Mexican and U.S. authorities uncovered a sophisticated underground drug tunnel stretching 2,918 feet from a home in Tijuana’s Nueva Tijuana neighborhood to a commercial area in San Diego County. The passageway, found about 50 feet underground, was equipped with an electronic rail system, ventilation and full lighting along its entire length.
Mexico’s FGR (Fiscalía General de la República, the federal Attorney General’s Office) and SEDENA (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, the military) conducted a joint raid on the Tijuana property after intelligence work confirmed the tunnel’s existence. U.S. Border Patrol agents from the San Diego Sector Tunnel Team also participated in the operation.
What Authorities Found Inside
The tunnel measured 265 meters (869 feet) on the Mexican side and extended more than 1,000 feet into U.S. territory. Its dimensions were approximately 42 inches high and 28 inches wide. An electronic sliding mechanism ran along the floor in both directions, designed for transporting large quantities of narcotics between countries.
At the Tijuana property, authorities seized ammunition of various calibers, suspected methamphetamine, marijuana, cellphones and documents. Officials determined the home may have served as a storage, logistics and trafficking center for weapons, explosives and illegal drugs.
Tunnel Ran Under Otay Mesa Port of Entry
The passageway ran beneath a portion of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, one of the busiest commercial border crossings in the San Diego area. Preliminary findings indicate the tunnel’s projected exit point was near or within a commercial warehouse in Otay Mesa, though authorities did not name the specific street.
As agents traced the tunnel’s origin, they encountered barricades placed by workers to block law enforcement. The entrance was eventually located in Nueva Tijuana, a residential neighborhood just a few blocks south of the U.S. border and State Route 905.
Tunnel Slated for Concrete Fill
The U.S. Border Patrol San Diego Sector Tunnel Team has scheduled the tunnel for immediate remediation. Contractors will pour thousands of gallons of concrete into the passageway to permanently seal it. No arrests have been publicly announced, and authorities have not identified which criminal organization built or operated the tunnel.
Since 1993, more than 95 tunnels have been found and decommissioned in the San Diego area alone. The Tijuana corridor remains the most active zone for cross-border tunnel construction in the western hemisphere.
The discovery was first reported by Jornada BC.