At a depth of about 50 feet, a roughly half-mile-long tunnel connecting a home inside the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood with a commercial warehouse across the border in San Diego County has been uncovered by federal authorities.
U.S. and Mexican authorities say they believe the passage was dug to transport large-scale contraband.
The tunnel measured 42 inches in height, 28 inches in width and was equipped with electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation systems and a track system, according to authorities.
Whatever safe passage the tunnel offered ended Monday when Border Patrol agents shut down the construction site with the aid of Department of Homeland Security officials and Mexican authorities.
“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 patrol agent of the San Diego Sector, said in a statement. “Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives.”
Border Patrol agents from San Diego’s Tunnel Team discovered the tunnel in April as it was actively under construction but didn’t uncover the origin point until this week.
They mapped the tunnel and documented that it was 2,918 feet in length, which included more than 1,000 feet within the U.S.
The tunnel ran underneath the Otay Mesa border point and was believed to have exited at a commercial warehouse.
As agents attempted to discover the tunnel’s starting point, they encountered barricades placed by workers to inhibit law enforcement.
That entrance was eventually discovered in Nueva Tijuana, a neighborhood only a few blocks from the U.S. border.
Mexican federal and state authorities from Baja California executed a search warrant “for crimes against national health,” according to a post on X from Omar Hamid García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of Security and Civilian Protection.
The entrance to the tunnel had been hidden under recentlyn placed tile, according to the Border Patrol.
Mexico’s Security Cabinet confirmed that a package containing methamphetamine was seized inside the tunnel.
“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.
Contractors are expected to pour thousands of gallons of concrete into the tunnel, preventing its future usage.
In 2022, authorities discovered a similar tunnel under Otay Mesa that was roughly 1,750 feet long, 60 feet deep and 4 feet in diameter with reinforced walls and a rail system.
Six people were eventually charged with conspiracy to distribute nearly a ton of cocaine.
Since 1993, more than 95 tunnels have been found and decommissioned in the San Diego area, according to the Border Patrol.
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