Mexicali, Baja California — US federal authorities are investigating the discovery of a sophisticated 183-foot cross-border tunnel they found inside a home in Mexicali, Baja California.
The unfinished tunnel ran one meter north of the international border wall into Calexico, California, but did not have an exit on the US side, according to the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.
The underground passageway had electricity, ventilation, a rail system and an electric lift. The entrance to the tunnel measured 12 by 10 feet.
“These types of tunnels enable drug traffickers to conduct illicit activities virtually undetected across the U.S.–Mexico border,” said Cardell T. Morant, special agent in charge of HSI San Diego.
“Discovering and shutting down these tunnels deals a major blow to drug trafficking organizations because it denies them the ability to smuggle drugs, weapons and people across the border.”
A spokesman for the federal agency said it could not identify which drug trafficking organization dug the tunnel. The HSI-led investigation is ongoing with the assistance of the El Centro Sector Border Patrol and the federal government of Mexico.
