During their weeks-long surveillance of the facility, Mexican agents saw “intense movement” of trucks coming and going from the building, Mexico’s Interior Ministry said in a news release. The tunnel is reported to be over 2,625 feet long, 30 feet deep, and extends from Tijuana to the lower part of San Diego.
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Mexican police have found an 800-metre long tunnel used by a gang to sneak drugs from Tijuana to the California city of San Diego, authorities said Thursday.
Authorities said that 16 persons were detained in the operation and are being charged with drug trafficking. Guzman, who has been on the run since his escape in July, came close to recapture this month after he was spotted by Mexican special forces near Cosala, a town in the mountains of his home state, Sinaloa. According to police, they found the drugs wrapped in 873 plastic and tape covered packages.
Due to its clay-like soil the San Diego-Tijuana area has proved popular with smugglers because it is easier to dig with shovels and basic tools than in other regions.
“We see a super tunnel open for business once every year or so”, said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy told the Associated Press. The shaft connected to an underground passageway, which included lighting, ventilation and a rail system, leading to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wednesday 7:24 a.m. – The opening of a possible cross-border drug tunnel was uncovered in Otay Mesa Wednesday. The sophistication of the tunnel led officials to believe it was dug by Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman’s organization.
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Police seized 12 tons of marijuana after the tunnel was discovered on Wednesday. The second warehouse was to receive shipments from the warehouse on the border in San Diego.
