EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — With the help of surveillance cameras, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered a cross-border tunnel under the streets of Nogales, Ariz.
Agents from the Tucson Sector found the tunnel on Sunday about a half-mile west of the DeConcini Port of Entry.
The hand-dug tunnel, according to a news release, was 2 feet by 2 feet and about 10 feet long. Described as “rudimentary,” the tunnel had no shoring, ventilation, or lighting.
The Mexican National Guard located the tunnel’s entrance at the bottom of the existing Grand Avenue Drainage System in Mexico.
The tunnel is the 127th tunnel discovered in the Tucson Sector since 1990.
“Binational cooperation between the U.S. Border Patrol and the Government of Mexico plays a vital role in border security,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. “Efforts, such as tunnel sweeps, aim to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and prevent the smuggling of narcotics and humans across the border.”