US, Mexican authorities discover cross-border tunnel under Nogales

PHOENIX – Authorities discovered an incomplete tunnel running under both sides of the Arizona-Mexico border last week, according to Customs and Border Protection.

The tunnel is 29 feet long and runs 10 feet under the streets of Nogales, CBP said Friday in a press release.

U.S. Border Patrol agents and Mexican Federal Police found the tunnel Thursday while conducting a sweep of a drainage system that serves both Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, the release said.

The opening to the tunnel was plugged by a cement cutout, covered with plywood and concealed under a pile of dirt.

U.S. Border Patrol agents and Mexican Federal Police discovered an illicit cross-border tunnel under the streets of Nogales Thursday. This is the 123rd smuggling tunnel discovered in the Tucson Sector since 1990. @CBP Details: https://t.co/PJnJVXMTLT pic.twitter.com/nnW662a3Dc

— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) October 25, 2019

Inside, tools and wiring indicated the tunnel was still under construction.

Authorities will monitor the tunnel until it is secured and filled with concrete.

More than 120 tunnels have been discovered in CBP’s Tucson Sector since 1990, the release said.

Smugglers use the tunnels to move contraband, currency, weapons and humans across the border.

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