COPS DISCOVER SEALED DRUG TUNNEL IS BACK IN BUSINESS

Twelve Feet Of Concrete Could Not Keep Drug Smugglers From Reusing An
Existing Tunnel On West International Street

The Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force received information this week that
the tunnel was again being used, said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.

"Metro heard that the tunnel may have gone back into business and after
obtaining a search warrant, they discovered that the tunnel had indeed been
tapped into, probably by the same group," Estrada said.

Smugglers dug around the concrete sealed entrance, creating a new crawl
space under the home, he said.

The seizure of 153 pounds of marijuana on Monday led agents to the recently
sealed drug smuggling tunnel, that was first discovered by U.S. Customs
agents in December 2001.

Agents watching the West International Street home noticed individuals
loading bundles into a 1992 Buick sedan parked outside the home.

When the vehicle left the home, agents followed it to the parking lot of
the Nogales Pizza Hut, where it was dropped off. A Customs drug- sniffing
dog searched the vehicle and found nine bundles of marijuana. No arrests
have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Metro investigators suspect that the 161 packages containing 374 pounds of
cocaine discovered in a van last Friday on the 900 block of West Anza Drive
may have come through the drug tunnel, Estrada said.

The tunnel originates in a storm drain in Nogales, Sonora. Drug smugglers
would break a hole in a concrete drain in Mexico to get to the tunnel and
after every drug shipment, the hole was patched up to avoid discovery by
Mexican authorities.

According to Estrada, federal, state and local agencies will be working
together to completely seal the tunnel.

"We are going to need to permanently seal it, in order to put an end to
this. Just the surface entrance of the tunnel was not enough," Estrada said.

Four large drug seizures have been linked to this tunnel, including 229
pounds of marijuana on Nov. 5; 448 pounds of marijuana on Nov. 19; 956
pounds of cocaine on Nov. 28; and the 153 pounds of marijuana seized on
Monday. In a traffic stop unrelated to the investigation, but later linked
to the tunnel, the Nogales Police Department seized 162 pounds of marijuana
on Nov. 17.

Investigators believe that the drug tunnel had been put back into business
in January. "We don't know for sure, how long the tunnel has been used
since it was sealed, but our rough estimate is late January," said Lt. Raul
Rodriguez of the Metro Task Force.

The only other drug smuggling tunnel that was put into use after its
discovery was in a home located on Bungalow Court. That drug tunnel was
linked to the Nogales Wash drainage system.

Anyone with suspicions or information about similar smuggling activity is
encouraged to contact the U.S. Customs Service by calling 1-800-BE- ALERT.

Anonymous callers who provide information resulting in enforcement activity
are eligible for cash awards of up to $2,500. Those callers who become
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