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15h ago

Border Patrol Disables Sophisticated 3,000-Foot Smuggling Tunnel Under Otay Mesa

Authorities plan to pour thousands of gallons of concrete into the tunnel to prevent its future use.

PU.S. Border Patrol pictures show inside the 2,918 ft cross-border drug smuggling tunnel
An uncompleted smuggling tunnel between Tijuana and Otay Mesa uncovered by the U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego. A Tunnel Team agent crawls along the track. (U.S. Border Patrol)
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Overview

  • U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector Tunnel Team discovered the 2,918-foot passage beneath Otay Mesa in early April while it was still under construction.
  • The under-construction tunnel linked a Nueva Tijuana residence to a commercial warehouse in San Diego and ran about 50 feet below ground at its deepest point.
  • Officials found advanced infrastructure inside the passage, including electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation and a rail system designed to move contraband.
  • Mexican authorities executed a warrant to expose the tunnel’s entrance concealed under freshly laid tile in a two-story home in Nueva Tijuana.
  • Customs and Border Protection has contracted to fill the disabled tunnel with concrete as part of border security efforts under which more than 95 similar passages have been decommissioned since 1993.