Underground, amidst darkness and silence, cartels are waging another battle. The U.S.-Mexico border faces a threat advancing through tunnels equipped with electricity, ventilation, and rail systems to transport drugs, money, and weapons.
U.S. authorities have identified these “narco tunnels” as a major threat along the San Diego-Mexico border and state that they will spare no resources, technology, or personnel to neutralize them.
From the mountainous areas of Tijuana to the coast, criminal organizations have used tunnels and parts of the sewer infrastructure to attempt to move people, illicit goods, money, weapons, and drugs into the United States.
In fact, we have just discovered the 100th tunnel—a milestone for us. We just finished the remediation of the 99th tunnel—a process that involves mapping the entry and exit points and filling the structure with concrete.
That 99th tunnel, discovered in May, emerged inside a small business called “B-Forest”—a shop located near the Otay Mesa pedestrian crossing. This once again illustrates the sheer scale at which these narcotunnels operate.
It is estimated that for every tunnel we discover, there could be three or four other operations in existence. We are able to locate them through a wide range of activities and by collaborating with our counterparts south of the border, as well as with federal agencies like DHS, the DEA, and others.
We coordinate with all these bodies, while also utilizing outreach efforts and specific technologies. Narco tunnel number 100 was located in the San Diego Sector, an area covering approximately 16 kilometers of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The San Diego Sector Border Patrol maintains surveillance by land, air, and sea—monitoring a territory where, in addition to drug trafficking, clashes between criminal groups in Mexico pose a risk to U.S. security.
According to border agents, the dispute primarily involves the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the remnants of the Arellano organization, alongside other smaller groups vying for territorial control.
*El Universal* gained access to one of these underground passages, which are described as sophisticated. Unlike rudimentary tunnels, these feature ventilation, electricity, and rail systems to facilitate the transport of goods.
The environment inside these structures is cold, cramped, dark, and oxygen-deprived. Agents explain that, provided there is air, a person can remain inside for a maximum of eight hours.
Authorities state that sophisticated tunnels are primarily used to transport drugs northward and money or weapons southward. In contrast, so-called “rat holes” are used exclusively for human smuggling.
The threat extends beyond drugs; during their patrols, Border Patrol agents have also identified the smuggling of “high-value” individuals capable of paying up to $20,000 for transport by land or even by sea.
In some instances, these individuals are assessed to determine if they can be moved through the “narco-tunnels” built by the cartels. Meanwhile, Tijuana’s sewer systems have also been used by human smugglers (*polleros* and *coyotes*) attempting to move people across the border.
On the U.S. side, two underground barriers were installed which, according to agents, make using that route nearly impossible. As surveillance increases across land, air, and sea, criminal groups are turning to new technologies.
As of September 5, the Border Patrol reports no recorded attacks involving explosive-laden drones in the area, though it maintains it possesses the technology to monitor for such threats.
Source: El Universal
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