Feds Bust U.S.-Canada Smuggling Tunnel

AP via Yahoo ^ | July 21, 2005 | Gene Johnson

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

LYNDEN, Wash. - Federal agents have shut down an elaborate, 360-foot drug-smuggling tunnel dug underneath the U.S.-Canadian border — the first such passageway discovered along the nation's northern edge, officials said Thursday.

Five people were arrested on marijuana trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney John McKay said in this border town about 90 miles north of Seattle.

The tunnel ran from a quonset hut on the Canadian side and ended under the living room of a home on the U.S. side, 300 feet from the border. Built with lumber, concrete and metal reinforcing bars, it was equipped with lights and ventilation, and ran underneath a highway.

The passageway was 3 1/2 to 4 feet high and wide, and ran anywhere from 3 to 10 feet below ground, authorities said.

"They were smart enough to build a sophisticated tunnel. They weren't smart enough to not get caught," McKay said.

McKay said authorities had been monitoring construction of the tunnel for six months and sealed it shortly after it opened Wednesday.

Although numerous smuggling tunnels have been found on the U.S.-Mexican border, this was the first discovered along the border with Canada, McKay said. Canadian authorities learned of the tunnel in February and alerted U.S. officials.

Francis Devandra Raj, 30; Timothy Woo, 34; and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27, of Surrey, British Columbia, were arrested Wednesday. They were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute marijuana. Raj owns the property under the quonset hut, authorities said.

On July 16, two other people were arrested separately in Washington state for transporting marijuana that had come through the tunnel, said Greg Gassett, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

One was a woman who authorities said had 93 pounds of marijuana in her vehicle when she was stopped. The other was a man pulled over with 110 pounds of the drug.

On July 2, agents entered the home on the U.S. side to examine the tunnel. They later installed cameras and listening devices in the home.

[nuconvert]

Raj, Woo, and Valenzuela.
Interesting

[Vigilanteman]

Just growing the wildwood flower that Americans are too lazy to grow . . .

[konaice]

Jeeze oh pete, it would have been just as easy to wait till dark and walk the stuff over the fence and heave it over.

[HiTech RedNeck]

This sounds like a Wile E. Coyote / Road Runner episode.

[Revolting cat!]

Francis Devandra Raj, 30; Timothy Woo, 34; and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27

An Indian Catholic, a Chinaman and a Venezuelan of German extraction. Quite an international team. Hurray for diversity!

[HiTech RedNeck]

The tunnel ran from a quonset hut on the Canadian side and ended under the living room of a home on the U.S. side, 300 feet from the border. Built with lumber, concrete and metal reinforcing bars, it was equipped with lights and ventilation, and ran underneath a highway.

I'd imagine carrying in the materials for this attracted some attention.

[Thrusher]

"Nothing to see here! There is nothing to see here! Everyone please look away and do not notice this giant gaping hole in our nation's security! Everything is okay except for those millions of illegal immigrants we are ignoring! But, uh, everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here... now... thank you. How are you?"

[docbnj]

I can just imagine the careful planning. Only 3.5 to 4 feet high?

One very short conspirator says to the others, "Like, man, I think we'll built a tunnel. You dig?"

[Prime Choice]

Federal agents have shut down an elaborate, 360-foot drug-smuggling tunnel dug underneath the U.S.-Canadian border

Now if only they could shut down the not-so-elaborate INVASION coming across the U.S.-Mexican border every night!

[Jackknife]

"They've found TOM !!"

[Not A Snowbird]

Jeeze oh pete, it would have been just as easy to wait till dark and walk the stuff over the fence and heave it over.

What fence?

[Not A Snowbird]

We found it, we watched it, we waited, we pounced. What would you like us to have done?

[Lx]

Ha, too funny, that does make sense!

[Thrusher]

I applaud "your" efforts in finding, watching, waiting and pouncing in this one particular instance.

Perhaps my sentiment is more appropriately expressed by Prime Choice in post #10.

[Not A Snowbird]

I figured that's where you were going.:-)

[Semi Civil Servant]

The tunnel ran from a quonset hut on the Canadian side and ended under the living room of a home on the U.S. side, 300 feet from the border. Built with lumber, concrete and metal reinforcing bars, it was equipped with lights and ventilation, and ran underneath a highway.

All the wide open spaces along the 3000 mile U.S. - Canada border, and these geniuses build a tunnel under a highway?

Maybe they were smoking pot or something.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

2.5-4 ft high?
How much back-ache would it cause to carry a substantial haul through 360 feet of tunnel bent over or crawling? A lot.

I think this tunnel was intended to bring illegals over the border. They figured they try it out with marijuana and if it succeeded for a couple of months, start with illegals.

Better to be found guilty of a drug offense than violating national security and trafficking humans.