By IANS/EFE,
Tucson (US) : A “sophisticated” tunnel dug out of solid rock and equipped with electricity and ventilation systems has been found under the border between US’ Arizona state and Mexico by the US Border Patrol.
The tunnel starts inside an abandoned building in Nogales, a border city in Mexico’s Sonora state, officials said. It is 4.5 metres deep and 76 metres long.
Border Patrol Tucson sector chief Randy Hill said the tunnel was “more sophisticated” than others that were discovered recently.
“This is a clear example of the dangers and of the lengths to which smugglers are willing to go to get their shipments across,” Hill said.
Since the mid-1990s, authorities have discovered many clandestine tunnels along the border. People traffickers and drug cartels often use such tunnels to cross the vast US-Mexican border, which runs for 3,200 km.