Tijuana authorities discovered a drug-smuggling tunnel stretching such a vast distance that they almost ran out of oxygen supplies trying to reach the other end.
Acting on an anonymous tip, Mexican authorities in Tijuana launched a raid but didn't anticipate the challenges of going down the alleged drug tunnel. Leopoldo Tizoc Aguilar Durán, Baja California's Secretary of Public Safety, stated his team is currently acquiring oxygen tanks to complete their investigation.
Aguilar confirmed the newly discovered tunnel connects to a tunnel previously identified two years ago, which extends into U.S. territory.
Massive Drug Tunnel Unearthed In Tijuana
"North American authorities are already aware and obviously a binational investigation is underway to see where it ends," Aguilar said. Previous tunnel discoveries in the area, including one potentially connected according to Aguilar, offer clues about this latest find.
Notably, a tunnel unearthed two years ago showed signs of a sophisticated operation: it stretched the length of six football fields, incorporated a rail system for transport, ventilation for air circulation, electrical wiring, and reinforced walls for structural integrity.
Specifically, this prior tunnel measured a third of a mile long, four feet in diameter, and plunged six stories deep. The tunnel originated in Tijuana and culminated at a warehouse within an industrial zone near San Diego's Otay Mesa border crossing.
Authorities apprehended six individuals residing in Southern California at this location, charging them with conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
The types of drugs trafficked through tunnels may be undergoing a shift. In the past, authorities frequently discovered multi-ton loads of marijuana. This trend might indicate a move towards smuggling different narcotics.
Shift In Drug Smuggling Tactics On The California Border
Due to their compact size and lack of odour, hard drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl are often smuggled through official checkpoints along the Mexico-US border. However, tunnels allow smugglers to transport massive quantities at high speeds.
The tunnel's U.S. exit point was a seemingly unremarkable warehouse named "Amistad Park," situated on a bustling industrial street teeming with large semi-trailers by day but eerily quiet at night. On Monday, armed guards stood sentinel over a small, ladder-equipped shaft leading down into the tunnel's depths.
Following surveillance on a residence recently used for drug storage, authorities initiated traffic stops on vehicles linked to the location and a nearby border warehouse. This yielded discoveries of boxes brimming with cocaine, as detailed in a federal criminal complaint filed in San Diego.
Subsequent raids on both properties revealed no further drugs at the warehouse but a hidden tunnel entrance carved into the concrete floor. Since 2006, authorities have uncovered 15 sophisticated tunnels along the California-Mexico border.
In 2016, for instance, U.S. authorities found a half-mile tunnel stretching from San Diego to Tijuana that was used to traffic drugs across the Mexican border.
Unlike the extensive tunnel, a separate discovery in Tijuana during 2023 reached only 20 meters in length and 30 meters in depth. Due to its limited size, authorities could not determine whether it aimed for a direct connection to the U.S. or served as a potential link within a larger network.
Since 2006, authorities have discovered nearly 20 tunnels along the California-Mexico border, with last week's discovery marking the first of 2024, according to CBS News. Authorities still need to confirm the purpose of this specific tunnel.
Following federal protocol, U.S. officials will fill the American entry point with concrete once the investigation concludes. In 2016, a major drug bust occurred following the discovery of an extensive tunnel stretching over half a mile beneath the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorities seized more than a ton of cocaine and a staggering seven tons of marijuana.
