See nearly 3,000-foot-long drug tunnel found beneath US-Mexico border, feds say

An unfinished tunnel for “large-scale narcotics smuggling” from Tijuana to San Diego under the U.S.-Mexico border has been uncovered, federal officials reported.

The “highly sophisticated” tunnel extended more than 1,000 feet into the United States, spanning 2,918 feet total, the U.S. Border Patrol said in a June 18 news release.

Agents discovered the tunnel in April while it was still under construction beneath the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, the agency said.

The tunnel appeared to be intended to end in or near a nearby commercial warehouse, agents said.

“The investigation revealed the tunnel was equipped with electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation systems, and a track system designed for transporting large quantities of contraband,” agents said in the release.

On Monday, June 16, agents and Mexican authorities traced the other end of the tunnel to a house in Tijuana, where they found the entrance had been “concealed by freshly laid tile.”

The tunnel was 42 inches high and 28 inches wide, agents said. It ran as deep as 50 feet below ground.

Contractors will pour concrete into the tunnel to seal it off, the agency said.

More than 95 tunnels have been uncovered in the San Diego area since 1993, agents said.

This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 2:41 PM with the headline "See nearly 3,000-foot-long drug tunnel found beneath US-Mexico border, feds say."