A drug-trafficking tunnel nearly half a mile
long underneath the California-Mexico border was
discovered by federal agents, the U.S. Attorney's
Office said Wednesday.
Two tons of cocaine and seven tons of marijuana,
worth nearly $22 million, were seized by federal
agents who believe this to be the "longest cross-
border tunnel ever discovered."
The 800-yard tunnel route begins at a house in
Tijuana, Mexico, and ends in the Otay Mesa
neighborhood of San Diego.
Agents were hot on the tail of the alleged drug
traffickers after they noticed a commercial truck
deliver an industrial dumpster filled with wood scraps
to an outdoor industrial lot; days later, agents
discovered this to be an entryway into the tunnel.
The tunnel was furnished with ventilation systems,
lights and even a large elevator that led into a closet
inside the Tijuana residence, officials said.
"On the surface, few would ever suspect that
traffickers were moving multiton quantities of
cocaine and marijuana worth tens of millions of
dollars in such an unassuming way, through this
rabbit hole in the ground, in full view of the world
around it," said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in the
release.
The six people were arrested in San Diego and
charged with various drug trafficking charges, police
said.
"This case is a strong reminder of the vulnerabilities
that exist along the Southwest border," said Hunter
Davis, director of air operations for Customs and
Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations.
Since 2006, 13th large-scale operational drug
smuggling tunnels have been discovered along the
California border, federal agents said.
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