HIDALGO - Smugglers are using the Valley's underground drainage network to get their cargo into the United States.
"We know for sure that at least for the last five or six years, our storm drain systems have been used for smuggling, people, drugs, and God knows what else," says Hidalgo Police Chief Vernon Rosser.
Just last week, marijuana was found in one of the drains. The border fence likely increased the traffic below.
"You'd never think about your storm drains as a tunnel," explains Rossner. "Now it's been one of their expressways to get their contraband from the river and onto city streets and the residential area."
His officers have no way of telling when the underground smugglers will strike.
Dora Olivarez says she's afraid. She's seen and heard what's happening first hand. She tells us she heard someone lift the manhole cover lift and throw it.
"It's dangerous. I know what they're doing," she adds.
Rosser says he believes this network makes the whole country vulnerable.
"If they can take big packages of narcotics plus a person, they might also bring explosives, contaminant materials. There could be a lot of things," he explains. "Some people are dead set on causing damage to the municipalities of the United States."
CHANNEL 5 NEWS retraced steps criminals take in the underground drainage.
We took a small boat up river. A heavily armed officer onboard kept watch. Through the heavy brush, we found an inlet. We went inside and started the trek north.
We crawled through the first stretch of the storm drain under the streets of Hidalgo. It's dark, musty, and hot. Flying bats are an added challenge.
We found out smugglers use dollies to wheel the drugs through the cramped spaces.
We made it passed the border wall to 23rd Street. From there, it's only a few more yards to the first exit into the streets of Hidalgo.
Firefighters make the exit easy for us with a ladder. We're told smugglers bring their own.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS learned the manhole cover isn't an obstacle for smugglers.
"What they'll do is put this pole on top of the jack and center it around the manhole cover. Then they'll jack up the pole until they can pop that manhole cover off," explains Captain Robert Vela of the Hidalgo Police Department.
After that, it's just a matter of climbing up the ladder. The smugglers' cargo is then loaded into a waiting pick up truck nearby.
We're told the smuggling doesn't just happen in the middle of the night. It takes place in the early morning hours and sometimes in broad daylight.
For now, the city is working to take back its streets. Workers are welding a manhole cover shut. However, they know it won't last.
"They pop the whole thing out. So now we're going in and putting heavy concrete all the way around. We're going to be using different types of lids," Rosser explains.
Olivares says knowing the manhole in front of her home is sealed will help her sleep soundly.
While the city is working hard, they still don't know when the locking manhole covers will all be in place. Other Valley cities, including Progreso and Pharr, are fighting the same battle.
They're looking for ways to take back their streets and stop the traffic along the smugglers' expressway.
