US federal agents have discovered a sophisticated “drug tunnel” with electricity and a working ventilation system used by smugglers between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.
El Paso Homeland Security Investigations said the man-made tunnel, about 4 feet wide and 6 feet high, has cut into El Paso's Boone Street storm drain, just a few blocks from the border. KTSM reported.
Shocking footage from inside a tunnel protected only by wooden beams shows a vast sub-border corridor used by smugglers to transport people and drugs into and out of the United States.
HSI said its officials were investigating the tunnels and vowed to arrest those who created and used the underground facilities, which appear to have been constructed in the past year.
“Transnational criminal organizations mistakenly believe they can evade detection by moving people and contraband underground,” HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason Stevens said in a statement.
“This recent discovery highlights our ability to disrupt their sophisticated smuggling networks and is a significant blow to their operations,” he added.
El Paso Border Patrol Chief Anthony Good praised the agents who first discovered the tunnel Friday morning after removing a metal plate that concealed a 3-foot-by-3-foot entry hole near the border.
Good said the discovery by Homeland Security and the Border Patrol is the result of routine inspections along the border, and that El Paso's border chief also advises against using such a dangerous trail that could put lives at risk. He said he strongly condemned it.
“Together with our partners, we are committed to investigating these illegal acts and bringing to justice all perpetrators who risked their lives in dangerous environments and bypassed legal channels to enter the United States. ,” Good said.
The discovery of the El Paso tunnel comes after border officials discovered a third smuggling tunnel in the Arizona-Mexico border area.
U.S. and Mexican officials are working together to dismantle a suspected “drug tunnel” entering the United States, with the Arizona tunnel discovered while it was still under construction in Mexico's San Luis Rio Colorado state.
The largest known drug tunnel between the United States was discovered in 2020 and spanned three-quarters of a mile between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California.
The tunnel also contained a rail system and elevator, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
