Police Find Nearly 2000 Foot Tunnel Running Under US-Mexico Border
Police in Tijuana made a shocking discovery this past week when they came across a massive man-made tunnel secretly linking the Mexican border city to San Diego, California. Four men, two from Mexico and two from San Diego, are now being charged with federal drug trafficking in the United States.
The tunnel spans nearly 2000 feet, connecting a home in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood with a faux store front just north of the United States border. It's estimated that the tunnel goes about 55 feet deep and was complete with reinforced walls, ventilation, and electricity. It was only accessible through the use of an electric-powered hydraulic lift, making it that much more difficult to find. This is the first cross-border tunnel that has been found in the area since 2022.
Discovery of the tunnel resulted from a partnership between United States and Mexico authorities. Mexican police executed a search warrant on the Nueva Tijuana home during a public safety investigation into possible explosives and firearms. While there, they found ammunition, methamphetamines, and the entrance to the subterranean tunnel.
Meanwhile, on the United States side of the border, investigators had been casing the Buy 4 Less warehouse in the Otay Mesa neighborhood since December 2025 due to "suspicious activity," according to the US Department of Homeland Security, which released a statement Monday regarding the four arrests. "During the surveillance, the activity around the Buy 4 Less location did not appear to be consistent with a normal retail location," the statement reads, "investigators observed minimal foot traffic from customers coming in and out of the Buy 4 Less store."
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Investigators claim that the tunnel was accessible from either end, with the San Diego entrance hidden under the floor of a large storage room within the warehouse. The storefront is just 1,064 feet north of the international border, while the house in Nueva Tijuana is just 800 feet south.
According to Kelly Thornton, Director of Media Relations to the U.S. Attorney's office, federal agents observed four men loading cargo into vans and large trucks outside of the Buy 4 Less on May 29. Traffic stops were conducted on the vehicles, and a total of 2,269.87 pounds of cocaine were discovered inside. Authorities claim the subterranean tunnel was used by around eight men total to smuggle cocaine across the United States/Mexico border.
The four men stopped on the night of May 29 now face life in prison and up to a $10 million dollar fine for federal drug trafficking charges. Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez, age 29, of San Diego, caught the most charges with Constructing, Financing, or Using Unauthorized Tunnels, Importation of a Controlled Substance, and Distribution of a Controlled Substance. Fellow San Diego resident Jose Jimenez, age 32, as well as the two men from Mexico, Antonio Cortez, 18, and Brandon Escalante Sandoval, 26, were only charges with Distribution of a Controlled Substance.
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This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 11:08 AM.