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126th Cross-Border Tunnel Discovered

Release Date
Thu, 02/27/2020
Border Patrol agents and Mexican law enforcement worked to identify a cross-border tunnel in Nogales, Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. –U.S. Border Patrol agents, working with Mexican law enforcement, discovered yet another cross-border tunnel Tuesday, that runs beneath the streets of Nogales.

Tucson Sector agents and Mexico’s Guardia Nacional located the tunnel’s entrance in the floor of the existing Grand Avenue drainage system in Mexico. The rudimentary tunnel, located approximately 580 yards west of the Dennis DeConcin Crossing at the Nogales Port of Entry, is hand-dug with no shoring, ventilation or lighting.

The tunnel runs approximately 15-20 feet underground at its deepest point and extends approximately 30 feet from beginning to end, where the cartel left it incomplete.

U.S. authorities will continuously monitor the area until they remediate the tunnel. This is the 126th tunnel discovered in the Tucson Sector since 1990 and the second discovered mid-completion this fiscal year.

U.S. Border Patrol regularly works with the Government of Mexico, and binational cooperation with Mexican law enforcement plays a vital role in border security. Efforts such as tunnel sweeps aim to disrupt smuggling organizations and prevent the smuggling of narcotics and humans across the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 13, 2024