DEA Officials Claim Tunnel Found In Texas Would Be Used With Illegal Purposes

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials claimed that the unfinished tunnel found underneath a vape shop in Texas would be used with illegal purposes, according to a new report.

Concretely, the officials told NewsNation that the 25-foot-deep tunnel was located inside a vape shop in Laredo, and it was found as they were conducting an operation targeting such shops across the country.

Gilberto Pena has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. Even though the shop remains open, authorities will return to dismantle it.

Several such passageways have been found recently across the border, including many that crossed the border. In late June, two people were indicted in an investigation regarding a tunnel connecting Mexico's Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, that was found earlier this year.

According to Border report, the development was communicated by Jason Stevens, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso. He told Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the matter is still under investigation and that two people have been indicted so far.

Stevens went on to detail that the tunnel was " approximately 4-by-6 (feet)" and that "two individuals my size could walk through it side-by-side." "We had significant concerns because it could have individuals transiting through the tunnel unknown and undetected by law enforcement," he added.

Border Patrol also communicated earlier this year that it disabled another tunnel that crossed the southern border and sought to be used for smuggling purposes.

The tunnel was found in early April while still under construction. It passed underneath the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and connected Tijuana and San Diego, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detailed. Its projected exit point would be near or inside a commercial warehouse space in San Diego.

Agents described the tunnel as "highly sophisticated," coming across barricades apparently placed to prevent agents from finding it. The tunnel was some 3,000 feet long and reached depths of up to 50 feet. It was 42 inches tall and 28 inches wide and had lighting, electrical wiring, ventilation systems and a track that could have been used for transporting large loads.