Cross-border drug-smuggling tunnel found near San Diego
SAN DIEGO — A large haul of drugs, including opioids, methamphetamine and cocaine, being smuggled from Mexico to California was seized from a crossborder tunnel equipped with ventilation, lighting and an underground rail system, authorities said Tuesday.
The tunnel connected warehouses in Tijuana and San Diego, extending about 610 metres with an average depth of 9.5 metres and width of one metre, according to the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, an investigative team made up of several federal agencies. Investigators believe the tunnel existed for several months “due to the advanced construction observed in several portions.”
Authorities seized more than two tons of a variety of drugs, a departure from earlier discoveries that consisted largely of marijuana. The discovery of the tunnel on March 19 netted about 590 kilograms of cocaine, 39 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7.7 kilograms of heroin, 1,360 kilograms of marijuana and more than one kilogram of fentanyl.
The tunnel was built near a vaunted double-layered border wall constructed under President Donald Trump’s watch, illustrating the limitations of such barriers against sophisticated drug smuggling organizations. While border walls built under Trump go underground to deter digging, they are not nearly deep enough to stop the most advanced secret passageways.
The discovery marked the first time that five types of drugs were found in a single tunnel in San Diego, a magnet for Mexican cartels for its clay-like soil and abundance of industrial warehouses on both sides of the border that give cover for trucks and heavy construction equipment.
No arrests were made but authorities said the investigation was open.
Opioid smuggling has grown in line with demand in the U.S. and has traditionally been done in cars and by people through official crossings with Mexico because it is easier to conceal and less odorous than marijuana. Authorities said the latest tunnel is more a reflection of overall drug demand in the U.S. than a strategic shift in smuggling methods.