Latest news with #tunnel
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying underground smuggling tunnel is discovered lurking beneath California warehouse
A massive tunnel meant to smuggle drugs into the US has been recently discovered and shut down by US border officials. The underground corridor is nearly 3,000 feet long, starting under a home in Tijuana, Mexico, US Border Patrol announced Wednesday. On the American side of the border, the tunnel runs more than 1,000 feet with an exit near a warehouse in Otay Mesa, south of San Diego, California. The clandestine crawlway was discovered in April, when it was still under construction, the agency revealed. Despite being unfinished, the Border Patrol described it as 'highly sophisticated,' equipped with electrical with wiring, lighting and ventilation systems. It had also been outfitted with a track system meant to move large quantities of drugs into the US. The Sinola Drug Cartel, formerly led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, is more than likely behind the construction. The drug kingpin remains in a federal super max facility in Colorado, however, the mafia he ran remains a dominant force on the border, still considered one of the most powerful in Mexico. The underground corridor was still under construction, but is described as 'highly sophisticated' due to the electricity, ventilation and drug transportation system The Mexican criminal organization is notorious for its use of clandestine man-made channels to move narcotics and people. Since first finding the tunnel, US officials have been able to map it, revealing measures 42 inches in height, 28 inches in width and ran approximately 50 feet underground at its deepest point. Authorities have also been to private residence in the Tijuana neighborhood of Nueva Tijuana where the opening is. Mexican police found freshly laid tile used to hide to opening. The discovery comes at a time when security at the border tighter than ever before, with historically low numbers of border crossings under the Trump Administration. 'As we continue to strengthen the nation's air, and maritime border security, it's not surprising that foreign terrorist organizations would resort to underground routes,' Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector stated. 'Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives. I'm grateful for the exceptional work of the Tunnel Team agents who placed themselves in danger, as well as the cooperation of our Mexican law enforcement partners.' Since 1993, more than 95 tunnels have been found and decommissioned in the San Diego area. This most recent tunnel will be filled with cement to stop it from being used. In January, another tunnel was found in El Paso, Texas. The passage way, found on January 9 and hidden in a storm sewer system, spans all the way from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to the Texas city of El Paso . That tunnel was finished and had been used to smuggle people, including those who paid upwards of $20,000 each to guarantee passage into the US. On the Mexican side, the tunnel measures about 1,000 feet and has lighting, ventilation and is reinforced to stop collapses, Mexican officials said.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Border patrol finds tunnel from Tijuana to San Diego
It's believed the tunnel was used to transport large amounts of contraband. Border Patrol/KRDO via CNN Newsource SAN DIEGO, California (KRDO) -- U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says they found an intricate tunnel leading from Tijuana to San Diego. Border Patrol says the tunnel featured electrical wiring, lighting, and ventilation systems. It's believed the tunnel was used to transport large amounts of contraband. According to the agency, the San Diego Sector Tunnel Team found the tunnel while it was still 'actively under construction.' Even though the tunnel was not yet complete, officials say at its current stage, it was estimated to be about 2,918 feet long. Border Patrol believes it was intended to have an exit point near a California commercial warehouse space. Border Patrol, Homeland Security, and Mexico officials were able to locate the entrance point, which they way was at a Tijuana residence. After serving a warrant, officials say they found that the tunnel entrance had been covered up with a freshly-laid tile floor. According to Border Patrol, there have been 95 tunnels located and decommissioned in the San Diego area since 1993. By Celeste Springer
BBC News
a day ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Conwy A55 tunnel vehicle fire triggers major incident
Emergency services have declared a major incident after a vehicle caught fire in a are attending the incident in the Conwy Tunnel on the A55, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said on Thursday."We're working with multi-agency partners to control the fire, protect the environment and re-open the tunnel as soon as its safe to do so," the fire service tunnel is expected to be closed in both directions for some time and anyone living nearby should close windows and doors, they added.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Border Patrol agents shut down massive drug smuggling tunnel between Tijuana and San Diego
U.S. Border Patrol agents recently discovered and disabled a nearly 3,000-foot-long narcotics smuggling tunnel sitting beneath the US-Mexico border. Agents found the tunnel — which linked Tijuana and San Diego — in early April while it was actively under construction. The underground passageway ran under part of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and had a projected exit point near or inside a commercial warehouse space in San Diego, according to an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Upon entering the "highly sophisticated" tunnel, authorities were met with barricades seemingly placed to prevent law enforcement from finding its entrance, the announcement noted. The tunnel — which reached depths of around 50 feet underground at its deepest point — measured 2,918 feet long, 42 inches tall and 28 inches wide. It was equipped with lighting, electrical wiring, ventilation systems and a track system for transporting large amounts of contraband. Border Patrol agents — working alongside Homeland Security Investigations and Government of Mexico authorities — found the entrance point to the tunnel on Monday inside a house in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood in Tijuana. The entrance had recently been covered up with freshly laid tile, according to the announcement. Thousands of gallons of concrete will soon be poured into the tunnel to prevent it from being used by Foreign Terrorist Organizations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted. "As we continue to strengthen the nation's air and maritime border security, it's not surprising that foreign terrorist organizations would resort to underground routes," Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego Sector, said in a statement. "Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives." More than 95 tunnels have been decommissioned in the San Diego area since 1993. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Pub owner stunned to discover secret underground tunnel running below UK village after knocking down wall of boozer
A PUB owner was left stunned after uncovering a secret underground tunnel beneath a UK village — hidden behind a wall in the boozer. Robert Bennet, the owner of the pub, was shocked when he discovered a network of tunnels behind one of his boozer's walls. 3 3 3 His findings have raised questions about the tunnel's ownership and thrown a wrench into his ambitious expansion plans. Robert bought Port Dinorwic Marina in T Felinheli, Wales, last year after it went into administration. His purchase included a number of buildings, including a restaurant named La Marina - which he renamed to Yr Heulyn. As work began to renovate the pub, Rob became curious about the mysterious plasterboard at the back of the pub. He had heard of a secret tunnel before and had a strange feeling that the passageway could be on the other side of the wall. After knocking through the plasterboard, a worker stepped through the hole into a mysterious tunnel. Opening up about the shocking discovery, Rob said: "There was a plaster wall at the back of the pub that had been built by the last owners but we didn't know the tunnel was behind it. "But I knew of the tunnel's existence and I could see a curved buttress at the rear of the pub. "We decided to knock through the plaster wall, initially just a small hole and we could see rooms behind it. We sent someone in and later enlarged the hole so we could go through. "We found that a previous owner had used part of the tunnel as storage, there were thousands of empty bottles in there. 'The most recent date on one of the bottles was 2003 was we assume it was blocked off shortly after this. We've no idea why it was blocked up." Now, Rob wants to open up the tunnel to the public and hopes to incorporate it into his pub experience. The pub owner says that he is considering transforming the space into a speakeasy. However, first, he needs to establish who actually owns the network of passages since his deed to the pub ends at his establishment's walls. The passage is part of the Port Dinorwic Tunnel, which was built in 1842 and connected Port Dinorwic and Penscoins. Originally, the tunnel was used to move slate but later was used to transport workers. However, the tunnel was abruptly closed in 1961, shortly before the closure of the Dinorwic quarry. The news comes after plans to construct a 'Welsh tube' were announced. The £1 billion project will feature a tap-in, tape-out system - like the London Underground - and will stretch across South East Wales.
