Feds Shut Down Drug-Smuggling Tunnel

Feds Shut Down Drug-Smuggling Tunnel
July 22, 2005 4:02 AM EDT


LYNDEN, Wash. - The loads of dirt coming out of the boarded-up hut perplexed Canadian border guards. So did the loads of construction materials going in. Acting on a hunch that the activity wasn't legitimate, the guards tipped off investigators, who found that the hut was a starting point for an elaborate, 360-foot drug-smuggling tunnel beneath the U.S.-Canadian border.

On Thursday, authorities said they have shut down the tunnel - the first such passageway discovered along the nation's northern edge - and arrested five people on marijuana trafficking charges.

"They were smart enough to build a sophisticated tunnel," U.S. Attorney John McKay said in this border town about 90 miles north of Seattle. "They weren't smart enough to not get caught."

The tunnel ran from the hut on the Canadian side and ended under the living room of a home on the U.S. side, 300 feet from the border. Built with lumber, concrete and metal bars, it was equipped with lights and ventilation, and ran underneath a highway.

The passageway was 3 1/2 to 4 feet high and wide, and ran anywhere from 3 to 10 feet below ground, authorities said.

U.S. officials were trying to locate the owner of the house on the U.S. side. "We know who that individual is. We are very interested in speaking with him," McKay said.

Authorities had been monitoring construction of the tunnel for six months and had allowed its operators to make at least a few trips - all under surveillance - before sealing the passage Wednesday, McKay said.

Although numerous smuggling tunnels have been found on the U.S.-Mexican border, this was the first discovered along the border with Canada, he said.

Canadian authorities learned of the tunnel in February and alerted U.S. officials.

Pat Fogarty, a law enforcement official in British Columbia, said Canadian border guards "saw dirt going out and construction materials going in. They thought it was something we should check out."

On July 2, U.S. agents entered the home on the American side to examine the passageway. They later installed cameras and listening devices in the home.

"We were in there before it was completed. There was not a day they did anything that we weren't assessing them," said Greg Gassett, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

Francis Devandra Raj, 30; Timothy Woo, 34; and Jonathan Valenzuela, 27, of Surrey, British Columbia, were arrested Wednesday. They were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute marijuana.

The three appeared in court Thursday to hear the charges against them but did not enter pleas.

Raj owns the property under the hut. Woo was a fugitive in a 1999 marijuana case in Seattle, authorities said.

On July 16, two other people were arrested separately in Washington state for transporting marijuana that had come through the tunnel, Gassett said.

One was a woman who had 93 pounds of marijuana in her vehicle when she was stopped, authorities said. The other was a man pulled over with 110 pounds of the drug.

it's nice to see that we have extra money spend 4-6 weeks investigating those dangerous weed dealers while our troops rumage through junk yards in iraq for armor for thier humvee's..that should have come armor equiped to begin with.... i bet if lord bush's daughters were in iraq that thier humvee's would have all the protection that they needed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ezjim

it's nice to see that we have extra money spend 4-6 weeks investigating those dangerous weed dealers while our troops rumage through junk yards in iraq for armor for thier humvee's..that should have come armor equiped to begin with.... i bet if lord bush's daughters were in iraq that thier humvee's would have all the protection that they needed

---

Howdy ezjim,

Well..it didn't take long for someone to jump in and try to twist this thread to something else ! lol

You see,unlike the UN,and because of 9/11/01,we decide to act quickly,to preserve and protect,our national security..we didn't have time to retrofit every humvee..dilly-dallying around,while folks die by the thousands..is the UN's forte..we chose to act in the best interest of our national security,rather than risk it,by waiting on other countries to figure out how to respond to 9/11/01.

Your certainly welcome,to come on down to the politics forum,and hash this out some more.:)

As for this story,I posted it to highlight how dumb it was to be removing dirt and hauling in construction materials,in front of the border guards..they should have utilized counter-surveillance gear and been more careful. Which brings me to my pet peave about dealers,and that is that they often don't spend a dime of their profits on counter-surveillance gear. Dang ! At least git an outdoor security cam and a body-wire detector ! Git one of them 5.8 ghz phones with scrambling technology..and don't use cell phones or anything less than 2.4 ghz..the poor police departments,usually can't afford the scanners over 900 mhz and rely on federal funds and task forces to provide the fancy high-frequency scanners.

Have a good one....

point well taken dude they wernt very bright in thier decisions on setting things up and certainley should have did a couple dry runs first to see if they were being watched .. if you are going to invest that kind of time and money into a idea like this you should at least check it out to see if it works ....im just disapointed that weed starved americans will never get a chance to sample all the goodies that could have been brought through the tunnel to our empty bongs and pipes ...but i still think wasting money going after a bunch of weed sellers is not a good idea when we have more important things going on sorry if i got off topic in my first post

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ezjim

point well taken dude they wernt very bright in thier decisions on setting things up and certainley should have did a couple dry runs first to see if they were being watched .. if you are going to invest that kind of time and money into a idea like this you should at least check it out to see if it works ....im just disapointed that weed starved americans will never get a chance to sample all the goodies that could have been brought through the tunnel to our empty bongs and pipes ...but i still think wasting money going after a bunch of weed sellers is not a good idea when we have more important things going on sorry if i got off topic in my first post

