Inside the Unfinished Smuggling Tunnel Discovered on the US-Mexico Border

Federal agents say the unfinished tunnel extends 133 feet into US.

ByABC News
January 10, 2014, 2:56 PM
An unfinished tunnel was found in between Mexico and the United States in Nogales, Ariz.
An unfinished tunnel was found in between Mexico and the United States in Nogales, Ariz.
US Border Patrol

Jan. 10, 2014— -- Federal authorities in the United States and Mexico said they'd located an unfinished smuggling tunnel this week during a border sweep in Nogales, Ariz.

The unfinished tunnel originates in Mexico and extends 133 feet into the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

Officials said the tunnel, which is 3 feet high, did not yet open into the United States. Border agents were tipped off to its existence after they observed freshly disturbed dirt within the channel floor of a drainage system.

Tunnels have been a consistent problem at the border, and officials said they work regularly to thwart their construction before contraband or people can be smuggled into the country.

In October 2013, authorities found a sophisticated secret tunnel between Tijuana, Mexico, and California that was so elaborate it was equipped with electricity, ventilation and its own rail system.

PHOTO: An unfinished tunnel was found in between Mexico and the United States in Nogales, Ariz.
Authorities said the tunnel is just 3 feet tall from ground to ceiling, meaning anyone traveling through it would have to crawl.
PHOTO: An unfinished tunnel was found in between Mexico and the United States in Nogales, Ariz.
The unfinished tunnel extends 133 feet into the United States, but it does not open into the country, officials said.