Border Patrol agents uncovered a massive, half-mile smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego that featured electrical wiring, ventilation systems, and even a rail track for moving contraband.
At a Glance
- U.S. Border Patrol discovered a sophisticated 2,918-foot narcotics smuggling tunnel running from Tijuana to underneath the Otay Mesa Port of Entry
- The tunnel featured advanced infrastructure including electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation, and a track system for moving contraband
- Mexican authorities found the tunnel’s entrance hidden under freshly laid tile in a Tijuana home
- Authorities plan to permanently seal the tunnel with thousands of pounds of concrete to prevent future use
- Since 1993, over 95 similar tunnels have been discovered and decommissioned in the San Diego area
Another Underground Highway for Criminals
In early April, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents made a significant discovery beneath the Otay Mesa Port of Entry – an incomplete but sophisticated narcotics smuggling tunnel extending nearly 3,000 feet from Tijuana, Mexico. The tunnel, which reached over 1,000 feet into U.S. territory, was found while still under construction by the San Diego Sector Tunnel Team. Measuring approximately 40 inches in height and 30 inches in width, the passageway reached depths of about 50 feet below ground level, showcasing the extraordinary lengths cartels will go to circumvent border security.
What makes this tunnel particularly alarming is its advanced infrastructure. Border Patrol agents found electrical wiring, lighting systems, ventilation equipment, and even a rail track system designed for efficiently moving contraband. These sophisticated features demonstrate the significant resources and planning that criminal organizations invest in these subterranean smuggling routes. The tunnel’s predicted exit point was identified near a commercial warehouse space in San Diego, strategically positioned to facilitate the movement of illegal drugs into the United States.
Half-mile drug-smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego shut down by Border Patrol https://t.co/YeU1X7OUCz
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 20, 2025
Strategic Location and Hidden Entrance
After discovering the tunnel, U.S. authorities promptly notified their Mexican counterparts, who obtained a search warrant and traced the tunnel’s origin to a residence in Nueva Tijuana. The entrance was cleverly concealed beneath freshly laid tile in the home, highlighting the meticulous efforts to hide such operations. Tunnel workers had also constructed makeshift barricades throughout the passageway, designed to hinder law enforcement progress and conceal the tunnel’s origin point should it be discovered from the U.S. side.
“The type of soil, the urban noise, traffic in the area, we have a port of entry where not only vehicles cross daily, thousands of them, pedestrians, and also trucks cross to the U.S. And also, we have an international airport on the Mexican side with around 103 flights daily.”
Victor Clark, a border expert quoted in reports, explained that the Otay Mesa area is particularly attractive for tunnel builders due to specific conditions: suitable soil composition, constant urban noise that masks construction sounds, heavy traffic flow that provides cover, and proximity to both a busy port of entry and an international airport. These factors create an ideal environment for cartels to operate undetected while building these elaborate underground passages that can cost between $1-4 million to construct.
U.S. Border Patrol agents and Homeland Security discovered the origin point of a sophisticated drug smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego https://t.co/xnGZn3Xs4C
— KESQ News Channel 3 (@KESQ) June 20, 2025
Evolving Smuggling Tactics
While tunnel smuggling has become less common in recent years as cartels have shifted to moving smaller quantities of high-potency drugs like fentanyl through legal ports of entry, the DEA suggests that increased pressure on smugglers at these checkpoints may be driving a return to tunnel operations. This particular discovery marks just one of more than 95 tunnels that have been found and decommissioned in the San Diego area since 1993, indicating the persistent threat these underground passages pose to border security.
“As we continue to strengthen the nation’s air and maritime border security, it’s not surprising that foreign terrorist organizations would resort to underground routes. Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives. I’m grateful for the exceptional work of the Tunnel Team agents who placed themselves in danger, as well as the cooperation of our Mexican law enforcement partners.”
To permanently neutralize this threat, CBP plans to fill the tunnel with thousands of pounds of concrete, ensuring it can never be used for smuggling operations. Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector, emphasized that as authorities strengthen air and maritime border security, it’s unsurprising that “foreign terrorist organizations” would turn to underground routes. His comments highlight the national security concerns that extend beyond drug trafficking to potential terrorism threats – a sobering reminder of what’s actually at stake along our southern border.
