Claustrophobic? Exploring Underground Drug-Smuggling Passages Probably Not for You

Cross-border tunnel discovered by authorities this year.
Cross-border tunnel discovered by authorities this year.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Someone with claustrophobia should not work with Border Patrol’s Entry team, which explores underground drug-smuggling passages near the border with Mexico.

The Los Angele Times reports that prospective members of the team must prove they can handle tight spaces by wiggling through a two-foot wide pipe for about 20 yards.

“You know right off if it’s playing with someone’s mind,” said Lance LeNoir, who leads the five person squad. “It takes some psyching up, to say the least, to do the job.”

The job is getting more difficult because team members are finding longer and tighter underground passages.

The average tunnel of the past two years was 2,450 feet.

Leave a Reply