OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:47 PM PT — Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Customs and Border Protection has discovered a smuggling tunnel at
the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego. On Wednesday, Border Patrol and the
DEA said the illegal tunnel was three-quarters of a mile long. The
tunnel connected an industrial building in Tijuana, Mexico to a
warehouse in Otay Mesa, San Diego.Officials said it could be used for drug smuggling and human trafficking.
“I have no doubt that if drugs were smuggled in this tunnel, it was heroin laced with fentanyl,” said DEA official John Callery.
Agents found air-ventilation, an extensive rail system and an elevator in the tunnel, as well as electrical and drainage systems.
“As far as the initial discovery, it was on the United States side, with a combination of a lot of intelligence gathering and technology that we were able to use,” stated Border Patrol Deputy Chief Aaron Heitke. “With the help of Mexico, we were able to exact a location of the tunnel itself.”
Officials believe the tunnel could have several exit points on the U.S. side, including in warehouses and open fields.
The tunnel is expected to be filled with concrete.
