Mexican Cartel Tunnel Discovered at California Border

The Mexican military, in coordination with the Baja California Norte State Preventive Police (PEP), discovered a narco-tunnel leading into California late last week.

The tunnel was discovered on September 20 in the rural farming community of Ejido Jacume, located in the outskirts of Tecate–across the border from Jacumba Hot Springs, California. The tunnel was discovered after security forces received an anonymous report about the location. Authorities found the remote property with a residential structure containing the tunnel. The illicit infrastructure was operational for at least two years, according to local media reports. Officials said two weapons were located inside the residence: one rifle, and one handgun. No arrests were reported.

The cross-border tunnel was the fifth discovered during the current administration of Governor Francisco Arturo Vega de Lamadrid as part of the “Cruzada por la Seguridad, Tarea de Todos” (“Crusade for Security, everyone’s task”), according to the governor’s office.

Breitbart Texas reported on several incidents in the northern border region of Baja California and the United States. Police discovered a major drug lab on August 25, resulting in the seizure of four tons of methamphetamine. A fentanyl drug lab was also recently found in nearby Mexicali, where 20,000 tablets were seized along with precursor chemicals. In April 2018, a sophisticated tunnel measuring approximately 740 yards from Mexicali to Calexico, California, was discovered by the Mexican Army and Federal Police.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.)