U.S. Border Patrol agents have shut down a more than half-mile tunnel linking Tijuana to San Diego with the help of U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents and Mexican law enforcement. Authorities have discovered nearly 100 illicit tunnels in the San Diego area since 1993.
Federal officials said gangs used the tunnel — 50 feet deep and nearly 3,000 feet long — to smuggle drugs into the United States.
“As we continue to strengthen the nation’s air, and maritime border security, it’s not surprising that foreign terrorist organizations would resort to underground routes,” Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, acting chief Border Patrol agent in San Diego, said in a statement on Wednesday, June 18. “Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives.”
What authorities found
Authorities say the tunnel connects a home in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood of Tijuana, just blocks from the border, to a commercial warehouse in San Diego County. It was designed to accommodate large shipments of contraband.
The tunnel is 42 inches high and 28 inches wide, complete with lighting, ventilation and a track system to move cargo, according to law enforcement.
Initial discovery
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that since 1993, more than 95 underground tunnels have been discovered and shut down by authorities.
Border Patrol agents initially discovered the tunnel in April when it was still under construction. More than 1,000 feet of the tunnel is in the United States, but agents did not find its point of origin until this week.
Workers had placed barricades to obstruct law enforcement efforts.
Eventually, Mexican federal agents and state law enforcement officers from California accessed the tunnel after executing a search warrant that cited “crimes against national health,” according to a social media post from Omar Hamid Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of security and civilian protection.
The Border Patrol stated the main access point to the tunnel in Tijuana had been hidden in a house under a recently placed tile.
Drugs found inside tunnel
Mexico’s Security Cabinet also announced the seizure of a package filled with methamphetamine inside the tunnel on Thursday, June 19.
“I’m grateful for the exceptional work of the tunnel team agents who placed themselves in danger, as well as the cooperation of our Mexican law enforcement partners,” Stalnaker said.
Officials plan to pour thousands of gallons of concrete into the tunnel to permanently shut down the illegal drug operations.
Similar discoveries
Authorities discovered a similar tunnel in 2022 under Otay Mesa, a community in San Diego County just north of the border. That tunnel was about 1,750 feet long, 60 feet deep and 4 feet wide.
The tunnel featured reinforced walls and a rail system. Federal prosecutors charged six individuals connected to the operation with conspiring to distribute nearly a ton of cocaine.
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Author: Alan Judd
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