Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 16

U.S., Canadians Find First-Ever Northern Border Drug Tunnel

SEATTLE, Wash.—Three men are under arrest and a lengthy investigation is continuing into a sophisticated tunnel running from British Columbia, Canada, into Washington.

Although tunnels have been found at the southern border of the United States, this is the first tunnel ever discovered between Canada and the United States. The tunnel is approximately 360 feet long and runs at a depth of between three and 10 feet. It is reinforced with iron rebar and 2x6-inch wood supports. Both Canadian and American law enforcement have been monitoring the construction of the tunnel since it was first discovered by Canadian authorities in February 2005.

Frances Raj, 30; Timothy Woo, 34; and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27; all of Surrey, B.C., Canada, were charged July 21 in U.S. District Court in Seattle with conspiracy to distribute and import marijuana. Raj owns the property on the Canadian side of the border where the entrance to the tunnel is hidden under a Quonset hut. On the American side, the tunnel terminates beneath the living room floor of a home located in Lynden, Wash. Construction of the tunnel was completed in early July 2005. Using a search warrant, agents entered the home July 2 to examine the tunnel. Shortly thereafter, a U.S. District Court judge authorized the installation of cameras and listening devices in the home to monitor activities.

Agents from various law enforcement authorities, including the DEA and ICE, observed multiple trips by the three men through the tunnel carrying large hockey bags or garbage bags. The bags were driven south for delivery. In one instance, the bags were loaded into an SUV and delivered to a woman with a small child at a shopping mall. The Washington State Patrol stopped her car and found it loaded with 93 pounds of marijuana.

“The security of our borders remains paramount to the success of both countries to protect our citizens against those who would harm us,” said Leigh Winchell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Seattle ICE Office of Investigations. “ICE remains committed to working with all our partners on both sides of the border to ensure the freedoms that we and our neighbors to the north enjoy.”

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

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