The United States and Canada border thread

Zero Avenue Raid
Jul, 20 2005 - 8:00 PM

LANGLEY(CKNW/AM980) - Several arrests have been made in connection with the discovery of a drug tunnel under the border near 264th Street and Zero Avenue in Langley.

The US Attorney's office is expected to release more information in the morning.

A government source close to the investigation has told the Associated Press that the US Drug Enforcement Agency has been monitoring the tunnel during its construction for the past eight months and shut it down today, shortly after it was opened, seizing 200 pounds of BC bud in the process.

Callers to CKNW report seeing heavily armed police outside a nearby residence earlier in the day.

American media are reporting that the tunnel ran from a greenhouse on the Langley side to a home about 90 metres over the border on the Lynden, Washington side.

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Ah, it's just ehBeth sneaking across for something or other that she forgot the last time over here.

A little later on tonight, I will add a personal touch to this story, as this occurred in my general area.

More details on border tunnel
Jul, 21 2005 - 2:00 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - More information now on the drug tunnel linking BC and Washington state, and it's potential threat to security on both sides of the border.
That tunnel under Zero Avenue was designed to move BC bud to the States but American officials say the threat of the tunnel was real beyond drugs.

U-s district attorney John Mckay talks about people smuggling even including terrorists.

"But obviously the presence of a tunnel raises serious questions not only for the agencies here but for security on both sides of the border."

Canadian border security officials became aware of the underground activity way back in October 2003.

Law enforcement officials on both sides of the border waited until the tunnel was complete before moving in.

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SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Thursday, July 21, 2005 · Last updated 3:02 p.m. PT

Feds bust tunnel under U.S.-Canadian border

By GENE JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

LYNDEN, Wash. -- Federal agents have shut down a drug-smuggling tunnel built under the U.S.-Canadian border in northwestern Washington, the first such passageway found under the nation's northern border, federal officials said Thursday.

Five people were arrested in the case, U.S. Attorney John McKay told a news conference at this border town about 90 miles north of Seattle.

McKay said construction of the tunnel began about eight months ago and authorities had been monitoring it for six months. It was sealed shortly after it opened Wednesday.

Although numerous smuggling tunnels have been found on the U.S.-Mexican border, this was the first found from Canada, he said. It runs 360 feet from a quonset hut on the Canadian side and ends beneath the living room of a home on the on the U.S. side, 300 feet from the border.

Reinforced with lumber, concrete and iron rebar, the tunnel is roughly 4 feet wide and tall, and between 3 feet to 10 feet below ground. It was equipped with lights and ventilation, and burrows under a highway.

"They were smart enough to build a sophisticated tunnel, they weren't smart enough to not get caught," McKay said.

Arrested Wednesday were Francis Devandra Raj, 30; Timothy Woo, 34; and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27, all of Surrey, British Columbia. They were charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to import marijuana.

Raj owns the property where the tunnel was hidden beneath the quonset hut, authorities said. Woo was a fugitive in a 1999 marijuana case out of Seattle.

On July 16, two additional people were arrested in separate incidents for transporting marijuana that had come through the tunnel, said Greg Gassett, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent based in Seattle.

One was a Twin Falls, Idaho, woman who authorities say had 93 pounds of marijuana in her vehicle when she was stopped in Ellensburg. A Renton man pulled over by the Washington State Patrol in Enumclaw with 110 pounds of marijuana was also arrested.

Authorities are deciding on how to proceed with charges against the two, said McKay. Their names were not released.

Pat Fogarty, an inspector with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia, said Canadian Border Service Guards noticed suspicious activity at the hut in February and reported it to his team.

"They saw dirt going out and construction materials going in," Fogarty said. "They thought it was something we should check out, reported it to us and we went from there."

U.S. officials were alerted and began monitoring the tunnel.

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

On July 2, agents entered the home to examine the tunnel. They later installed cameras and listening devices in the home to monitor activities. Raj, Woo and Valenzuela were observed carrying large bags from the house and into a sport-utility vehicle with Utah plates. The vehicle was then delivered to the woman who was later stopped in Ellensburg.

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What a bummer.

The feds were on to them from the beginning and still watched these poor slobs laboring for 8 freakin' months before they arrested them.

That's just mean.

Your 'feds' were onto them because Canadian border security passed on the information to them. On this side, security was aware of the situation from October 2003, apparently.

Now, as a personal touch, I would just like to add this:

This incident occurred on one of my meter reading routes in the area that I work, which includes the Aldergrove (in Langley) Border Crossing. Just out of interest, I drove by the property this afternoon to confirm that it was the place that was vaguely reported in the news at the time, and it was.

I first started noticing unusual activity last year, when I came onto the property to read the meters one time. The "quonset hut" that was there, just east of the old greenhouse, used to be just an open shelter. Slowly it was closed in and, apparently, made into an autobody repair shop. People would come and go, but the front door was always kept closed, even in warm weather.

Other than that, the old greenhouse was in a terrible state of disrepair and had no activity. The front door was open, so I never had any problems reading the electric meter.

East of the hut, there was also a 2-story house, but had been vacant for some time. The name on the accounts was Francis Raj, who was one of the suspects arrested.

Fascinating, thanks. It is a wonder that the authorities didn't question you.

B.C. bud

<sigh>

that's the good stuff

"This bud's you for you, eh?"

I'm thinking that you probably wouldn't have wanted to be associated with the suspects. Since they were caught on the U.S. side, it sounds like they're going to do some hard time.

What surprised me with this story is the fact that this is the first tunnel that's ever been found by law enforcement officials along the U.S. - Canadian border. No doubt there are more that have not been discovered yet. I'm sure that higher vigilance will now occur, especially with terrorist concerns in the news on a regular basis.

No tunnel necessary in most spots ----just walk across.

Yes, you certainly can, as was the case with this incident. Or, at least you can try. I've seen the U.S. Border Patrol many times patrolling the area. At night time, they use night vision googles, too. Plus, there's the fact that there are cameras around and other security devices. So, it's not quite as innocent as it may look.

It occurred to me last night, as I was watching late news about this incident, that I'm probably on surveillance footage somewhere going on and off the Canadian property while going about my rounds every month. I suspect that it was being watched from the U.S. side of the border, as it would be hard to do this from the Canadian side.

Creepy....

I can see it now.
Newsflash.... Reyn seen on suspected property numerous times. The U.S. Customs and Immigration Department has contacted the FBI and the CIA in an effort to get the goods on this guy. He is a voracious reader and poster and he is going to slip sooner or later.

If they only knew what stories I could tell....

Maybe I should write a book when I'm retired? :wink:

You should have lots of time in the hoosgow ;-)

Reyn--

Shortly after 9/11 Homeland Security toyed with the idea of asking postal people, meter readers and delivery personnel to report anything unusual or out of place that they noticed in their daily rounds.

This notion was squashed.

I know in the mid-west many meth labs are busted with information received from people making their rural rounds.

What do you think about being eyes and ears for a government agency?

I know that this question was addressed directly to Reyn. I just have a question. Is it not the duty of every citizen, whether they are in a particular occupation or not, to be vigilant to what is going on in their neighbourhoods?