---

Howdy ezjim,

Everything's cool man..no problemo's:)

I'm glad that you agree about the counter-security..heck,even I have a security cam,aimed at my front door and driveway..it's just one of them cheapo X-10 cameras,but everyone that sees it in operation,wants something like it too. I have a tv with picture-n-picture function,so with a vcr hooked up as the second tuner,I can sit on my couch and watch tv and the front door,at the same time..it's great for us old stoners who can't be gittin up and running to the window..everytime we hear a noise..lol Saves alot of wear and tear,on the old back..I tell you what ! lol

Have a good one !

how the fuck could you build a tunnel that big unnoticed?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Torog

Howdy ezjim,

Everything's cool man..no problemo's:)

I'm glad that you agree about the counter-security..heck,even I have a security cam,aimed at my front door and driveway..it's just one of them cheapo X-10 cameras,but everyone that sees it in operation,wants something like it too. I have a tv with picture-n-picture function,so with a vcr hooked up as the second tuner,I can sit on my couch and watch tv and the front door,at the same time..it's great for us old stoners who can't be gittin up and running to the window..everytime we hear a noise..lol Saves alot of wear and tear,on the old back..I tell you what ! lol

Have a good one !

---

im more of a doggy type security person... nothin beats 3-4 hungry dogs in the yard to keep unwanted visitors away from the doors... i still want to see a episode of cops were the narcs kick in a door only to have thier nads gnawed off by a hungry pack of rottys.... but hell if ya can afford the new techy stuff thats cool to... have a good weekend bro

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xNoa

how the fuck could you build a tunnel that big unnoticed?

---

its done on the southern boarder all the time but they mostly bring coke and dope through those tunnels.... so they go unmolested by the authoritys ..unless they pay for protection ...those dangerous drug tunnels up north are bringing in marijuana ..which we all know can cuase white women to run off with jazz musicians and will make men sterile and corrupt the young clean cut youth of america .it wont be long before those dangerous weed smugglers are raping and killing mom's making apple pie's

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ezjim

im more of a doggy type security person... nothin beats 3-4 hungry dogs in the yard to keep unwanted visitors away from the doors... i still want to see a episode of cops were the narcs kick in a door only to have thier nads gnawed off by a hungry pack of rottys.... but hell if ya can afford the new techy stuff thats cool to... have a good weekend bro

---

Howdy ezjim,

Well..I rent and don't have a way to keep a good dog,but I agree with you,having a good dog is a basic layer of security,that I would include if I could. Heck..I'd pay to see an episode of Cops,like the one you envision...lol,not so much to see anyone git hurt..but to see the cops runnin back out again..in a full-blown scamper..would be somewhat entertaining..lol.:)

Yup..I'm too broke to pay attention,so I can't afford the tech stuff,I came into a little dab of money,when I got my cam..but I know for a fact,that there are many stoners here,who are somewhat affluent and could afford an extra layer of security..but don't bother to even think about security,much less invest in any.

Have a good one ....

yea that landlord thing with pets is a bitch ..i guess you cant blame a landlord for not wanting pets when past residents didnt take nesacary steps to protect the property from pet related damege ...although ive seen people do far worse things to rental proerty than a dog ever could ..im not sure [ i move around a lot] but think it was tuscon AZ. that almost 1/2 of all rental adds in the classifieds said pets welcome ...it's nice to know that there are still a few places left where dog lovers are welcome with open arms ..

that was a cool story...
a tunnel?
hmmm
i bet alot of weed got transported through there before it was closed down :-)

Thanks Bush for not having the balls to stand up for tolerance for the very substances you admit you yourself tried (and presumably you did not experience the life-destroying effects your government propagandizes as undeniable truth).

How many more victims of the War on Drugs and Personal Freedom will there be?

lol yall are halarious, you can blame ANYTHING on bush, BUSH dosent DO anything except read speaches somone else wrote and meet other figure heads, dont get pissed at bush, he didnt walk up to that shack and say "close down these potheads" and he didnt call some generals and just decided "Im Bush so you dont get armor for your humvees" shit, the soldiers enlisted voluntarily, they KNOW the risks that go with war, Bush didnt show up at their door and make them join, just about every one over there now is there cuz they wanted to fight for our country, fighting leads to dying, why be shocked when thousands die...ITS WAR thats what HAPPENS

yeah thats true we have to blame it from all the way back not just this current administration because as we all know all governments are lying sacks of shit that dont care about anything less than theirs ideals to always be on top of the hill and of course to get your way up there is to lie to the beleiving citizen. us americans havent been getting no more from our politicians than their usual horseshit for a reasonable amount of time , but i still have hopes that this will change.. it has to eventually

I saw that tunnel bust on the tv news lastnight..
I was impressed.
Still they shoulda known they were being watched though..

yea icky told me about that story...hey torog can you say howdy to me i want to feel special ;)

Well, Bush could easily pardon the people charged. He could demand that drug addiction be treated as a public health problem and not a criminal problem, and demand responsible research into the subject which does not start out with the premise that all drug use is bad. He could even relate it to his own experiences with addiction. I bet some of his sheep would listen to him. The fact that he doesn't is him supporting the status quo regarding drug laws. But chris420 is right, it isn't just Bush that's to blame. It would have been Kerry too, and it's all the administrations back to 1937 when our politicians started spewing this particular brand of bullshit.

