Sealing-off of Major Tijuana-U.S. Tunnel

[Willowdared]

By Greg Gross
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
11:17 a.m. May 15, 2007

SAN DIEGO – Work crews began Tuesday morning pouring in thousands of pounds of concrete to fill in the largest of seven tunnels under the U.S.-Mexico border discovered in recent years entering California and Arizona.

However, federal officials warned that more such tunnels probably exist.

“I'd be astounded if there are no other tunnels out there,” said Frank Marwood, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in charge of an anti-tunnel task force.

The tunnel, extending the length of eight football fields from Tijuana into the Otay Mesa area of San Diego, is the largest such structure found under the border.

Like the others, it is believed to have been the work of Tijuana's infamous Arellano-Felix drug cartel.

Filling it in is expected to take “no more than three days,” said Hector Montalvo, an official with U.S Customs and Border Protection.

It is one of seven such tunnels being plugged with concrete – five in California and two more in Arizona – at an estimated cost of $2.7 million.

The process of filling all seven tunnels is expected to take seven weeks, Montalvo said.

As they spoke, work crews poured a gray concrete slurry down two vertical shafts into the tunnel. Its opening sits almost within sight of the border, amid the warehouses and factories that crowd the Otay Mesa area.
Its opening sits in the Siempre Viva Business Park, almost within sight of the border, amid the warehouses and factories that crowd the Otay Mesa area.

Montalvo said that on the Mexican side, officials fill the tunnels with gravel and cap the openings with concrete.

He and Marwood said filling such large, elaborate tunnels posed major challenges, just in dealing with environmental and property concerns.

“We've never approached anything this monumental when it comes to filling a tunnel,” Montalvo said.

Asked if he believed more tunnel remain undiscovered under the border, Marwood said:

“I don't think (the drug smugglers) have an interstate system yet underground.”

At least, he added, “I hope not.”

Here's a photo-story of the biggest tunnel:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...070515tunnels/

[conalabu]

What is the sense of that??? They can dig one right next to the last one, for petes sake. Why spend all that dough on concrete? Fill the dang thing with dirt and wait for the next one to pop up. Like a big game of whack-a-mole.

[k-9max]

Wow, ,

i wonder why they would spend so much money on the concrete, when filling it in with gravel, then capping it off with concrete sounds more reasonable?

Still, i guess i didnt even realize these tunnels existed!

[Willowdared]

I will try to find out more, but they were concerned that the biggest one was so well constructed, that it could be easily dug out if only filled with dirt. They also didn't not want it to be used as a partial frame for a new one that might be built adjacent.

[conalabu]

I will try to find out more, but they were concerned that the biggest one was so well constructed, that it could be easily dug out if only filled with dirt. They also didn't not want it to be used as a partial frame for a new one that might be built adjacent.

When you have as much money at stake as a major cartel, how much of a hinderance are we really creating? Sounds to me like this was a great ongoing sting operation that was missed.

[Willowdared]

When you have as much money at stake as a major cartel, how much of a hinderance are we really creating? Sounds to me like this was a great ongoing sting operation that was missed.

Did you watch the video on the photo link? Warehouse to warehouse!

[Rhino]

Why not just mine the tunnels? A few bouncing betties will send the message.

[Jackalope]

Concrete flows, dirt doesn't. I think it'd be a helluva lot easier to pour concrete in instead of carrying dirt into it. Concrete is relatively cheap, too. It might even be cheaper than an equal amount of fill dirt.

[lewisipso]

Marwood said:

“I don't think (the drug smugglers) have an interstate system yet underground.”

There are parts of I-10 that don't look as good as that tunnel. He might want to keep looking.