Secret Tunnel Built To Smuggle Drugs Into U.S. Shut Down By Border Patrol

U.S. Border Patrol agents found and shut down a massive tunnel linking Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego, California, built to unlawfully smuggle narcotics into the United States.

The tunnel spanned nearly 3,000 feet, extending more than 1,000 feet into the United States, with a projected exit point near a warehouse in San Diego, California. It featured a sophisticated ventilation system, electrical wiring, lighting, and a rail track for transporting drugs. In February, the Trump administration designated six Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

“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,” said Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, the Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector. “Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives.”

Federal authorities first discovered the tunnel while it was under construction in April, sending the San Diego Border Patrol Sector Tunnel Team in to investigate the project. Those agents, Border Patrol says, encountered various barricades that “were placed haphazardly by the tunnel workers” in an effort to prevent law enforcement from investigating the passageway into America.

Mexican authorities also investigated the tunnel and discovered the origin point in a residence in Tijuana.

“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.

The tunnel will now be filled with thousands of gallons of concrete to prevent it from being used by drug smugglers. Mexican cartels have carved tunnels into the United States for decades. Nearly 100 tunnels have been discovered and obstructed since 1993 in the San Diego area alone.

The detection of the tunnel comes as the Trump administration has drastically reduced the number of illegal border crossings and placed financial pressure on the cartels. The Treasury Department unveiled sanctions against five leaders of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion on Wednesday. The move came after the federal agency announced sanctions on leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel del Noreste.