In Baja California, authorities from Mexico and the United States located a drug tunnel—allegedly belonging to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel—that was intended for trafficking narcotics from Tijuana to San Diego, California.
The criminals were discovered on their very first day of operation. Said Betanzos has the details. This drug tunnel—nearly 600 meters long and 17 meters deep—was under construction by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel since December; however, on its first day of operation last Friday, authorities from San Diego, California, shut it down.
As cartel members attempted to transport their first shipment of narcotics from the tunnel’s exit point to a separate stash house, law enforcement intervened.
This bust was the result of surveillance efforts by the DEA, the FBI, Homeland Security, the Border Patrol, and Customs and Border Protection personnel.
The tunnel—equipped with lighting, ventilation, and a mechanized access system—connected a residence in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood to a discount store in San Diego, located just meters away from the Otay Mesa pedestrian border crossing.
Two Mexican nationals, identified as Brandon Escalante and Antonio Cortés, were arrested, along with two U.S. citizens: Gregorio Epifanio Hernández López and José Jiménez. Authorities seized just over one ton of cocaine, valued at $45 million.
“We are extremely grateful for the assistance and collaboration we receive—for the alliance we share with the government of Mexico and the Mexican authorities.”
One day later—on Saturday—personnel from the Attorney General’s Office arrived at the house where the tunnel originated; access is gained by descending vertically through an opening located within one of the rooms.
Once inside, the drugs were transported using an electric platform running along a rail system. Reporting from San Diego for Milenio Noticias, Said Betanzos.
Sources: Milenio, Cartel Insider Archives
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