May 15 (UPI) -- Mexican authorities discovered a 45-foot-long tunnel that connects a state jail to a wooden house near the U.S. border.
Authorities found the tunnel, which was 16 feet deep and 4 feet wide, Saturday in Reynosa in Tamaulipas state, about 15 miles from the border with McAllen, Texas, according to EL Blog del Narco, a Spanish publication.
Video posted on YouTube shows authorities tossing bricks to get a look inside the tunnel.
Authorities used geothermal energy, which detects activities underground, and moved bricks aside to find the hole in the ground.
Afterward, authorities found alcohol, drugs and sharp objects inside the prison, WRGV-TV reported. Four inmates were taken to another facility.
El Blog del Narco reported officials were investigating whether any more holes were dug near the prison.
On March 23, 29 inmates escaped via a tunnel from a prison in the Tamaulipas state's capital of Ciudad Victoria. The tunnel was 15 feet deep and 120 feet long.
The notorious cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escaped from lockup facilities multiple times, including via a tunnel in 2015, before he was ultimately extradited to the United States. His trial is set for April 2018.
