Tijuana-San Diego Tunnel Closure: Border Patrol Action
- Federal authorities have uncovered a roughly half-mile-long tunnel linking a residence in Tijuana,mexico,to a commercial warehouse in San Diego County. The tunnel, approximately 50 feet underground, is suspected...
- The passage,measuring 42 inches high and 28 inches wide,featured electrical wiring,lighting,ventilation,and a rail system.
- Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the san Diego Sector, emphasized the importance of disrupting such tunnels.
Cross-border Tunnel Discovered connecting San Diego and Tijuana
Federal authorities have uncovered a roughly half-mile-long tunnel linking a residence in Tijuana,mexico,to a commercial warehouse in San Diego County. The tunnel, approximately 50 feet underground, is suspected of being used for large-scale contraband transportation.
The passage,measuring 42 inches high and 28 inches wide,featured electrical wiring,lighting,ventilation,and a rail system. Border Patrol agents, with assistance from Homeland Security and Mexican authorities, shut down the construction site on Monday, effectively ending the tunnel’s use.
Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the san Diego Sector, emphasized the importance of disrupting such tunnels. “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,” Stalnaker said. “Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives.”
The San Diego Tunnel Team initially discovered the tunnel in April while it was under construction but only recently located its origin. Mapping revealed the tunnel to be 2,918 feet long, with over 1,000 feet extending into the U.S., running beneath the Otay Mesa border crossing.
The entrance in Nueva Tijuana, a neighborhood near the U.S. border, was concealed beneath newly installed tiles. Mexican authorities, including federal and state officials from Baja California, executed a search warrant for “crimes against national health,” according to Omar Hamid García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of Security and Civilian Protection.
Mexico’s Security Cabinet confirmed the seizure of methamphetamine inside the tunnel. Stalnaker expressed gratitude for the Tunnel Team’s work and the cooperation of Mexican law enforcement.
authorities plan to fill the tunnel with concrete to prevent future use. A similar tunnel, discovered in 2022 under Otay Mesa, was approximately 1,750 feet long and equipped with reinforced walls and a rail system; six individuals were later charged with conspiracy to distribute nearly a ton of cocaine.
Since 1993, over 95 tunnels have been discovered and decommissioned in the San Diego area, according to Border Patrol officials. The role of these tunnels in drug smuggling remains a concern for both U.S. and Mexican authorities.
What’s next
The focus remains on securing the border and preventing future underground smuggling operations. Authorities will continue to collaborate on both sides of the border to detect and dismantle such tunnels, addressing the ongoing challenge they pose.