Border Agents Say 1300 Foot Smuggling Tunnel Found Running from Arizona to Mexico is ‘Most Sophisticated in US History’

A tunnel found stretching from Arizona to Mexico appears to be ‘the most sophisticated in U.S. history,’ authorities said yesterday.

The tunnel, which was not yet finished, ran from San Luis, Arizona, underneath the Yuma border, to a Mexican neighborhood and had a ventilation system, water lines, electrical wiring, a rail system and extensive reinforcement, federal officials said Thursday.

The tunnel, which was not yet fully completed, extends 1,300 feet from San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, to San Luis, Arizona.

Its terminus is located just yards away from a residential neighborhood on the American side of the border, although it’s likely the unfinished tunnel was meant to conclude within a residence controlled by smugglers within the United States.

‘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 E. Landrum, acting chief patrol agent with the Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol Agent Vinny Duleksy, who was involved in the investigation, told KYMA: ‘We’re kind of amazed the way this tunnel was finished. All sides, to include the floor, were wood. It came complete with a rail system, full electric, and a ventilation system as well.’

{snip}

Homeland Security Investigations found the tunnel in mid-July when they discovered a sinkhole in the area of a tunnel investigation.

{snip}

In March, a partially built tunnel was found in Arizona after officials were tipped off by contractors working on a border wall project {snip}

{snip}

In January, U.S. authorities  announced the discovery of the longest smuggling tunnel ever found on the Southwest border, stretching more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area.

{snip}