183-foot-long drug-trafficking tunnel found near California-Mexico border, ICE says

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Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Drug-trafficking tunnel found near CA-Mexico border
Authorities believe drug traffickers dug a 183-foot-long tunnel near the U.S.-Mexico border and equipped it with electricity, ventilation, a rail system and an electric hoist.

CALEXICO, Calif. -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say agents discovered a tunnel that may have been part of a massive drug operation from Mexico to California.

ICE says Homeland Security Investigations agents, working with Mexican authorities, found the 183-foot-long tunnel at a home Aug. 2 in Mexicali near the border.

"The tunnel, which has an entrance measuring 12 feet by 10 feet, extends 3 feet north of the international border wall, but has no exit on the U.S. side of the border," ICE said in a news release that featured images of the tunnel.

The agency says the tunnel was equipped with electricity, ventilation and even a rail system with a cart and an electric hoist.

The investigation is ongoing and is being led by HSI with help from the El Centro Sector Border Patrol and the government of Mexico.