Tijuana Drug Smuggling Tunnel is so Long Authorities Need Oxygen to Reach the End

Authorities in Tijuana, Northern Mexico , have discovered a drug-smuggling tunnel so long that they have not been able to locate its exit point without oxygen tanks.

Knewz.com has learned that the tunnel was discovered by police on July 9 when they followed up on an anonymous tip.

Leopoldo Tizoc Aguilar Durán, the Secretary of Public Safety of the Baja California region, said that the tunnel is connected to another one that was discovered in the vicinity in 2022.

He mentioned that authorities have not been able to explore the tunnel entirely and that the exact length of the underground passageway is unknown.

It was reported that the tunnel was so long the authorities could not carry out a full search and reach its exit point without the supply of sufficient oxygen .

The Secretary of Public Safety stated that he is currently in the process of arranging more oxygen tanks for relevant personnel so that they can carry on with the investigation .

Durán further reported that authorities in the United States have been notified of this discovery and they are currently carrying out their own investigations to look for a possible exit point of the tunnel north of the border.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are leading the investigation to locate the exit point of the tunnel on U.S. territory, it has been reported.

Notably, the mouth of the tunnel is located near a Mexico National Guard installation and offices of Mexican Customs. Over the past few years, authorities have found a total of five tunnels in the region.

It was reported that the recently discovered tunnel is connected to another one that was discovered in its vicinity in May 2022, which covered a length of around six football fields and ran from a warehouse in Tijuana to an industrial area in San Diego .

"It’s attached to a tunnel that had been taken out of commission in 2022. We have three tunnels in that same area that have been constructed in the past," Public Safety Secretary Durán was quoted as saying about the tunnel.

One of the ends of the 2022 tunnel was discovered in the Otay Mesa region of San Diego, California, described as one of the fortified regions of the U.S.-Mexico border.

American authorities said at the time that they were unsure of how long the tunnel had been active and the amount of drugs (if any) had been smuggled through it.

Reports mentioned that the tunnel discovered in Otay Mesa was around 4 feet in diameter and was located at a depth of around six stories.

The tunnel was also said to feature rail and ventilation systems, electricity, and reinforced walls, per U.S. authorities.

In connection with the investigation into the tunnel, authorities in the U.S. arrested six South California residents, ages 31 to 55, on charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine in 2022.

Furthermore, authorities also seized 1,762 pounds of cocaine , 165 pounds of meth, and 3.5 pounds of heroin during the investigation.

Since 2006, American authorities have discovered a total of 15 sophisticated tunnels on the stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border running through California.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said in a 2020 statement, per CBS News , that these elaborate drug smuggling tunnels are usually found in California and Arizona, and are often believed to be associated with Mexico's infamous Sinaloa Cartel.