Inside ICE: Volume 3, Issue 2

ICE Makes Arrest In Probe Of Major Southwest Border Tunnel

SAN DIEGO—ICE agents arrested a suspect January 28 in connection with an ongoing investigation into a major drug tunnel linking warehouses in Otay Mesa, Calif. and Tijuana, Mexico. The tunnel is one of the largest and most sophisticated ever discovered on the South- west border.

The suspect, a Mexican national, faces charges of conspiracy to import a controlled sub- stance. Investigators say the allegations stem from the man’s ties to the Otay Mesa ware- house that concealed the U.S. access point for the highly sophisticated passageway.

The arrest came less than 24 hours after ICE issued an alert, warning that case leads indicated persons who had been in the tunnel or were responsible for its design or construction might be in imminent danger. ICE urged those individuals to come forward and contact ICE at any port of entry along the Mexican border. The agency pledged it would do everything in its power to ensure their safety.

The ongoing investigation is being carried out by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, made up of agents and officers from ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Since the existence of the passageway was confirmed January 25, task force investigators have been working round-the-clock following up a wide variety of leads.

“As this weekend’s arrest demonstrates, our investigation is progressing very quickly,” said Miguel Unzueta, special agent-in-charge for ICE in San Diego. “The task force is working tirelessly to bring those responsible for this audacious crime to justice.”

The task force is receiving substantial support in the investigation from CBP’s forensic lab, which is conducting advanced fingerprint analysis and DNA sampling. In addition, ICE’s Cybercrimes Unit is assisting with computer forensics.

The tunnel discovery is the result of a long-term investigation by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force. It is using an array of high-tech equipment and intelligence information to pinpoint the location of underground passageways along the border in the region. Since 9/11, federal authorities have discovered more than 20 cross-border tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border in California and Arizona.

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

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