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2,400ft Drug Tunnel Found On Mexico Border

The tunnel, one of the longest ever dug between Mexico and the US, features lighting, ventilation and a rail system.

Authorities arrested 22 people and seized 12 tons of marijuana after uncovering one of the longest cross-border tunnels ever dug between the US and Mexico, officials have said.

The 2,400ft tunnel connected warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana and included lighting, ventilation and a rail system for moving the drugs.

Police stings on Wednesday resulted in six arrests in San Diego and 16 in Mexico.

The tunnel ran between San Diego and Tijuana. Mexican Federal Police

Authorities said smugglers tried to move the first load of drugs on Wednesday through the tunnel, but did not get through undetected.

The sting came after an undercover agent for US Homeland Security Investigations agreed to provide the drug smugglers with drivers and the use of the San Diego warehouse in exchange for $10,000 for each truckload of drugs, according to authorities.

Dozens of tunnels have been found along the US-Mexico border in recent years, some equipped with hydraulic lifts and electric rail cars.

San Diego and Tijuana are popular with smugglers because its clay-like soil is easy to dig with shovels and pneumatic tools, and both sides of the border have warehouses that can provide cover for heavy equipment.

It was unclear which drug cartel is behind the tunnel, but the region is largely controlled by the Sinaloa cartel, whose leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escaped from a maximum-security prison in Mexico in July through a tunnel.

Mexican federal police said that those arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking told authorities they had ties to a criminal group that operates in the state of Jalisco - a reference to the Jalisco New Generation group which controls part of western Mexico.

The suspects were caught off-guard when authorities arrived at the warehouse in Tijuana with a search warrant. No shots were fired.

The drugs were found in 873 packages covered with plastic and tape.

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