a metal trapdoor. The door was sealed. Exhausted and fearing a cave-in, the team pulled out.   Late Thursday afternoon a team from the Nogales Fire Department took over. The team members suggested forcing smoke into the tunnel and around the metal door to determine where the exit led. In the early evening, authorities discovered smoke seeping into the basement of Sacred Heart Church, the largest church in town.   Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said two adults and two children lived in the house and were being questioned.   At least two other drug smuggling tunnels have been discovered in Arizona. In 1990, a highly sophisticated tunnel was found in Douglas and another one was located in Nogales in 1995.   "Smugglers will always look for the path of least resistance," said Roger Maier, a spokesman for the Customs Service. "If they can go underground rather than face a uniformed officer, they'll do it." 
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