Drugs smuggling tunnel discovered under U.S.-Mexico border

Drugs smuggling tunnel discovered under U.S.-Mexico border

2011-11-17 18:39:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

TIJUANA, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- Mexican security forces have discovered an underground tunnel holding nearly eight tons (16,000 pounds) of marijuana in the country's northwestern area near the U.S. border, officials confirmed on Thursday.

Mexican second military zone commander Gilberto Landeros Briseño confirmed that personnel located a total of 778 packages weighing combined 7.97 tons (15,940 pounds) of marijuana in an underground tunnel near the airport in Tijuana, the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula.

The search operation was conducted after U.S. authorities in California found the outer end of the tunnel and advised their Mexican counterparts that it could lead to an illegal warehouse. An investigation in Mexico lead to a small tunnel entrance measuring 1.20 meters (3.9 feet) wide and 4 meters (13.1 feet) deep.

According to reports, the tunnel measures 370 meters (1,213 feet) long, 2.20 meters (7.2 feet) wide and 1.60 meters (5.2 feet) tall. It was located just 1.3 kilometers (0.80 mile) away from the Tijuana airport in the same area where other tunnels have been discovered previously. Laminate roof sheet structures were found still under construction.

Landeros added that the marijuana packages, which were labeled with images of comic super hero 'Captain America' as well a U.S. beer brand with a marijuana leaf image, could be linked to a drug lord identified as 'Aquiles,' who is suspected of working with the Sinaloa drug cartel. The packages were gradually being smuggled into the U.S.

A total of six tunnels have been discovered this year alone in the state of Baja California, five of them in Tijuana and one in Mexicali. One of the tunnels contained approximately 17 tons (34,000 pounds) of marijuana, which was the most ever found in a single tunnel.

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