Underneath a seemingly unassuming “Buy 4 Less” store in a San Diego County neighborhood hid a sprawling secret — a tunnel 55 feet deep and nearly 2,000 feet long that was used to smuggle some $45 million worth of cocaine from Mexico to California, prosecutors allege.
The subterranean passageway in Otay Mesa, complete with reinforced walls, a rail system, ventilation and electricity, is believed to have been operated by the Jalisco New Generation cartel and was discovered by a Homeland Security task force last week, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
On Monday, four men were charged with participating in a scheme to use the tunnel to traffic massive amounts of narcotics into America.
Homeland Security investigators began paying close attention to the Buy 4 Less in December when they observed suspicious activity around the store.
A new group of seven or eight “employees” was seen regularly going in and out of the building carrying a large number of suitcases. Customers, on the other hand, did not appear to be frequenting the business, prosecutors said.
On Friday, agents observed a man loading heavy items into a van outside the store and then driving to a nearby mechanic’s shop. Another man, identified as 26-year-old Brandon Escalante Sandoval of Mexico, was seen riding around on a bicycle conducting surveillance, prosecutors said.
Escalante Sandoval then approached the parked van, removed a key concealed in the gas cap and backed it up, allowing a group of people to move three deep freezers from the van into the bed of the truck and load them with packages.
Another man, identified as 32-year-old Jose Jimenez of San Diego, drove away in the loaded truck, prosecutors said. San Diego County sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop, and a police dog alerted deputies to the presence of controlled substances.
Shortly thereafter, agents saw two men exit Buy 4 Less with heavy boxes and load them into a second truck. Prosecutors said another man, identified as 29-year-old Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez of San Diego, drove that truck away. Deputies once again conducted a traffic stop, and a police dog sniffed out illicit substances. A third vehicle, driven by 18-year-old Antonio Cortez of Mexico, was also stopped nearby and further contraband was found inside, according to prosecutors.
Investigators confiscated a total of 851 packages from the three vehicles with a combined weight of more than a ton. A sample of the substance in the packages taken in the field tested positive for cocaine, prosecutors said.
After confiscating the alleged drugs, investigators secured a search warrant to enter the Buy 4 Less, where they uncovered the secret tunnel.
The passageway is accessed using a “sophisticated hydraulic lift” and extends from Otay Mesa, underneath the U.S.-Mexico border and into Tijuana.
Tunnels are a known method used to smuggle narcotics across the border. There have been 99 subterranean passages discovered in the Southern District of California since 1993, according to the Justice Department.
However, the scale and sophistication of the passageway discovered under the Buy 4 Less was particularly notable, prosecutors said.
“This investigation and seizure represent a significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” said Kevin Murphy, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, in a statement Monday. “The discovery and dismantlement of this sophisticated cross-border tunnel, along with the seizure of more than a ton of cocaine, underscore the commitment and collaboration of Homeland Security Investigations.”
Hernandez Lopez is charged with conspiracy to use a cross-border tunnel, conspiracy to import controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Jimenez, Escalante Sandoval and Cortez are each charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Each count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10-million fine.
