Alleged underground drug tunnel discovered in San Diego
Officials have unearthed a clandestine tunnel linking Tijuana and San Diego, suspected of facilitating the illicit trafficking of drugs, firearms, and individuals across the U.S.-Mexico border. During the investigation, authorities seized drugs valued at approximately $45 million.
In a notable drug bust, federal agents discovered over 1,000 pounds of cocaine stashed under the floorboards of a commercial vehicle arriving from Mexico. This operation stands as one of Southern California’s most significant narcotics seizures this year.
The Department of Justice revealed that the substantial haul of cocaine was concealed inside the floorboards of a flatbed trailer and commercial truck intercepted at the Calexico Port of Entry, which bridges California and Mexico. Officials estimate the street worth of the confiscated cocaine at more than $20 million.
This seizure represents the second-largest cocaine bust within the Southern District of California for the current year, as stated by federal prosecutors.
FEDS SEIZE $6.4M WORTH OF COCAINE ABOARD OIL TANKER AT PORT OF LOS ANGELES, ARREST SUSPECTED CARTEL SMUGGLER
Federal authorities seized more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine, valued at more than $20 million, during an inspection at the Calexico Port of Entry in California. (Department of Justice)
Jose Manuel Lopez, 44, a Mexican national and the truck’s sole occupant, was arrested and charged with importing cocaine into the United States.
If convicted, Lopez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life.
In court filings seeking to keep Lopez in custody, prosecutors described the seizure as “a tremendous amount of drugs, even by the standards of this district.”
SINALOA CARTEL BOSS ‘EL MAYO’ SENTENCED TO LIFE, ORDERED TO PAY $15B IN DRUG TRAFFICKING PROFITS
Authorities removed the wooden floorboards of a commercial trailer after discovering more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine hidden underneath, prosecutors said. (Department of Justice)
The only larger cocaine seizure in the Southern District of California this year came in May, when authorities uncovered more than a ton of cocaine worth an estimated $45 million linked to an alleged cross-border drug tunnel.
Officials said the trailer was carrying 269 bundles of rebar when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, working alongside Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, detected anomalies during an X-ray inspection.
Federal investigators uncovered hundreds of packages of cocaine hidden beneath the floorboards of a commercial trailer at the Calexico Port of Entry, prosecutors said. (Department of Justice)
After a narcotics detection dog alerted officers the trailer, they unloaded the rebar and removed the wooden floorboards, where they discovered 366 packages of cocaine weighing more than 1,000 pounds, or approximately 454 kilograms, prosecutors said.
Lopez pleaded not guilty during his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday. A detention hearing is scheduled for Aug. 3.