TEGUCIGALPA: A Honduran national admitted in federal court that he tried to smuggle drugs into the U.S. through the All-American Canal in Imperial County.
A 28-year-old Honduran national pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.S. via the All-American Canal while wearing a wetsuit and scuba gear.
Evelio Padilla-Zepeda admitted that he entered the U.S. via a tunnel from Mexico to a spot on the banks of the All-American Canal east of Calexico in Imperial County.
The tunnel was 40- to 50-yards long and was partially submerged at the bank of the canal, prosecutors said. The canal brings water from the Colorado River to Imperial County farmers.
Padilla-Zepeda was wearing a wetsuit and had scuba tanks when he was arrested. He had 25 airtight packages containing 55 pounds of cocaine. He had hoped to float down the canal and avoid detection by Border Patrol agents, prosecutors said.
Instead, he was spotted by agents using remote video surveillance equipment on the night of April 25.
The smuggler’s gear included two “rebreather tanks” that recirculate an underwater diver’s exhaled breath to prevent tell-tale bubbles from surfacing, prosecutors said.
If we put half the drug intradiction money into education, this would be over. No one wishes they were hooked and even multi-year cokeheads feel better after. Kids are smart. We’re just too afraid to have frank conversations with them and get the right people to talk to them. As long as…
“Drug smugglers will try anything to move their product,” said U.S. Atty. Laura Duffy. “The ingenuity of the smugglers is matched only by our determination to thwart it.”
