Suspected cartel tunnel stretching to Mexico found beneath store in San Diego

Four men were arrested and charged in connection with a suspected drug smuggling tunnel that was discovered beneath a store called Buy 4 Less in a shopping center just feet from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego.

The Department of Justice made the announcement outside the storefront Monday afternoon, joined by multiple agencies including Border Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, and Customs and Border Protection.

The U.S. attorney’s office says the tunnel stretches 1,933 feet long and 55 feet deep. Authorities believe it was built and operated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

“This was a sophisticated tunnel that had lighting, ventilation, an electric rail system, wood shoring, and multiple staircases,” said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the Homeland Security Investigations Tunnel Task Force had been surveying the location for about six months. On Friday, the suspects allegedly attempted to move their first shipment of narcotics through the tunnel and into the U.S., leading to the seizure of over a ton of cocaine.

“Ultimately seizing 851 packages of cocaine. With a total weight of 2,406 pounds. That is an estimated value of the bulk street cost of $45 million,” said Murphy.

Investigators say the store was operating as a front.

“It was fronting as a liquidated goods retailer; they sold appliances, luggage, sort of miscellaneous household items,” said.

The U.S. Attorney called the drug seizure and tunnel discovery a significant blow to the cartel’s operation.

“Put directly, cocaine is now the lifeblood of the cartels, and what you see here today is a cardiac arrest for their system,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

The suspects made their first court appearance Monday afternoon in a federal courtroom in San Diego, facing charges relating to building the tunnel and importing and distributing a controlled substance. Two of the four are from San Diego. The other two are from Mexico.

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This story was originally published by Laura Acevedo with the Scripps News Group station in San Diego.