Drug tunnel linking Tijuana and San Diego discovered

More than 20 tons of marijuana found inside

By Sandra Dibble
Originally published November 3, 2010 at 11:21 a.m., updated November 3, 2010 at 12:59 p.m.

TIJUANA — U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced the seizure of more than 20 tons of marijuana from a cross-border tunnel linking warehouses in Tijuana and San Diego.

The tunnel is east of the Otay Mesa border crossing. It measures 600 yards and came equipped with a rail system, lighting and ventilation, authorities said in a statement. The passageway “is not as large as some prior" tunnels in the area, the statement said.

Officials with the multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force found the tunnel and made the marijuana seizure during an overnight search. The agencies involved on the U.S. side include Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The discovery was first announced Wednesday morning by Mexican military authorities. More details are expected to be released throughout the day.

Since U.S. authorities began keeping count in the early 1990s, about 125 tunnels have been discovered on the U.S.-Mexico border, most of them on the California and Arizona borders, according to ICE. They are typically used to smuggle drugs or people from Mexico to the United States.

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