Bush has a lot of power and influence but unfortunately he uses it to support the status quo. If he didn't, he wouldn't even have been a presidential candidate. The two parties dominating American politics couldn't possibly have their image tarnished by a candidate who actually proposes significant change to the status quo. Our leaders will not rock the boat too much. Fundamentally, they only care about two things: power and the almighty dollar. By proposing changes to drug laws, they lose their support from the Repubicrats and probably most of their funding (and you can't run a successful campaign to gain significant political power in this country unless you're rich). They don't care about public health, about murderers and rapists being released from prison to make room for pot smokers, or about people's rights to do what they want with their own body so long as they don't harm anyone else. We have to face the fact that our leaders aren't going to change things for us. We have to enact change ourselves.

well criminals arent normally too intelligent. if they are stupid enough to make a tunnel by the border, they are stupid enough to get caught. just the idea of putting a tunnel by the border is ludicrous. look at all the security around the border. there is alot more people trying to stop the drugs and are against it than there is people that are for a tunnel going under the border. expecially after 911, the security is alot tighter and it makes it twice as hard. its not the thought of just weed that they care about. they could be transporting anything that the border would try to stop. possibly weapons or other drugs that are worse than weed (wait,is weed a drug?) even though its not very likely, its still possible. i dont know why you would try to sell large quantities of weed if the penalty is worse than the upside. by large amounts i mean like 200 lbs of weed.

They should have went Deeper and longer and deffenetly Not Had the Exit In the Middle Of a household Loung room....lol...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rastabill89

yea icky told me about that story...hey torog can you say howdy to me i want to feel special ;)

---

Howdy rasta,

It's my pleasure..to say Howdy ! :D Now you should know..that you don't need me to make ya feel special..cuz you are special in yer own right ! I wish only the best--for you and your's !

Have a good one !!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Torog

Howdy rasta,

It's my pleasure..to say Howdy ! :D Now you should know..that you don't need me to make ya feel special..cuz you are special in yer own right ! I wish only the best--for you and your's !

Have a good one !!

---

lol thx man and howdy back to you!!

You know what is really funny about this?

Lynden Washington is this town run by Really religious conservatives.
The whole town is run by one church group. There is no music allowed after 10 PM and absolutely NO dancing allowed. They wear wooden shoes too.
We were going to move there, but when we went to look it was like a scene from Pleasantville...then I read the city rules and headed for BC, fast ...lol


They even fine you if you don't have your lawn just right. You will see guys out with scissors pruning. My husband worked with some Lyndenites, they are all Dutch and if a person of color tries to move to their town they will give them such a hard time they leave.

So keeping all that in mind....this is pretty funny. :D :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BlueCat

You know what is really funny about this?

Lynden Washington is this town run by Really religious conservatives.
The whole town is run by one church group. There is no music allowed after 10 PM and absolutely NO dancing allowed. They wear wooden shoes too.
We were going to move there, but when we went to look it was like a scene from Pleasantville...then I read the city rules and headed for BC, fast ...lol


They even fine you if you don't have your lawn just right. You will see guys out with scissors pruning. My husband worked with some Lyndenites, they are all Dutch and if a person of color tries to move to their town they will give them such a hard time they leave.

So keeping all that in mind....this is pretty funny. :D :D

---

it sounds like salt lake city .. i wish they would stop giving tax exempt status to these religous wingnuts ..if the M.F's had to work for a living they would have less time to complain about the evils of dancing and holding hands in public

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ezjim

its done on the southern boarder all the time but they mostly bring coke and dope through those tunnels.... so they go unmolested by the authoritys ..unless they pay for protection ...those dangerous drug tunnels up north are bringing in marijuana ..which we all know can cuase white women to run off with jazz musicians and will make men sterile and corrupt the young clean cut youth of america .it wont be long before those dangerous weed smugglers are raping and killing mom's making apple pie's

---

you forgot
it makes guys grow tits too
hey just think few more years i will have boobs of my own to play with
will it be the same?
tune in next time and see if nowhereman enjoys his new mammaries

the drug czar is a fucking lying asswhipe

they make up the dumest shit to fool people and it works

amazing that they got that dug though and id bet not one bag got thru
that must of sucked to walk out and find a fed,with a gun smiling,saying drop the duffel bag and ect ect......

if they would legalize it, it wouldnt have that value worth smuggling
we could all enjoy it at a fiar price, and nice quality
and they can look for bombs not dope at the border
peace

it wont be long before those dangerous weed smugglers are raping and killing mom's making apple pie's.....


If they would stop FILLING THE PRISONS with weed smokers they might have room for those CHILD MOLESTING MURDERERS THEY KEEP TURNING LOOSE!

I live about 30-40 mins away from the canadian border in washington. :( Tiz sad indeed. Was very killer weed