Arizona USA – US Border Patrol agents discovered a cross-border tunnel running beneath the streets of Nogales, Arizona, Sunday.
Tucson Sector agents confirmed the existence of the tunnel around 7:45 p.m., following its initial discovery by video surveillance. Agents located the tunnel’s 2-feet-by-2-feet exit approximately one-half mile west of the DeConcini Port of Entry and about 3 feet north of the border. Mexico’s Guardia Nacional located its entrance in the floor of the existing Grand Avenue Drainage System in Mexico.
The rudimentary, hand-dug tunnel extended for approximately 10 feet and had no shoring, ventilation or lighting. This is the 127th tunnel discovered in the Tucson Sector since 1990 and the first discovered this fiscal year.
Binational cooperation between the US Border Patrol and the government of Mexico plays a vital role in border security. Efforts, such as tunnel sweeps, aim to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and prevent the smuggling of narcotics and humans across the border.