Border authorities in Yuma unearthed a still-incomplete tunnel connecting Mexico and Arizona. Homeland Security Investigations HSI describes it as “the most sophisticated tunnel in US history.” It is probably being constructed to carry on illegal activities like smuggling. The tunnel connects San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, to San Luis, Arizona. Those who are behind this project selected an area that has a rough hard terrain with loose sand. The tunnel is self-contained, and reinforced with a ventilation system, apart from provisions for water and electricity.

There is also a rail system presumed to be for transportation of men and material. As Carl E Landrum, an official of Yuma sector border patrol said: “This appears to be the most sophisticated tunnel in US history, and certainly the most sophisticated I’ve seen in my career.”

The Guardian provides the background. It seems in late July, the authorities came to learn about the appearance of a sinkhole near the border wall. Homeland Security Investigations entered the scene because it had received reports about potential tunnel activity in that area.

The agency discovered the tunnel that was about 3ft wide and 4ft high. It was partially complete, hence the investigators could not establish its purpose or how long the work on it had been going on.

Smugglers ship drugs from Mexico using tunnels

Smugglers from Mexico have been active for ages transporting shipments of drugs to the United States.

The Guardian goes on to add at times, they send people across the border illegally via these tunnels. Smugglers keep innovating and the border patrol keeps apprehending them. That is one reason President Donald Trump had promised to build the Mexico border wall to deter the illegal entry of migrants and smuggling of drugs. Both are safety concerns for the country and he wanted an America that would be safe.

The wall was his election promise in 2016 and work on it has been taken up. It should be strong enough to check drug smuggling, which is a lucrative business. Those who deal with the commodity ruin the lives of people, especially youngsters and many of them get involved in violence.

Drug smugglers of Mexico

The Guardian confirms the use of tunnels by smugglers for decades. They construct them to carry out their illegal activities across the border.

A couple of years back, the authorities in Yuma discovered one such tunnel that originated in a home in Mexico and ended in an abandoned fast-food restaurant in Arizona. This destination was in close proximity to the border. The tunnel was large enough to accommodate people who could walk through. The owner is now serving a jail sentence. Incidentally, most drug smugglers try to circumvent physical barriers on the land and choose the underground route. It guarantees safety until it gets discovered. Smugglers had cut through portions of the US-Mexico border wall to prove that it did not pose any problem.

Mexico border wall could check illegal activities

According to Mercury News, U.S. authorities have come across a 1,300-foot tunnel under the U.S.-Mexico border.

An incomplete one, it has provisions for ventilation and a rail system. Its location is in the desert near San Luis, Arizona. Tunnels are not new in the region and authorities have located hundreds of them. The drug cartels and criminal organizations use them for their nefarious activities that include smuggling narcotics, people and weapons. Federal agents made use of underground cameras to investigate the tunnel. In January 2020, border patrol revealed the finding of the longest cross-border smuggling tunnel by federal agents. It was more than 4,000 feet long and located along the Southwest border and its origin was in Baja California, Mexico.
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