Mexico finds smuggling tunnel into Arizona

MONTERREY, Mexico, Sep 20 (Reuters) Mexico has discovered a major smuggling tunnel linking a Mexican border town with Arizona after a tip off by the United States, Mexican authorities said.

The tunnel, which runs from a house in the town of San Luis Rio Colorado in Sonora state into Arizona, was uncovered yesterday when US Border Patrol agents noticed a sinking in the road on the US side, officials at the state attorney general's office told Mexican broadcaster Televisa.

''Our agents discovered a hole seven meters deep and two meters wide at the entrance to the tunnel,'' said Cecilia Loera, a senior official at the attorney general's office.

US officials have yet to locate the end of the tunnel, she added.

It was unclear if the tunnel was used for smuggling drugs or people across the US-Mexican border but so far no narcotics have been found.

More than 40 tunnels connecting towns in Mexico and the United States have been discovered by police since the September. 11, 2001, attacks. This was thought to be the first in San Luis Rio Colorado.

REUTERS SZ AS1054