Strong Winds Blows Portion Of Border Wall Into Mexico; Longest Smuggling Tunnel Also Found
SAN DIEGO (CBSLA) — A portion of the U.S. border wall was tipped over by gusty winds Wednesday, landing on trees in Mexico.
The damaged portion of the wall in El Centro is part of an ongoing construction project to improve existing sections of the wall, and a Customs and Border Patrol agent said the portion had recently been set in concrete that had not yet cured.
Winds in the area gusted as high as 37 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Closer to the Otay Mesa port of entry, agents uncovered the longest-ever smuggling tunnel found on the border. The tunnel stretches more than three quarters of a mile from a small warehouse in Tijuana into the San Diego area.
The tunnel was no rough passageway – it is 75 feet underground, includes ventilation, high-voltage electrical cables, a drainage system, a rail-cart system and an elevator.
Border Patrol says the tunnel was used to both transport drugs and allow people to sneak into the country illegally.