2002-05-18 - Mexico v USA fireplace. Drug dealers use the shortest way - An isolated ranch house 20 miles east of the Mexican border town of Tecate had a fireplace. ?Welcome to the United States¦ was not hung above it, but those who went into the fireplace reached a secret tunnel and could get into the USA after a 270-meter journey. The tunnel built by drug dealers for the journey to the USA even had rails to send cocaine on electric carts to America. The tunnel led to the back of a staircase of a house in Tierra del Sol, California. Associated Press reports that the tunnel has functioned undetected for ten years; it was just recently discovered. The USA believes that the Arellano Felix gang, based in Tijuana, 65 miles west of Tecate, moved up to 10 tons of drugs into the United States, the majoirty of which of it was transported through the fireplace tunnel. Using hydraulic machines, the smugglers persistently moved to the north, having burrowed six meters under the border wall. Then, 70 trucks were brought to remove the dirt. The smugglers installed electricity and ventilation, and the dirt walls and roof were reinforced with wooden beams. The construction of the tunnel was completed without any fanfare, and the object was put into operation.
Smuggling tunnel found under US-Mexico border - A 300-metre tunnel with lighting and rail tracks has been discovered between Mexico and California.- Police believe it has been used for smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants. - The US drug enforcement administration found the tunnel while searching a ranch in the rural Tierra del Sol area, about 55 miles from San Diego. -It runs between a private home in the mountains and a house in the Mexican border town of Tecate, reports The Guardian. - The tunnel, 1.2m wide and 1.2m high, has air pipes, concrete walls and steel rails. - Agents believe the tunnel could have been in use for more than two years.