Authorities uncovered a complex drug-smuggling tunnel with a rail system and electricity along the US-Mexico border in California.
According to federal officials, the one-third-mile-long tunnel connected Tijuana to a warehouse near San Diego’s Otay Mesa border.
The tunnel is reportedly 61 feet deep and 4 feet wide, with ventilation systems and reinforced walls.
The bust resulted in the recovery of 1,762 pounds of cocaine, 164 pounds of meth, and 3.5 pounds of heroin.
Authorities charged six suspects with cocaine trafficking, two of whom were also charged with meth and heroin trafficking.
After pulling over vehicles seen coming and going from home and the warehouse, authorities discovered the tunnel. Prosecutors say boxes of drugs were found during the traffic stops.
According to federal prosecutors, when authorities stormed the facility, they found no other drugs, but they did see a tunnel hole drilled into the cement floor.
“There is no more light at the end of this narco-tunnel,” said US attorney Randy Grossman. “We will take down every subterranean smuggling route we find to keep illicit drugs from reaching our streets and destroying our families and communities.”
It’s unclear how long the route has been utilized, but drug dealers frequently use tunnels to transfer contraband.
Homeland Securities Investigations San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz said in a statement, “The San Diego law enforcement community throughout the years has consistently shown its ability to detect and remediate tunnels while bringing those responsible to justice.”
The US announced in January 2020 that it had uncovered the world’s longest known drug tunnel, which ran three-quarters of a mile between Tijuana and San Diego. According to US Customs and Border Protection, the tunnel contained a rail system and an elevator.
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