Mexican authorities have begun filling a tunnel crossing the border with the U.S. that experts say was likely used to smuggle drugs as well as VIP migrants paying tens of thousands of dollars to enter the country.
The tunnel was discovered by U.S. authorities in early January while inspecting the storm drain system in the El Paso area. They began filling it up with cement about a week later, according to Border Report. The tunnel was "equipped with lighting, a ventilation system, and is braced with wood beams throughout," per Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The entry on the Mexican side is located in the Juarez area, with authorities from the country now taking steps to seal the structure as well. The outlet detailed that members of Mexico's National Guard prevented civilian access to the area while heavy machinery was used to fill up the tunnel.
Former Border Patrol Chief Victor Manjarrez Jr. has described the tunnel as "sophisticated" and said it was likely used to "bring people from China, from Southeast Asia or Europe that can pay $25,000 to $30,000 to be smuggled to the United States."
"If you go for volume, it becomes a risk because someone could talk. This isn't for the economic migrant you normally see here," said the former official, who worked as chief agent in Arizona and West Texas.
He added that other potential clients could come from what he described as "terrorist" regions. "They may not be on the list itself but come from" there, Manjarrez added, saying they are "the ones more invested in not being detected."
Authorities had reportedly heard about the tunnel months ago but had been unable to locate it. That changed after agents conducted a storm drain inspection in Boone Street, less than a mile away from the border.
El Paso Chief Sector Patrol Agent, Anthony Scott Good, described the tunnel as "smuggling infrastructure" used by transnational criminal organizations. "With our partners, we are committed to investigating these illicit activities and bringing all perpetrators to justice —those who endanger lives in these hazardous environments and circumvent the legal pathways to entering the United States," he said.
Manjarrez said there are probably other tunnels crossing the borders that haven't been discovered. "Most tunnels are discovered by human intelligence (...) somebody gets caught, somebody talks, you start looking," he said.
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