..........Special to The Arizdna Daily Star me St. leads under the street
9 unavailable yesterday. Records from the Santa Cruz Linty Assessor's Office list Arnold ~rales of Tucson as the owner of ~ 160 W Loma home, and Cesar I Martha Ochoa of Nogales as ners of the 170 W Loma house. Attempts to speak with the hoas were unsuccessful, but irales, owner of the Tucson-based rnor Investment Co., said he leves he still owns the mortgage the 160 W Loma house. But Morales said another man whose name he didn't know been handling ownership duties about two years. "I own about 20 properties," ~rales said. "I don't know what ppened to that one." When asked if he knew anything Dut a drug tunnel, Morales was parently so shocked he hung up ~ phone. He immediately called ck. "I don't know anything about 'Morales said. "I'm checking with r attorney. I don't think I need e, but I'm checking." Morales said he didn't feel comtable commenting further witht first consulting his attorneys. Lt. Raul Rodriguez, commander the metro task force, said investitors will likely pursue the paper A now, using some of the documts uncovered at the house as dl as public records. But frequently there are straw rchasers and front men involved drug-related properties, Kiriguez said. The investigators believe the nnel was ordered by a major drugLfficking organization based in )gales, Sonora. But they declined name the organization. 'We have leads, and we know io are the players," Rodriguez
Arizona Daibi Star repayter znna MiRer contributed to this Yry.
tually undetected,-,Molesa said. The border is We reason the tunnels exist, and the ability to operate with virtual impunity on the Mexican side makes it feasible to build and,use tunnels to move drug shipments, Molesa said. The tunnel found Thursday connecting a Nogales, Ariz., home to the Nogales Wash is a couple of blocks north of another Nogales residence where two similar tunnels were found. One led to the wash, and another to the crawl space beneath a local church. All three tunnels were unlined and appeared to have been dug using hand tools. Law-enforcement officials know that Nogales Wash, which is covered its first few blocks north of the U.S.-Mexican border, is a popular way to sneak across. Rob Daniels, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman, said the Nogales statiom, always - has an agent working where the wash opens up. Health concerns mean agents do not usually enter the covered wash itself - and when they do, they're in hazardousmaterial suits. A cross-border drug tunnel discovered in Douglas in 1990 remains the most sophisticated found to date. The cement-lined tunnel 30 feet below the surface linked an Agua Prieta, Sonora, townhouse with a Douglas warehouse nearly 300 feet to the northeast. The shaft leading down to tunnel on the Mexican side was concealed by a pool table mounted on a hydraulic lift. Still another drug tunnel was discovered in Naco this May.
regarcRess ot We levet ol exper-, tise, they're motivated obviously, by the profits that can be made,", said Molesa. In the cases seen so far, the tunnel operators appear to be independent contractors who per-, form a service for a fee, he said. Those fees are generally high,' which makes tunnels most feasible for traffickers in high-dollar products like cocaine and heroin or drug money headed south. The builders are able to hire workers to excavate the tunnels and conceal the operation inside buildings or behind high-walled yards. They dispose of the dirt that comes out of the tunnel by remov-' ing it and dispersing it around town in small amounts. Saavedra said tunnel construction along the Arizona-Mexico border may even be aided by the availability of people with expert' tise, ilk ft1i10R91_`*__ sorw - I . - '' '' 4, 7 ' n* wotdd certainly ~'ave b:ehn rnetce:~' sary in the construction of the Douglas drug tunnel. Although tunnels are an effeca, tive means of smuggling drugsi both Saavedra and Molesa believd it is much easier and cheaper fot smugglers to pay someone to drive or carry a load into th4 United States. There's one other handicaps Molesa said: Word of a tunne inevitably leaks out. And when it does, a tunnel operation can be hard to move or even conceal. : "It's like that song 'Smuggler'4 Blues.' 'Somebody squeals,' yoil never know how you're going to get turned in. It could be a rumoi that a . driver heard; that's hoi~ investigations begin," he said.
CROSS-BORDER TUNNEL DISCOVERIES May 25, 1999: A cross-border tunnel in Naco is discovered. It links a trailer on the U.S. side to homes in Naco, Sonora. Jan. 19, 1999: Two tunnels are found in Nogales, Ariz. One connects a house to Nogales Wash, allowing drug traffickers to cross the border undetected. Another, longer tunnel connects an apartment next to the house to a crawl space beneath Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Its purpose remains unclear. 1995: A 200-yard tunnel runs from a Nogales, Ariz., Methodist*,' church into Mexico. It had been shut down before it was discovered. 19": Probably the most famous tunnel is discovered running from a luxury home in Agua Prieta, Sonora, to a storeroom under a; Douglas cement warehouse. It's 200 feet long, 30 feet wide and concrete-lined.
lurmAn e-VANAM"d
All I'Art; AV Q was unavailable yesterday.
Records from the Santa Cruz County Assessor's Office list Arnold Morales of Tucson as the owner of the 160 W. Loma home, and Cesar and Martha Ochoa of Nogales as owners of the 170 W. Loma house.
Attempts to speak with the Ochoas were unsuccessful, but Morales, owner of the Tucson-based Armor Investment Co., said he believes he still owns the mortgage for the 160 W. Loma house.
But Morales said another man whose name he didn't know has been handling ownership duties for about two years.
I own about 20 properties," Morales said. "I don't know what happened to that one."
When asked if he knew anything about a drug tunnel, Morales was apparently so shocked he hung up the phone. He immediately called back.
"I don't know anything about it," Morales said. "I'm checking with my attorney. I don't think I need one, but I'm checking."
Morales said he didn't feel comfortable commenting further with out first consulting his attorneys.
Lt. Raul Rodriguez, commander of the metro task force, said investigators will likely pursue the paper trail now, using some of the documents uncovered at the house as well as public records.
But frequently there are straw purchasers and front men involved in drug-related properties, Rodriguez said.
The investigators believe the tunnel was ordered by a major drugtrafficking organization based in Nogales, Sonora. But they declined to name the organization.
"We have leads, and we know who are the players," Rodriguez said.
Arizona Daily Star reporter Hanna Miller contributed to this story,