Highlighting the escalating crisis at the southern border, Border Patrol agents uncovered a sophisticated cross-border drug tunnel stretching nearly 3,000 feet from Tijuana to San Diego.
See the video below this post.
The tunnel, equipped with electrical wiring, lighting, and a rail system for moving contraband, represents another dangerous threat to American security.
The U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector discovered the incomplete smuggling tunnel in early April. It extended over 1,000 feet into U.S. territory under the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
The tunnel featured complete electrical wiring, lighting systems, ventilation, and even a track system engineered explicitly for transporting illegal drugs and potentially other contraband into American communities.
At 2,918 feet long (over half a mile), the underground passageway reached depths of 50 feet below the surface.
The tunnel’s dimensions – 42 inches high by 28 inches wide – allowed for significant smuggling operations while remaining hidden from border security technology.
At the same time, workers strategically placed makeshift barricades to conceal the tunnel’s origin and hinder law enforcement’s progress in discovering its full extent.
Mexican authorities assisted in locating the tunnel’s origin point inside a Tijuana residence, where it was cleverly disguised underneath freshly laid tile.
American officials plan to fill the entire passage with concrete to permanently seal it and prevent its use by drug cartels, human traffickers, or potentially even foreign terrorists.
“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,” said Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector.
He added:
“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.”
This discovery represents just the tip of the iceberg in the ongoing border security crisis.
Since 1993, over 95 tunnels have been found and decommissioned in the San Diego area alone.
Even more concerning, more than 140 tunnels have been discovered breaching the U.S. border since 1990, with an alarming 80% increase in tunnel activity since 2008.
The problem is not limited to California. Earlier this year, another tunnel was discovered running from Juarez, Mexico, into a storm drain in El Paso, Texas.
This tunnel was used not only for drug smuggling but also for trafficking illegal aliens and the sex trafficking of innocent women.
Moreover, border agents work tirelessly to uncover these underground threats.
The record-breaking 2020 discovery of a 4,309-foot tunnel (over three-quarters of a mile) from Tijuana into the U.S. demonstrates the industrial-scale operations cartels are willing to undertake.
That massive tunnel featured sophisticated rail systems and ventilation, showing that drug traffickers have both the resources and determination to breach the border security, no matter what obstacles are put in their way.
The House of Representatives has passed the Subterranean Border Defense Act to address the growing tunnel threat.
Current law imposes prison terms of up to 40 years for those involved in building or using border tunnels.
However, as this latest discovery shows, tougher border security policies and actual enforcement of existing immigration laws are desperately needed to protect American communities.
