Beneath a seemingly unassuming “Buy 4 Less” store in San Diego County hides a big secret — a tunnel 55 feet deep and nearly 2,000 feet long that was used to smuggle $45 million worth of cocaine from Mexico to California, prosecutors said.
The underground tunnel in Otay Mesa, complete with reinforced walls, a rail system, ventilation and electricity, is believed to have been used by the Jalisco New Generation cartel and was discovered by Homeland Security last week, according to the US Department of Justice.
On Monday, four men were charged with participating in a plan to use the tunnel to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the United States.
Homeland Security investigators began paying close attention to Buy 4 Less in December when they noticed suspicious items at the store.
A new group of seven or eight “employees” could be seen coming in and out of the building every now and then with dozens of suitcases. On the other hand, the customers do not appear to be regular business travelers, prosecutors said.
On Friday, police saw a man loading heavy goods into a van outside the store and then driving to a nearby mechanic shop. Another man, identified as Brandon Escalante Sandoval, 26, of Mexico, was seen riding a bicycle, prosecutors said.
Escalante Sandoval then approached the parked van, took out the key hidden in the electrical cap and backed it up, allowing a group of people to move the three deep freezers from the van into the bed of the truck and load the packages.
Another man, identified as Jose Jimenez, 32, of San Diego, drove away in the truck, prosecutors said. San Diego County sheriff's deputies conducted a traffic stop, and a police dog alerted deputies to the presence of a controlled substance.
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 Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez, 29, of San Diego, drove the truck. Deputies conducted a traffic stop again, and a police dog sniffed out illegal substances. A third vehicle, driven by 18-year-old Antonio Cortez of Mexico, was also stopped nearby and another contraband was found, according to prosecutors.
Investigators seized a total of 851 packages from these three vehicles weighing more than a ton. A sample of the contents of the bags taken from the field tested positive for cocaine, prosecutors said.
After seizing the suspected drugs, investigators obtained a search warrant to enter the Buy 4 Less, where they uncovered a secret tunnel.
The corridor is accessed using a “puzzling hydraulic lift” and runs from Otay Mesa, under the US-Mexico border and into Tijuana.
Tunnels are a well-known method used to smuggle drugs across the border. There have been 99 underground passages discovered in Southern California since 1993, according to the Department of Justice.
However, the scale and complexity of the corridor found under Buy 4 Less was remarkable, prosecutors said.
“This investigation and seizure represents a major blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” said Kevin Murphy, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in San Diego, in a statement Monday. “The discovery and dismantling of this complex cross-border tunnel, and the seizure of more than a ton of cocaine, underscores the commitment and cooperation of Homeland Security.”
Hernandez Lopez is charged with conspiracy to use a cross-border tunnel, conspiracy to import a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Jimenez, Escalante Sandoval and Cortez were each charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Each count carries a life sentence and a $10 million fine.
