NACO ARIZ: Authorities discovered a sophisticated border tunnel in Naco in a massive marijuana-smuggling operation.
The discovery started with a late-night traffic stop. Bisbee police say they stopped a moving truck carrying 4,700 pounds of pot, and that the truck led them to a home on South Humphrey Avenue in Naco, where officers with the help of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol agents executing a warrant found more drugs and a tunnel.
The tunnel was inside a small shed at the edge of the property. A specially-trained tunnel team was dispatched to the scene. They discovered the tunnel was held up by wooden supports and was accessed by a cement shaft equipped with a hydraulic lift. On the U.S. side of the tunnel, the passageway is large enough for an adult to stand up inside. The team declined to explore the tunnel thoroughly due to worries about air quality. Mexican authorities are working on finding the tunnel’s Mexico-side opening.
“With this discovery we’ve dealt another significant blow to the Mexican drug cartels and proven yet again that going underground is not a workaround to evade law enforcement,” said Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Arizona. “Last night’s chain of events is also a testament to the outstanding unity of effort by federal and local investigators in Arizona who are committed to combating this threat.”
Bisbee police spokesman Robert Coronado said two suspects have been detained in connection with the ongoing investigation. The suspects are believed to be part of the smuggling scheme. Authorities have also seized three weapons.
Since 2006, federal authorities have found and dismantled more than 80 border tunnels, mostly in Arizona and California.
