Amazing China-Hong Kong Smuggling Tunnel May Have Cost $500,000 To Build

Smugglers from China's Guangdong province and Hong Kong have been getting inventive recently.

Just this week a nearly-complete tunnel was discovered that began in a parking lot in Shenzhen, Guangdong and stretched for almost 130 feet under a river to Hong Kong.

The BBC reports that the tunnel was discovered after residents complained of drilling noises that they assumed were part of a renovation project.

When authorities investigated, however, they discovered a smuggling tunnel complete with walls and lighting.

Authorities estimate that the tunnel cost $500,000 to build. That's a huge figure, but the smugglers apparently believed they could get a good return on investment by smuggling goods under the Hong Kong border and avoiding tariffs and taxes.

Unfortunately for them, their plan never saw the light of day: The tunnel was still 65 feet shy of its believed destination when it was discovered. Police have reportedly taken one person into custody.

Amazingly, this isn't an isolated incident.

"This year we found that smugglers really like to use underground passages and sky ropes to smuggle such goods," Mo Shu, inspection head of the sixth branch of the Frontier Defense Corps of Guangdong province, told China Daily.