Tunnels Feared To Allow In Illegal Goods And Weapons--In The US

We are used reading about the tunnels from Gaza and their use both for bringing illegal goods as well as weapons into Gaza.

Now the US is facing the problem of tunnels bringing in illegal goods and weapons as well:

There is a growing concern in the Senate that tunnels dug by Mexican drug cartels to traffic illicit goods into the country could be used to smuggle terrorists or weapons of mass destruction.


Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chair and vice-chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, are stepping up congressional efforts to combat the growing use of tunnels along the southwest border.

Eleven tunnels - used to smuggle drugs, money, weapons, and in some cases people - have been discovered so far this year, bringing the total number of tunnels found by law enforcement authorities since 2001 up to 125. The majority of the tunnels have been found in southern California and Arizona.

The level of sophistication may actually exceed the kinds of tunnels found in Gaza:

In one 2,200-foot tunnel discovered by authorities last November, smugglers installed electricity, ventilation and a rail car system to assist them in ferrying their illicit goods across the border. The entrance on the Mexico side of the border was concealed under a hydraulic steel door in the kitchen of a house. And on the U.S. side of the border, the tunnel exited into a warehouse in southern California. Officials estimated it cost $1 million to build.

In order to combat the tunnels, the government has established tunnel task forces with various agencies. In addition, Feinstein is planning to introduce a bill that would make it a conspiracy offense to use, construct, or finance of a border tunnel. It would also allow the use of wiretaps if the existence or use of a tunnel is suspected.

One more problem that Israel and the US share in common.

Technorati Tag: Mexico.