Mexican Army Finds Clandestine Smuggling Tunnel Under Arizona Border

(The Blaze/AP) – Mexico's army has uncovered a 755-foot (230-meter) clandestine tunnel running under the Sonora-Arizona border that was used to smuggle drugs into the United States.

(Related: Drug Cartels in America: Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Cell Busted in AZ)

The Yuma Sun reports the tunnel had been used for more than six months to smuggle drugs northbound and weapons and cash southbound, according to Gen. Raul Guereca Valenzuela, head of the local military station.

Mexico's defense secretariat says the tunnel linked a soon-to-be-opened ice and purified water business in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora to a business in San Luis, Arizona.

Guereca said Saturday that the tunnel was 4.25 feet (1.3 meters) high and reached a depth of almost 60 feet (18 meters) below ground. It had electricity, ventilation and small cars to transport the drugs through the tunnel.

Officials did not say which cartel they thought had built the tunnel. As U.S. authorities have tightened land crossings, tunnels have become a popular way for Mexico's cartels to smuggle drugs and people into the U.S.

The Yuma Sun reports the discovery was made possible due to binational coordination between authorities on both sides of the border. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, however, a truck with Baja, Calif. plates was reportedly seized.

News reports do not mention any human smuggling taking place, but it is likely the tunnel could have been used for that as well.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.