Federal investigators have discovered a half-mile tunnel that runs from a residence in the Nueva Tijuana area to a commercial warehouse in San Diego County, located at a depth of around 50 feet.
Authorities in the United States and Mexico say they think the route was dug to move significant amounts of illegal goods.
According to police, the tunnel was 42 inches high and 28 inches wide, with lights, ventilation, electrical wiring, and a track system installed.
With the assistance of Mexican authorities and Department of Homeland Security officials, Border Patrol agents closed the construction site on Monday, ending whatever safe passage the tunnel provided.
“It’s not surprising that foreign terrorist organizations would turn to underground routes as we continue to strengthen the nation’s air and maritime border security,” said Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego Sector, in a statement. In order to save American lives, drug smuggling tunnels must be disrupted.
Agents from the San Diego Tunnel Team of the Border Patrol found the tunnel in April when it was still being built, but they didn’t find its starting point until this week.
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Six individuals were charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 1,750 pounds of cocaine as a consequence of the investigation, according to U.S. federal authorities.
The tunnel was 2,918 feet long, including more than 1,000 feet inside the United States, according to their mapping.
The tunnel was thought to have ended at a commercial warehouse and traveled beneath the Otay Mesa border point.
Agents came uncovered barricades erected by workers to impede law enforcement as they sought to identify the tunnel’s origin.
The community of Nueva Tijuana, which is just a few blocks from the U.S. border, is where that access was eventually found.
According to a post on X by Mexico’s secretary of security and civilian protection, Omar Hamid Garc a Harfuch, federal and state authorities in Baja California executed a search warrant for offenses against national health.
The Border Patrol said that newly installed tile had concealed the tunnel’s entrance.
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One of the top commanders of the Sinaloa cartel, Jose Sanchez Villalobos, has already completed all but a few months of his sentence.
A methamphetamine-containing package was found within the tunnel, according to confirmation from Mexico’s Security Cabinet.
Stalnaker expressed gratitude for the collaboration of our Mexican law enforcement colleagues and the outstanding work of the Tunnel Team agents who risked their lives.
In order to block the tunnel’s future use, contractors are anticipated to pour thousands of gallons of concrete into it.
A similar tunnel, approximately 1,750 feet long, 60 feet deep, and 4 feet in diameter, with reinforced walls and a train system, was found by authorities beneath Otay Mesa in 2022.
Eventually, charges of conspiracy to distribute almost a ton of cocaine were brought against six individuals.
The Border Patrol has discovered and decommissioned over 95 tunnels in the San Diego region since 1993.
