Look inside a ‘sophisticated’ 2,000-foot drug tunnel below US-Mexico border

A 2,000-foot drug tunnel found below the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego had lights, ventilation and an underground rail system, federal authorities say.

The tunnel, which stretched between two warehouses in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego and Tijuana, was uncovered March 19 by a joint task force, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says in a release.

Inside the tunnel, authorities found 1,300 pounds of cocaine, 86 pounds of methamphetamine, 17 pounds of heroin, 3,000 pounds of marijuana and more than 2 pounds of fentanyl, the release says.

The seized narcotics have a total estimated value of $29.6 million, according to the DEA.

Agents describe the tunnel as “sophisticated” and suspect it has been in use for several months, the release says. It averages 31 feet deep with a width of 3 feet.

“If cartels keep spending millions of dollars building tunnels, we will keep finding and filling them,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer, according to the release.

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Look inside a ‘sophisticated’ 2,000-foot drug tunnel below US-Mexico border."