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“It was barely large enough to fit a 15-piece family bucket of chicken,” said Officer Duane Williams.
It could have easily been overlooked as just another deteriorating aspect of an dilapidated fast food restaurant, had local police not known better.
After all, this wasn’t just any vacant KFC but one in San Luis, Arizona, situated some 200 yards north of the border the United States shares with Mexico.
“From the old drive-through lane, you can see the fence separating San Luis from Mexico in your rear-view mirror,” said Williams.
Back on August 13th, local police had arrested the building’s owner, Ivan Lopez, during a routine traffic stop.
And according to the arresting officer, it was “pretty memorable.”
“It’s not everyday you catch an honest to God kingpin,” said Officer Sandra Jackson.
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OFFICER JACKSON SNARES A REAL DEAL KINGPIN
When San Luis Police Officer Sandra Jackson pulled over Ivan Lopez, 41, she knew to exercise caution.
From the registration tags on his license plate, she was able to run his arrest record on her dashboard computer.
“All this information is available to anyone with a internet connection, but he has priors for domestic assault, possession, and child support violations,” said Jackson. “I approached his vehicle with my service revolver drawn.”
After a search of Lopez’s person, the seasoned officer found a small amount of white powder she believed to be cocaine.
However, once she opened the trunk, Jackson discovered over a million dollars worth of illegal drugs.
But that was just the beginning of a long and twisted story of an unbelievable feat of underground construction…