Posted on 02/02/2006 9:48:25 AM PST by 1curiousmind
February 1, 2006 -- U.S.-Mexican tunnel worries senior U.S. intelligence officials. The recent tunnel discovered between Tijuana and Otay Mesa, California has some U.S. intelligence officials extremely concerned, according to informed U.S. intelligence sources.
Senior U.S. intelligence officers are concerned that the sophisticated 1.4 mile tunnel, complete with ventilation, electrical, and water systems, as well as cement flooring, that connects two warehouses on each side of the border, could have been used to secretly transport nuclear devices or material into the United States. Argentine intelligence sources have previously reported that Al Qaeda smuggled nuclear devices into the United States using a drug route into the United States "rented" from the Juarez, Mexico-based drug cartel. The information was gleaned from agents that penetrated terrorist cells operating in the Puerto Igauzu, Argentina; Foz do Iguazu Brazil; and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay "Tri-Border" region, which is home to a number of Muslims. The DEA reported that the Mexico-U.S. tunnel may have been the work of one of Mexico's drug cartels. Previously, DEA has uncovered links between Al Qaeda and Latin American drug cartels, especially in Colombia and Venezuela. One of the Mexican Tijuana tunnel diggers has informed authorities that a similar tunnel exists between Mexico and Presidio, Texas.
Intelligence insiders believe that the arrest in Los Angeles three weeks ago of a key member of the Russian mafia, an individual who was identified as a mover of money to the hijackers prior to 9-11, may have had something to do with the discovery of the tunnel. It is believed the Russian may have tipped off law enforcement about the tunnel as part of a deal. Argentine intelligence sources also reported that Al Qaeda rented from the Russian mafia a cargo ship smuggling route into the New York-New Jersey region. Argentine intelligence discovered that Al Qaeda had obtained at least one tactical nuclear device from Uzbekistan and enough radioactive material to manufacture "dirty" radiological bombs.
Senior intelligence sources are concerned that the Department of Homeland Security and the Energy Department's Nuclear Emergency Search Teams (NESTs) have failed to conduct tests for radioactivity in the Mexico-California tunnel. Their fears have been heightened with the Super Bowl in Detroit on Sunday.
"When President George W. Bush signed the Drug-Free Communities Act in 2002, he asserted, "If you quit drugs, you join the fight against terror in America." During the 2002 Superbowl, in the aftermath of 9/11, Bush's Office of National Drug Control Policy aired two TV ads asking the simple question, "Where do terrorists get their money?" The answer: "If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you."
They should put 40 feet of reinforced concrete beneath that 15 foot tall twin fence.
Either that, or a really deep trench right in front of the fence.
That's why real Americans grow their own.
Here we go again...nukes in the tunnel, into the US. Complete ignorance of the reality of weapons handling, sizes, complexity, etc.
Here we go again...nukes in the tunnel, into the US. Complete ignorance of the reality of weapons handling, sizes, complexity, etc.
Yep, the black market for drugs has made it a real money maker. Wonder what could be done to take the profit out of drugs?
BTW I don't know much about the source on this...only that he is a former NSA agent and apparently doesn't like Bush....so keep that in mind.
Thanks for giving this its own thread.
Radioactivity is the FIRST thing they should have checked for.
Big surprise. This is what weak border security does for America.
Little to do with credibility.
Could have been used to transport Hostess Ho Ho's for all this guys knows. Since they found 2 tons of Marajuana in the tunnel, I suspect it was for drugs
Senior U.S. intelligence officers
Intelligence insiders
Notice these "informed" "senior" "insiders" never have names or position titles.
If they did smuggle in nukes, they're just smuggling in nukes that Americans refused to smuggle in.
If the Bush admin is worried about the money spent on drugs going to terrorism, perhaps taking action that makes it less profitable would make sense. If the federal war on drugs were ended and people could legally import marijuana, etc. or your typical toker could grow a few of his own plants, what would be the incentive to smuggle them in? The states would still have their laws. But those should be removed as well.
No, I'm not a drug user and never have been.
Huh, what does that mean? Once any nuclear material is moved out of the tunnel there won't be any measurable radiation in the tunnel. And if any senior officials were really concerned about a nuclear weapon, nobody in the federal government would have "failed" to do anything. The case would obviously be top priority and everybody would be working 24/7 to solve it. If any real senior intelligence officials actually believed that a nuke had been smuggled through that tunnel, we would now be seeing a huge amount of law enforcement activity in southern California, and I don't see any reports of that happening. I give the smuggled nuke scenario less than a 1% probability of being true.
Would be cheaper. Heck we could put water in it like an old style mote. Fill it with parannah or something.
Make that less than 0.1% probability that this actually happened.
if true...that's inexcusable.
one thing that hit me...a cement floor??? seems a little excessive just for smuggling drugs, maybe?
Doubtful the drugrunners would let AQ mess up their revenue stream. Permanently.
bump
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