Federal agents on the U.S.-Mexico border discovered what they described as the “most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history” dug deep below the dunes near Yuma, Arizona, and into Mexico.
“This appears to be the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history, and certainly the most sophisticated I’ve seen in my career,” said Carl Landrum, the top Border Patrol agent in the southwestern Arizona region.
Several weeks ago, federal agents working in the Sonoran Desert on the American side of the international border discovered a sinkhole between the primary border wall and the secondary wall. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, brought in to inspect the sinkhole, said it was in line with an existing investigation into a cross-border tunnel.
On July 27, Yuma Border Patrol agents were brought in and drilled at the site. Twenty-five feet down, agents uncovered pieces of wood and water hoses, as well as a void that housed the 3-feet-by-4-feet interior of the tunnel. Federal law enforcement from HSI, the agency leading the investigation, concluded the tunnel originated more than 1,300 feet south of the border at Calle 10 and Ave. Capitan Carlos G. Calles in San Luis, Mexico. It continued north into the 1300 block of the Los Olivos neighborhood of San Luis, Arizona.
The tunnel had not yet been finished and did not have an opening on the U.S. side. However, the tunnel was equipped with a ventilation system, water lines, electric wiring, reinforcement of its walls, and shoring.
“Homeland Security Investigations and our esteemed law enforcement partners swiftly and effectively worked together to uncover and dismantle a cross-border tunnel for smuggling purposes into the United States,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix. “Despite the international pandemic, HSI and our law enforcement colleagues remain resilient and committed to pursue dangerous criminal trans-border smuggling activities along the southwest border.”
HSI, Yuma Sector Border Patrol, the HSI/Border Patrol San Diego Tunnel Task Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Yuma Resident Office, the San Luis Police Department in Arizona, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona are working together in the investigation.
