U.S. government officials have discovered two underground drug-smuggling tunnels between the U.S. and Mexico border, authorities said Friday.
The tunnels are anything but mediocre, decked out with ventilation equipment and electric rail systems for transporting drugs, Reuters reported. On the Mexican side, one of the tunnels starts from a warehouse in Tijuana. Both tunnels lead to warehouses in the San Diego-area in California.
The discovery was made during a five-month investigation by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force. A 73-year-old woman, suspected of running one of the warehouses as part of a drug smuggling ring, was arrested as a result of the discovery.
"Here we are gain, foiling cartel plans to sneak millions of dollars of illegal drugs through secret passageways that cost millions of dollars to build," U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said in a statement obtained by Reuters.
The Tijuana tunnel, supported by wooden trusses, is 600 yards long and comes with lights and a rail system. It leads to an industrial park in the Otay Mesa community, Reuters reported. A 70-foot shaft with a cement cover serves as the tunnel's entrance in the U.S.
The other tunnel's rail system is electric, and is equipped with ventilation gear, Reuters reported.
The two tunnels are among 80 other drug-smuggling tunnels discovered by U.S. federal agents underneath the border since 2006. Most begin in California and Arizona. Around 100 tons of narcotics have been confiscated in connection to the tunnels.
Seven tunnels, including the two new ones, have been found in the San Diego area alone in the last four years, according to the task force, Reuters reported.
"Going underground is not a good business plan. We have promised to locate these super tunnels and keep powerful drug cartels from taking their business underground and out of sight, and once again, we have delivered on that promise," Duffy said according to Reuters.
