thirty tons of cannabis grabbed in Mexico tunnel bust

The Mexico tunnel isn’t really a new public works project from the DOT. Substance smugglers using the Mexico canal shipping untold tons of cannabis to San Diego from Tijuana. The Feds came down on the 1,800-foot long Mexico tunnel this week and seized 30 tons of pot.

Mexico tunnel likely dug by drug cartel

Warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana where drug smugglers stored a stash were where the Mexico tunnel led to. The sophistication of the Mexico tunnel and also the cost of digging it suggests the operation is associated with a Mexican drug cartel. A Drug Enforcement Agency investigation started Tuesday when DEA agents noticed a suspicious looking semi-truck leaving a warehouse in an industrial area near the Mexican border. The truck had been stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint and 10 tons of marijuana were in the trailer. About 10 to 15 tons of weed were found in the warehouse that the DEA agents went and checked out.

Pot worth $20 million seized

A closet in a small opening in the floor had been where the DEA agents found the Mexico tunnel. The passageway that was found had been lighted and ventilated. It was 20 feet under the ground and six football fields long. An additional warehouse in Mexico was at the end of the tunnel. They found more marijuana there too. About 4 tons more were taken while Mexican authorities were told about it. The DEA said the marijuana taken in would cost a lot of money. It had been about $20 million worth.

Still continue to have drug traffic

The Mexico tunnel is one of numerous found since a crackdown on drug smuggling has forced the drug cartels underground. Last month Mexican authorities seized 150 tons of marijuana in Tijuana, the largest drug bust in Mexican history. The amount of illegal drugs coming from Mexico into the U.S. probably won't stop with these seizures, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Sara Miller of the Monitor wrote that the mega-busts were no more than a PR victory for the Mexican government. The Mexican U.S. ambassador wrote a letter to Miller. He had been mad about what she said.

Citations

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1104-drug-tunnel-20101104,0,595478.story

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/News/secret-tunnels-mexico-us-smuggling-drugs-guns-people/story?id=12057362&page=2

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/1020/Mexico-seizes-105-tons-of-marijuana-in-Tijuana.-Does-it-matter