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Wednesday, January 29, 2020

San Diego: Task force exposes southwest's longest cross border illicit drug tunnel

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat   DEA


SAN DIEGO – After a challenging multi-year, inter-agency investigation, utilizing technology capabilities, intelligence gathering, and community outreach, law enforcement partners on the San Diego Tunnel Task Force have exposed the longest illicit cross-border tunnel ever discovered along the Southwest border.

The tunnel originates in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in an industrial area approximately one-half-mile west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Following the discovery in late August 2019, Mexican law enforcement identified the tunnel entrance and members of the SDTTF began mapping the tunnel from Mexico. Concealed by a small industrial building, the tunnel travels north into the United States, bending slightly west and extending an astonishing 4,068 feet from the border, with a total length of 4,309 feet – over three-quarters of a mile. The next longest tunnel in the United States, discovered in San Diego in 2014, was 2,966 feet long.


The tunnel, that is approximately five and a half feet tall and two feet wide, has an average depth of 70 feet from the surface. It includes an extensive rail/cart system, forced air ventilation, high voltage electrical cables and panels, an elevator at the tunnel entrance, and a complex drainage system.

“As efforts to strengthen security on our Southern Border increase, Mexican drug cartels are forced underground to smuggle their deadly drugs into the United States,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge John W. Callery. 

“The sophistication of this tunnel demonstrates the determination and monetary resources of the cartels. And although the cartels will continue to use their resources to try and breach our border, the DEA and our partners on the Tunnel Task Force will continue to use our resources to ensure they fail, that our border is secure, and that tunnels like this are shut down to stem the flow of deadly drugs entering the United States.”

SDTTF, an inter-agency unit consisting of agents from DEA, United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Attorney’s Office, uncovered the location of the tunnel after months of investigations and tireless law enforcement efforts.

An offshoot from the main tunnel was discovered at approximately 3,529 feet into the United States. This offshoot traveled several feet then came to an end without breaching the surface. The main tunnel extended another city block, at which point agents discovered several hundred sand bags blocking the suspected former exit of the tunnel in the Otay Mesa warehouse district within the United States.


No arrests or seizures have been made in light of the discovery of this tunnel.

“I am thrilled that this high level narco-tunnel has been discovered and will be rendered unusable for cross-border smuggling. 

I am proud of the tremendous efforts of the Tunnel Task Force and our agents,” said USBP Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. “The investigation continues, and I am confident that our hard work and dedication to uphold the law will lead to future arrests and seizures.”

“While subterranean tunnels are not a new occurrence along the California-Mexico border, the sophistication and length of this particular tunnel demonstrates the time-consuming efforts transnational criminal organizations will undertake to facilitate cross-border smuggling,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant. 

“This discovery underscores the importance of the partnerships HSI has with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, United States Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other regional agencies, as collaborative investigations and community outreach are key to combating this type of threat.”

18 comments:

  1. I hate these kind of bad news .

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  2. Hey hows the trump wall coming a long???

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    1. Very well sir, thanks for asking

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    2. Congratulations to the tunnel builders great job to all the men who made it happen .time to build many more .

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  3. If a California city would try and build something like this is, it would take years and would have cost over runs.

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  4. Hay un gringo feo en mí túnel. Vamos a correr 🏃‍♂️
    GC

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  5. OK so the drugs stop pouring in now???

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  6. where in SD did it stop?

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    1. 12th and imperial in logan heights

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  7. Well. Engineer tunnel. Smart guys

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  8. No wonder they have so much money..can you imagine the amount of drugs already here on the USA waiting in different states just sitting waiting like home depot back room, and the amount of guns and rifles with ammunition going into Mexico...who needs borders when they have tunnels..sad sad for the American people..

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    1. Exactly those damn narco terrorists have it pretty easy on both sides. In mexico they got immunity, impunity because they are able to corrupt any government official including the mexican president himself, who's strategy against organized crime right now is giving hugs to big bad capos instead of capturing them or killing them.
      Now in the USA by now there must be thousands of drug cartel associates working for mexican cartels peddling drugs to many US towns, cities, all freely due to the fact that many of those drug trafickers never get captured, because lots of them evade authorities radar by constantly moving from one place to another place, alot times crossing borders constantly to no get arrested. Those few mothafuckas that get apprehended, on average it takes the stupid DEA many, many years of time consuming investigations before they can indict just one mothafuckin criminal. Why are drug kingpins always one step ahead of the law?

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    2. 11:56 because, perhaps, maybe they got themselves a deal???
      Try and remember that big banks pay some times their Billion dollar fines and then get to go along with their corrupt money laundering lives with impunity, immunity, and classified reports nobody can ever touch or see while they are alive, no Mexicans there.

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  9. What did it take 2 days to make the $ back that it cost to build??

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  10. I love reading these comments from gringos moaning and bitching about drugs coming from Mexico. Like Mexico is the problem lol. How about looking at your fellow citizens who are all drug addicted losers? All of these illicit activities are to meet the demand for drugs from the US. You want to know who is the problem? LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

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    1. This blame game gets so played out. You act as if the people pedaling this shit aren't to blame as well. Back when Pablo was shown cocaine and how addictive it is he new how much money he could make. You're just projecting. Yes, a lot of Americans have drug problems. But greed in every facet of Mexico is causing rampant violence and lawlessness like never before. You ha e to be a liberal always blaming everyone else and never taking any responsibility. None of these dirtbag American junkies wouldn't have any drugs to buy and use if Mexico wasn't the world's drug dealer. This is how I know that the problem will never go away. It's just like the violence in the black community that nobody wants to take responsibility for. You can't fix problems that you refuse to address.

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    2. Hello, I agree with what Feb 1 @9:37 had to say. I myself get tired of the blame game from those American ppl. It’s like they don’t take the time to read between the lines (no pun intended). For Feb 6 @12:50 read information on the contra affairs. It takes critical thinking to see the grey agents. The greed goes both ways as well. Also the liberal name game is over used by now and a cop-out. I do agree with you in that, this drug problem will not go away. As long as money is involved where corrupted politicians use drug issues to create foreign policy, nope, it’s not going away anytime soon. You are also correct in that, one can’t repair the problems if they refuse to address it aka the dark networks in the governments.

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  11. This is a question for BB, who in your informed opinion controls TJ & SD as far as DTO's...?

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