Living in Texas can be a tricky thing. Because of the proximity to the Mexican border, we deal with a lot of illegal immigrants as well as many drug runs.

No, not everyone from Mexico is in the country illegally, but any drugs that come in are definitely illegal. It's no secret that certain areas of Mexico are known for drug trafficking and production.

El Paso is a Texas city, and it intertwines itself with the Mexico border. With the size of El Paso, it's easy to blend right in and be a major thoroughfare for drug smugglers. Now, that's not to say you can just drive a car across the border and get away with it.

Drug traffickers still have to find sneaky ways into the country, and one of those ways is via tunnel. These tunnels have been built for decades to move drugs, and they aren't always found.

Point in case? Officials recently discovered a huge tunnel leading into El Paso, and according to officials, the tunnel appears to have been constructed within the past year.

Officials said the man-made tunnel was approximately four feet wide and six feet tall. In other words, just big enough for people to move through it, but not SO big that it's obvious there's something there.

The tunnel did have a structure that was reinforced by wood beams, and it was complete with electrical and ventilation systems. This wasn't just a tunnel that they dug through. It was well planned and put together. The tunnel connected itself to El Paso's Boone Street storm drain system.

Well, that tunnel is now about to disappear as officials have begun the process of cutting it off.

How do they cut the tunnel off so it's unusable? Well for this project, they're using concrete to seal off the exit into the U.S. Now, that's not to say they couldn't find a way through the concrete, but it does mean there are now eyes on it.

Chances are another tunnel will end up being built and connect to a different portion of the city. I'm assuming the drug traffickers won't just throw their hands up in the air and say oh well.

Mexican Cartels in the Lone Star State

Cartels are a reality of life in Texas. With our proximity to the Mexico border, the presence of cartels and drug trafficking were inevitable.

But which cartels have staked out their claim in Texas? Take a look below.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark