‘Highly sophisticated’ border tunnel found under California’s Otay Mesa Port of Entry

SAN DIEGO — An incomplete but “highly sophisticated” drug-smuggling tunnel between Tijuana and Otay Mesa was located and disabled by the U.S. Border Patrol, officials said Wednesday.

The cross-border tunnel was actively under construction when it was uncovered by U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the sector’s Tunnel Team in early April. The team made entry into the passageway, which ran beneath part of the Otay Mesa port of entry, officials said.

Officials believe the tunnel’s intended exit point was “near or within a nearby commercial warehouse space.” Similar cross-border tunnels have been found in the surrounding areas before.

An uncompleted smuggling tunnel between Tijuana and Otay Mesa uncovered by the U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego. (U.S: Border Patrol)“When agents made the first entry into the tunnel, they encountered multiple makeshift barricades. These barricades were placed haphazardly by the tunnel workers in an apparent effort to impede agents’ southbound progress and the eventual identification of the tunnel’s origin,” officials said in a press release.

The tunnel was equipped with electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation systems and a track system intended for transporting contraband, the Border Patrol said.

U.S. officials worked with Mexico to locate the tunnel’s entrance. Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection first reported the incident in a press release on Wednesday morning. Mexico’s operation also included the Attorney General’s Office, the Army and the Navy.

The entrance, which officials said had recently been concealed with newly installed tiles, was found inside a two-story home in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood, within close distance to the Otay Mesa port of entry.

A copy of one page of the search warrant could be seen posted to the house’s fence on Wednesday afternoon. Mexican officials said that an undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine was seized at the scene.

Neither U.S. nor Mexican officials reported any arrests related to the incident.

The tunnel’s entrance was located inside a home in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood, a short distance from the Otay Mesa port of entry. (Alexandra Mendoza/The San Diego Union-Tribune)“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.

“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.”

Officials said the tunnel had a total length of 2,918 feet, of which over 1,000 feet extended into the United States. Inside, it measured 42 inches in height and 28 inches in width. At its deepest point, it ran approximately 50 feet underground.

Nearly 100 tunnels have been found and shut down in the San Diego area since 1993, according to the Border Patrol.