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,