SUSPECTED SMUGGLING TUNNEL IS CLOSED

The Elaborate Passage, Apparently For Drugs, Is The First Found On
The U.S.-Canada Border

SEATTLE - An elaborate tunnel crossing the U.S.-Canada border 90
miles north of here was shut down, and three suspected drug-runners
were arrested this week after a months-long investigation by
authorities in both countries.

The tunnel, about 100 yards long and equipped with electricity and a
ventilation system, began under a Quonset hut on the Canadian side
and led to an abandoned home just across the border near Lynden.
Police said the suspects planned to use the passageway to smuggle
marijuana and other drugs into the United States.

More than 30 smuggling tunnels have been discovered over the years at
the U.S.-Mexico border. This is the first such discovery on America's
northern border.

"Whether it is used to smuggle drugs, contraband or terrorists, the
presence of a tunnel on our northern border threatens the security of
both countries," said John McKay, U.S. attorney in Seattle.

The suspects arrested Wednesday were Francis D. Raj, 30; Timothy Woo,
34; and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27, all of Surrey, British Columbia. On
Thursday, they were charged in Seattle District Court with conspiracy
to import marijuana into the United States and conspiracy to
distribute marijuana.

Two others were arrested July 16, accused of carrying marijuana that
had been transported through the tunnel. A Twin Falls, Idaho, woman
was caught with 93 pounds of pot, and a Renton, Wash., man with 110
pounds. Police have not released their names.

Residents in rural Lynden, population 10,000, had mixed reactions.
Some were surprised, but others, such as Barbara Luke, appeared to
shrug it off.

"You don't get too shocked about anything that happens anymore," said
Luke, recalling a resident who, just before he died seven years ago,
built a three-story underground bunker.

"In case there was war," she said.

Canadian authorities were the first to suspect that a tunnel was
being built, court documents showed. In February 2005, Canadian
police spied a man repeatedly entering the Quonset hut with lumber
and reinforcing metal bars, and then coming out with loads of dirt.

U.S. authorities found out about the tunnel from recorded
conversations an undercover officer had with a man. In one
conversation, the man said "the tunnel was almost finished" and would
accommodate loads of "300 pounds at a time."

Shortly after, Canadian and U.S. agencies began cooperating, and
installed video cameras and listening devices on both ends of the
tunnel. Early in July, the cameras caught three men carrying large
garbage bags through the passageway. According to police, the bags
were later found to contain marijuana.

McKay described the tunnel as sophisticated and ambitious.
Authorities said they thought it took about a year to build, and that
it was finished this month.

One of the suspects owned the property on the Canadian side, and
another acquired access to the Lynden property. Police said it was
possible the Canadian property was purchased specifically for the tunnel.

"There was a lot of premeditation and planning," said Cpl. Tom Seaman
of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, one of three Canadian agencies
involved in the investigation.

The Canadian entrance to the tunnel was reinforced with concrete and
rebar, and looked like the threshold of a 1950s-style concrete bomb shelter.

The passageway ran along at a depth of 3 to 10 feet and passed under two roads.

The opening was about 5 feet high and 4 feet across. The sides of the
passageway were lined with 2-by-6 wood supports, and the floor was
part concrete, covered with plywood. Lights and fans were installed
at various points. Water-removal pipes were also in place.

Seaman said there was not much chance that other tunnels on the
northern border would go undetected.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, authorities on both sides of the border have
begun using state-of-the-art technology designed by geophysicists to
detect and pinpoint irregularities underground. Plus, Seaman said,
there are more people and agencies watching the border.

On the U.S. side, the Drug Enforcement Agency worked with Immigration
and Customs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
and the Washington State Patrol.

"The message here is: These kinds of things will be detected," Seaman
said. "People who are going to do this are going to get caught."