Mexican authorities are struggling to fill parts of a "sophisticated" cross-border tunnel detected in January and likely used for VIP smuggling.
According to Border Report, officials are encountering issues due to challenges posed by the Rio Grande, considering careful planning is needed to not disturb the levee. On Tuesday they dug small holes on the levee to pour concrete in the part of the tunnel going underneath the river.
The entrance of the Mexican side of tunnel, which stood near a highway in Juarez, has already been filled, as well as other key parts, officials clarified. U.S. counterparts have already filled their side of the tunnel.
Officials found the tunnel while inspecting the storm drain system in the El Paso area. It was "equipped with lighting, a ventilation system, and is braced with wood beams throughout," per Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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."
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.
Mexican police recently said officials are investigating the possibility that there is another smuggling tunnel crossing into the U.S. nearby after finding social media posts promoting one.
Members of Chihuahua state police teamed up with Mexico's National Guard to dig in an area close to the Rio Grande and near Juarez's City Hall in mid-February. Initially they seemed to find a structure, but it later turned out to be a drainage ditch that had not been registered, according to Border Report. U.S. officials were also present during the search. Officers were also seen using steel rods to search for tunnels further east, close to where the tunnel was found in January.
A former DEA agent said that cross-border smuggling tunnels are usually hidden underneath seemingly legal storefronts or warehouses, making them hard to detect and destroy.
Michael Brown, who was a senior special agent at the DEA, told Fox News Digital that even though most illegal drugs enter the country through vehicles crossing the southern border, some cargo goes through tunnels.
"They (the cartels) move hundreds of kilos out and build a warehouse over the tunnel," Brown told the outlet. He added that they are usually "hard to identify" in border towns like Eagle Pass or Brownsville, in Texas.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
