EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Mexican authorities have begun filling in an underground smuggling tunnel that stretches from Juarez to South Central El Paso.
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Confined Space Entry Team discovered the tunnel on Jan. 9 while inspecting the storm drain system in the area.
About a week later, U.S. officials began filling in the tunnel with cement on the U.S. side.
On Monday, authorities began filling in the tunnel from the Mexican side. Members of Mexico’s National Guard and federal investigators could be seen securing area with yellow tape as crews crews used heavy machinery to remove some of the concrete slabs that created the entrance of the tunnel.
U.S. federal officials described the tunnel as “sophisticated.” It is about 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide and is equipped with lighting, a ventilation system, and is braced with wood beams throughout.
The tunnel starts just off a highway that runs parallel to the border in Juarez and goes under the Rio Grande, the border wall, the American Canal, levees, and leads to a network of storm drains in El Paso.
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