Border Patrol Finds 3,000-Foot ‘Drug Tunnel’ Near San Diego
U.S. Border Patrol agents have uncovered a massive drug-smuggling tunnel stretching nearly 3,000 feet from a residence in Tijuana, Mexico, to a warehouse in Otay Mesa, California—just south of San Diego.
According to the Daily Mail, the tunnel was discovered in April and, while still under construction, already featured advanced infrastructure. Authorities said the underground passage was outfitted with electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation, and even a rail system designed to move narcotics efficiently.
Investigators believe the Sinaloa Cartel, once led by convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was behind the project. Despite Guzmán serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado, the cartel remains a dominant force along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Officials described the tunnel as being about 42 inches tall, 28 inches wide, and plunging as deep as 50 feet underground. Mexican authorities discovered the entrance beneath newly installed tile in a home in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood, according to reports.
Jeffrey Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent in San Diego, praised the team that uncovered the smuggling route.
“Stopping drug tunnels like this is vital to keeping Americans safe,” Stalnaker said. “I’m proud of our team and the help we got from Mexican police.”
Since 1993, more than 95 tunnels have been discovered in the San Diego sector alone. Authorities confirmed this one will be filled with concrete to prevent future use.
Another tunnel discovered in January stretched from Ciudad Juárez into El Paso’s storm drain system and had already been exploited for human smuggling. Reports indicate some migrants paid up to $20,000 to gain entry to the U.S. through the underground passage.
The tunnel discovery underscores why President Donald J. Trump’s second-term immigration agenda has gained so much support. A centerpiece of his 2024 campaign was ending Joe Biden’s disastrous “open border” policies and initiating the largest deportation operation in American history.
Thomas Homan, Trump’s incoming border czar and former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, revealed that thousands of retired law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, and military veterans have already volunteered to help execute the president’s plan.
Homan told Fox & Friends:
“I shut my phone off Friday night because I couldn’t handle the phone calls, and texts and emails from thousands of ICE agents and border patrol agents excited about the rumor I’m coming back.”
He emphasized that Americans should expect immediate and decisive action:
“I got three words for them – shock and awe. You’re going to see us take this country back… less overdose deaths, less sex trafficking, for God’s sake, one of the worst crimes around, less migrants dying.”
With cartel tunnels still threatening U.S. communities, Trump’s promise of border security, sovereignty, and safety for American families could not be more timely.