Drug Cartels Invests Millions In High-Tech Tunnels Along the Border admin Wednesday, January 15, 2014 The Receipt Photo credit: NYTimes.com Drug cartels have created various means to move product into the U.S. Since the 1990s, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says that there has been 170 tunnels found nationwide. But, the search hasn’t been easy. Cartels have transformed the construction of tunnels to include less-detecting materials and tighter security measures. This made it more difficult for the U.S. Border Patrol to detect where these sophisticated tunnels are located and how long they stretch. Authorities say there’s only two ways they’ve been able to detect the presence of a tunnel: by word of mouth or detection of soil disturbance. According to AP… Smugglers have dug dozens of crude tunnels in Nogales, Ariz., that begin in Mexico and tie into the Arizona city’s storm drainage system. For sophisticated tunnels, such as those found near San Diego, cartels will hire engineers and miners to build the tunnels. A cartel will have a financier or a cell that reports to the cartel bosses and runs the construction. Tunnels are big business. The construction of more sophisticated tunnels can costs up to $3 million. Tunnels are mainly constructed by the use of large PVC piping buried underground. The ability to quickly move drugs, from one country to another, is carried out through the use of electric railcars. Also, laborers are equipped with lighting and ventilation ducts. Additionally, cartels use tunnels to transport weapons and illegal aliens out of Mexico.
