Smuggling tunnel discovered between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico

A smuggling tunnel connecting the border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, has been discovered in a joint operation involving U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies, officials said.

The man-made tunnel, believed to have been used by smugglers, was reported to have been found at the border wall on Friday, according to KFOX, citing a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The tunnel is located parallel to Loop 375 in El Paso and near a prominent monument in Ciudad Juarez.

The discovery was made during an operation involving agents from CBP, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the El Paso Police Department, Homeland Security, and the FBI on the U.S. side, as well as agents from the Mexican National Guard and Chihuahua State Police on the Mexican side.

According to El Diario de Juarez, the tunnel may have been used to smuggle migrants into the U.S. by a regional Juarez cartel known as “La Linea.” While, Netnoticias reports that the operation may have been linked to a missing person investigation or that migrants began digging a tunnel that they connected to the El Paso water and sewage system.

At this time, there is no official confirmation regarding what led authorities to the tunnel or what has been discovered inside.