Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jul 2005
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2005 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Tomas Alex Tizon, Times Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

SUSPECTED SMUGGLING TUNNEL IS CLOSED

The Elaborate Passage, Apparently For Drugs, Is The First Found On 
The U.S.-Canada Border

SEATTLE - An elaborate tunnel crossing the U.S.-Canada border 90 
miles north of here was shut down, and three suspected drug-runners 
were arrested this week after a months-long investigation by 
authorities in both countries.

The tunnel, about 100 yards long and equipped with electricity and a 
ventilation system, began under a Quonset hut on the Canadian side 
and led to an abandoned home just across the border near Lynden. 
Police said the suspects planned to use the passageway to smuggle 
marijuana and other drugs into the United States.

More than 30 smuggling tunnels have been discovered over the years at 
the U.S.-Mexico border. This is the first such discovery on America's 
northern border.

"Whether it is used to smuggle drugs, contraband or terrorists, the 
presence of a tunnel on our northern border threatens the security of 
both countries," said John McKay, U.S. attorney in Seattle.

The suspects arrested Wednesday were Francis D. Raj, 30; Timothy Woo, 
34; and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27, all of Surrey, British Columbia. On 
Thursday, they were charged in Seattle District Court with conspiracy 
to import marijuana into the United States and conspiracy to 
distribute marijuana.

Two others were arrested July 16, accused of carrying marijuana that 
had been transported through the tunnel. A Twin Falls, Idaho, woman 
was caught with 93 pounds of pot, and a Renton, Wash., man with 110 
pounds. Police have not released their names.

Residents in rural Lynden, population 10,000, had mixed reactions. 
Some were surprised, but others, such as Barbara Luke, appeared to 
shrug it off.

"You don't get too shocked about anything that happens anymore," said 
Luke, recalling a resident who, just before he died seven years ago, 
built a three-story underground bunker.

"In case there was war," she said.

Canadian authorities were the first to suspect that a tunnel was 
being built, court documents showed. In February 2005, Canadian 
police spied a man repeatedly entering the Quonset hut with lumber 
and reinforcing metal bars, and then coming out with loads of dirt.

U.S. authorities found out about the tunnel from recorded 
conversations an undercover officer had with a man. In one 
conversation, the man said "the tunnel was almost finished" and would 
accommodate loads of "300 pounds at a time."

Shortly after, Canadian and U.S. agencies began cooperating, and 
installed video cameras and listening devices on both ends of the 
tunnel. Early in July, the cameras caught three men carrying large 
garbage bags through the passageway. According to police, the bags 
were later found to contain marijuana.

McKay described the tunnel as sophisticated and ambitious. 
Authorities said they thought it took about a year to build, and that 
it was finished this month.

One of the suspects owned the property on the Canadian side, and 
another acquired access to the Lynden property. Police said it was 
possible the Canadian property was purchased specifically for the tunnel.

"There was a lot of premeditation and planning," said Cpl. Tom Seaman 
of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, one of three Canadian agencies 
involved in the investigation.

The Canadian entrance to the tunnel was reinforced with concrete and 
rebar, and looked like the threshold of a 1950s-style concrete bomb shelter.

The passageway ran along at a depth of 3 to 10 feet and passed under two roads.

The opening was about 5 feet high and 4 feet across. The sides of the 
passageway were lined with 2-by-6 wood supports, and the floor was 
part concrete, covered with plywood. Lights and fans were installed 
at various points. Water-removal pipes were also in place.

Seaman said there was not much chance that other tunnels on the 
northern border would go undetected.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, authorities on both sides of the border have 
begun using state-of-the-art technology designed by geophysicists to 
detect and pinpoint irregularities underground. Plus, Seaman said, 
there are more people and agencies watching the border.

On the U.S. side, the Drug Enforcement Agency worked with Immigration 
and Customs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 
and the Washington State Patrol.

"The message here is: These kinds of things will be detected," Seaman 
said. "People who are going to do this are going to get caught."
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