Big cross-border tunnel is found linking Tijuana, San Diego

Source: Associated Press

Big cross-border tunnel is found linking Tijuana, San Diego

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
May 16, 2022

SAN DIEGO (AP) — U.S. authorities on Monday announced the discovery of a major drug smuggling tunnel on Mexico’s border, running the length of a football field on U.S. soil to a warehouse in an industrial area.

The secret passage from Tijuana to San Diego featured rail and ventilation systems, electricity and reinforced walls, authorities said. It was discovered near San Diego’s Otay Mesa border crossing in an area where more than a dozen other sophisticated tunnels have been found in the last two decades.

U.S. authorities said it was unknown how long the tunnel had been operating and what amount of drugs, if any, got through undetected. They seized 1,762 pounds (799 kg) of cocaine, 165 pounds (75 kg) of meth and 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) of heroin in connection with the investigation.

Six people, ages 31 to 55, were charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine. All are Southern California residents.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-mexico-california-donald-trump-san-diego-817f165feb1889cd9bb494b5b694e2e9


A law enforcement officer stands by the opening of a cross-border tunnel on Monday, May 16, 2022 between Mexico's Tijuana into the San Diego area. Authorities have announced the discovery of the underground smuggling tunnel on Mexico's border, running the length of a football field on U.S. soil to a warehouse in an industrial area. The cross-border tunnel from Tijuana to the San Diego area was built in one of the most fortified stretches of the border, illustrating the limitations of former President Donald Trump's border wall. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)