Mexican law enforcement officials discovered a cross-border tunnel connecting Tijuana to the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego.
The operation was conducted Sunday on the Mexican side of the border. Federal agents discovered the tunnel, which is nearly three football fields long and includes lighting, ventilation, and a sliding mechanism connecting both sides of the border, according to Mexican authorities.
Mexican authorities say, with the help of security agencies, they carried out a search warrant in a Tijuana home for violation of federal law involving weapons, explosives, and health laws. Once authorities accessed the property, they found it was operating as a possible storage facility for the trafficking of weapons, explosives, and drugs. Authorities added that the tunnel possibly connects to a known San Diego street.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it is conducting a criminal investigation involving an underground tunnel in Otay Mesa, but did not confirm if a business on Roll Avenue is connected. Homeland Security Investigations said it is not providing additional details to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Right where I was standing, several agents could be seen in front of one of the storefronts in that area, which had been taped off.
Dr. Andres Sumano, a professor of public policy and expert in public policy, said these tunnels have been benefitting criminal organizations on both sides of the border since the 1990s.
"They are still using these types of tunnels, the baja-Cali region is still the epicenter of synthetic-drug trafficking," Sumano said.
Experts say, given the political climate, this is an important find since the U.S. government has been asking Mexico to crack down on drug trafficking.
This is not the first underground tunnel discovered in the area. In 2016, federal officials seized a drug smuggling tunnel not far from where federal agents were spotted carrying out the investigation Sunday. In 2022, an 1,800-foot-long drug tunnel connecting a home in Tijuana to a warehouse in San Diego was discovered, with an estimated $25 million in drugs seized. In 2020, $30 million worth of drugs were seized from a drug-smuggling tunnel connected to another Tijuana warehouse.
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