Tijuana: Authorities in Mexico have unearthed yet another tunnel near the US-Mexico border that investigators believe was used to smuggle drugs and other illegal items into the United States.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) carried out a raid at a property in the Nueva Tijuana neighbourhood of Tijuana, Baja California, when the tunnel was discovered. The passage stretched around 265 metres (870 feet) and reached a depth of about 6.3 metres (21 feet).
This discovery comes days after US federal authorities announced charges against four individuals accused of using another sophisticated cross-border tunnel connecting Tijuana and San Diego to traffic more than a tonne of cocaine. Prosecutors said that tunnel, extending nearly 1,933 feet and reaching a depth of 55 feet, featured reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation and rail infrastructure.
The second tunnel was also equipped with lighting, ventilation systems and an electronic transport mechanism capable of moving items between Mexico and the US, investigators said. Authorities suspect the passage connects Tijuana with a street in San Diego, California, though the exact US-side location has not yet been publicly identified, NDTV reported.
The FGR has released videos that show agents navigating the narrow underground corridor, examining access points and collecting evidence from the site. The property may have served as a logistics hub for storing and trafficking firearms, explosives and narcotics, officials said.
Investigators recovered ammunition, suspected methamphetamine, suspected marijuana, phones and documents during the operation. The tunnel was located following intelligence-gathering efforts by the FGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency in coordination with Mexico’s Security Cabinet.
The state’s Counter Drug Task Force assisted in uncovering the tunnel and helped seize around 1,000 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than $45 million, California governor Gavin Newsom said.
The first tunnel was traced by federal investigators to a concealed exit beneath the floor of a storage room inside a storefront in Otay Mesa, San Diego. Authorities seized nearly 1,029 kilograms of suspected cocaine during the investigation, which officials said dealt a major blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Authorities described the tunnel discoveries as setbacks for criminal organisations that rely on elaborate underground routes to move narcotics across the border.
