A smuggling tunnel was uncovered at the US-Mexico border

Mexican and American authorities discovered an underground smuggling tunnel on the California-Mexico border that contains reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation and even a rail system, The Guardian reported.

According to the Mexican authorities, "the security agents deployed in the municipality received citizen reports about the presence of people entering a sewer."

The tunnel, located about half a mile (0.8km) from the Otay Mesa border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego, is in an area where more than a dozen others have been discovered in the past two decades.

Moreover, the location of the tunnel is one of the most fortified stretches of the border, highlighting the limitations of Donald Trump’s wall.

The tunnel may have been used for drug and human trafficking across the border between one country and another, according to Mexican newspaper Proceso.

The tunnel is estimated to be approximately 131 feet long (40 meters). Various items such as clothing, flashlights, shovels and communication radios were also found in the premises. 

According to CNN, the discovery  was a joint operation between the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Navy, the Attorney General's Office, the National Guard and the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, in coordination with the State Investigation Agency of Chihuahua (Mexico).

Moreover, the FBI, El Paso Customs and Border Protection and the El Paso Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Mexican government and the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez are assisting in the investigation.

"The discovery of this tunnel underscores the vital importance of coordination and collaboration between our law enforcement agencies," said FBI Special Agent in charge, John Morales.

“We are proud of the agents who uncovered this smuggling infrastructure used by transnational criminal organizations,” said El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good.

“With our partners, we are committed to investigating these illicit activities and bringing all criminals to justice,” the agent added.

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