Federal agents seized roughly one metric ton of cocaine, valued at over $45 million, after discovering a sophisticated tunnel running from a house in Tijuana’s Nueva Tijuana neighborhood to a Buy 4 Less discount store in Otay Mesa, San Diego. The bust, announced on June 1, marked the 100th drug tunnel found in the Southern District of California since 1993, and the first active tunnel discovered there since 2022.
Six-Month Surveillance Led to Arrests at Buy 4 Less in Otay Mesa
The investigation began in December 2025, when agents from HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) started watching the Buy 4 Less store on Otay Mesa Road. A new group of seven to eight workers had appeared at the shop, but the activity inside didn’t match a functioning retail business. Few customers entered or exited. Instead, workers hauled large suitcases out of the store, loaded them into vehicles, and sometimes walked them across the border into Mexico on foot.
On May 29, agents observed a man loading three large, heavy items into a van outside the store. Brandon Escalante Sandoval, 26, a Mexican national, was seen riding a bicycle nearby and scanning the area before climbing into the van. He parked it on Coolidge Avenue next to a second van. A group then transferred three freezers from the first van onto a flatbed truck that pulled up to the scene. Workers packed multiple bundles into the freezers.
José Jiménez, 32, a U.S. citizen, drove the truck away. San Diego County sheriff’s deputies stopped it shortly after. A second truck, driven by Gregorio Epifanio Hernández López, 29, also a U.S. citizen, was loaded with heavy boxes from the store and stopped nearby. Antonio Cortez, 18, a Mexican national, was pulled over driving a van on Coolidge Avenue. All four men were arrested.
Inside the three vehicles, agents found 851 packages totaling roughly 1,029 kilograms of cocaine: 286 kilograms in the first truck, 469 kilograms in the second, and 274 kilograms in the van. After a judge issued a search warrant, agents entered Buy 4 Less and found the tunnel exit hidden beneath the floor of a back warehouse, accessible through a hydraulic elevator.
Tunnel Spans 589 Meters With Rail System and Ventilation
The tunnel stretches 589 meters (about a third of a mile) at a depth of 17 meters (56 feet). It includes an electronic rail system for moving cargo, full-length lighting, and ventilation. On the Tijuana side, the entrance sits in a residential property in Colonia Nueva Tijuana. Agents found drugs, cell phones, documents, and ammunition cartridges inside the house.
Kevin Murphy, the HSI special agent in charge in San Diego, called the seizure “a major blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.” The CJNG, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, has historically competed with the Sinaloa Cartel for control of the Tijuana corridor. Bianca Calderón, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, announced the arrests and charges.
Tunnels of this complexity cost millions of dollars and take months to build, requiring engineering teams, heavy equipment, and a reliable front business on the U.S. side. Since 1993, authorities have found 99 tunnels in the Southern District, which covers the California border from the Pacific Ocean to the Imperial Valley. Of those 99, only 28 were classified as “sophisticated,” meaning they had reinforced walls, ventilation, or rail systems. This tunnel qualifies on all three counts.
Otay Mesa Crossing Sits Steps From the Tunnel Exit
Buy 4 Less sits just a few hundred meters from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, one of two major vehicle crossings between Tijuana and San Diego. Thousands of people use the Otay Mesa crossing daily for commuting, freight, and shopping trips. The crossing already sees wait times of 45 minutes to two hours during peak periods.
Past tunnel discoveries along this corridor have prompted temporary surges in inspection intensity at nearby ports of entry. After the last active tunnel was found in 2022, CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) increased secondary inspections at Otay Mesa for several weeks, adding 15 to 30 minutes to average crossing times. A similar response is possible now. Drivers who rely on Otay Mesa for regular commutes should monitor wait times through the CBP Border Wait Times app or the bwt.cbp.gov website in the coming weeks.
The discovery also raises questions about commercial property screening on the U.S. side of the border. Buy 4 Less operated as a legitimate-looking discount store near a major port of entry. HSI’s Tunnel Task Force patrols the corridor regularly, but the agency has acknowledged that detecting tunnels requires tip-offs or behavioral surveillance rather than ground-penetrating technology alone.
The four defendants face federal charges in the Southern District of California. A court date has not yet been publicly scheduled. This story was first reported by La Jornada Baja California.