US-Mexico Border Operations Bust Major Drug Tunnel and Human Smuggling Cell

U.S. Department of Justice announced the dismantling of a sophisticated trans‑border tunnel linking Tijuana, Mexico, to a warehouse in Otay Mesa, San Diego, California. The 600‑meter passage, equipped with electricity, ventilation, rail tracks and a hydraulic lift, was used to move more than one ton of cocaine valued at over $45 million. Four men, aged 18 to 32, were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. Federal prosecutor Adam Gordon said, “For these defendants, it wasn’t light at the end of the tunnel. It was flashing lights and sirens.”

In a separate enforcement action, U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, captured a 25‑year‑old Mexican human smuggler, known locally as a “pollero,” inside a house used to hide migrants. The raid secured three adult migrants and two minors, and the suspect admitted earning about $18,000 from smuggling activities over three months. He now faces federal trafficking charges and the detained migrants are slated for deportation.