Second tunnel, 3,000 pounds of pot found in Nogales


Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, July 4, 2007 2:20 PM MDT


NOGALES, Ariz. - Authorities said they found a second drug-smuggling tunnel in as many days in Nogales, but this time they also found more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana.


The tunnel was discovered after Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies received a tip about suspicious activity and a strong marijuana odor early Friday. Deputies got a search warrant and raided a warehouse on Grand Avenue, finding 428 bundles of marijuana, sheriff's Capt. Ruben Fuentes said.

Deputies found a tunnel leading to a drainage pipe that empties into a wash, Fuentes said.

The discovery came a day after federal agents found a tunnel linking a home in Nogales to one across the border in Nogales, Mexico. Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been watching the site since April as work on the tunnel progressed. They said they raided the two homes before the just-finished tunnel could be used. Mexican police arrested five people at the home in Mexico.

No one was at the warehouse when it was raided Friday, Fuentes said. Deputies found a washing machine and some carpet, along with picks and flashlights that could be strapped to the head. The owner of the warehouse is not believed to be linked to the tunnel or drugs, but the Mexican man who rented the site is under investigation.

The tunnel was sealed with concrete.

Copyright © 2012 Douglas Dispatch

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