Interior view of a dimly lit underground tunnel featuring wooden stairs on the left and a narrow passage with tracks on the right.

Interior view of a dimly lit underground tunnel featuring wooden stairs on the left and a narrow passage with tracks on the right.
(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The Trump administration’s renewed focus on border security and cartel enforcement delivered another major victory this week after federal authorities uncovered a sophisticated cross-border drug smuggling tunnel linking Mexico to Southern California and seized more than one ton of cocaine worth an estimated $45 million.

The stunning discovery was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California following a months-long investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and its Homeland Security Task Force.

WATCH:

According to federal authorities, the tunnel stretched from Tijuana, Mexico, to a warehouse-style retail business called “Buy 4 Less” near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. The underground passage measured approximately 1,933 feet in length, descended roughly 55 feet below ground, and featured reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation systems, rail infrastructure, and a sophisticated hydraulic lift used to conceal its entrance.

Video of the tunnel:

The investigation culminated in the arrest and charging of four suspects accused of trafficking massive quantities of cocaine through the tunnel network.

Those charged include:

  • Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez, 29, of San Diego
  • Jose Jimenez, 32, of San Diego
  • Antonio Cortez, 18, of Mexico
  • Brandon Escalante Sandoval, 26, of Mexico

Federal prosecutors allege the defendants conspired to distribute more than 1,029 kilograms—over 2,269 pounds—of cocaine into the United States.

The seizure is believed to be a significant blow against the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations.

More from the DOJ:

According to a federal complaint, investigators from Homeland Security Investigations Tunnel Task Force maintained regular surveillance on the Buy 4 Less warehouse from December 2025 to May 2026 due to suspicious activity there.

In December 2025, a new group of around seven or eight “employees” were seen regularly, in and around Buy 4 Less. These individuals included defendant Hernandez, whom agents observed at Buy 4 Less beginning in at least January 2026.

During the surveillance, the activity around the Buy 4 Less location did not appear to be consistent with a normal retail location. For example, investigators observed minimal foot traffic from customers coming in and out of the Buy 4 Less store.

Hernandez and the other supposed “employees” that regularly frequented the store engaged in unusual activity such as transporting large numbers of suitcases out of the store and into vehicles or walking the suitcases across the border into Mexico. Based on how Hernandez and the others handled the suitcases, they appeared to be empty so law enforcement did not intervene.

According to the complaint, on May 29, 2026, while conducting surveillance on Buy 4 Less, agents observed a male loading three large, heavy items into a white van which departed Buy 4 Less and ultimately parked on the street near a mechanic shop located at 923½ Coolidge Ave. A male on a bicycle, later identified as defendant Brandon Escalante, was seen conducting counter surveillance in the area by riding his bicycle while looking around and into parked cars.

Escalante later approached the van, removed the vehicle key that had been concealed in the gas cap area, got into the van and reversed it into 923½ Coolidge Avenue.

Agents observed that the van was backed up to another white van with the rear doors from both vans open. A white stake bed truck then entered 923½ Coolidge Avenue. Agents watched people remove three deep freezers from the first van and place them onto the bed of the truck, then load the deep freezers with packages.

After the packages were loaded into the deep freezers, the truck exited 923½ Coolidge Avenue and parked a short distance away. Escalante was seen exiting the truck, grabbing his bicycle from the truck bed, placing the keys underneath the truck on the passenger side, and departing the area.

Agents then observed another male, later identified as Defendant Jimenez, grab the vehicle keys and drive away in the truck. San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies subsequently conducted a traffic stop of the truck, with lights flashing, and a K9 police dog alerted to the presence of controlled substances.

Shortly after the traffic stop of the truck, agents watching Buy 4 Less observed two unidentified males take heavy boxes out of Buy 4 Less and load them into a second truck. Hernandez entered the second truck and drove away. San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop of that second truck a short distance away from the Buy 4 Less, and a K9 police dog alerted to the presence of controlled substances.

San Diego Sheriff’s deputies also stopped the second van, driven by a male later identified as Antonio Cortez, at 923½ Coolidge Avenue. Sheriff’s deputies again received a positive K9 alert for the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle.

According to the complaint, following the traffic stops, federal agents discovered the following during inspections of the second van and two trucks:

• 173 total packages in the truck stopped near 923½ Coolidge Avenue, with a total approximate weight of 286.20 kgs (630.96 lbs.);

• 423 total packages in the truck stopped near Buy 4 Less, with a total approximate weight of 469.40 kgs (1034.84 lbs.); and

• 255 total packages in the van stopped near 923½ Coolidge Avenue, with a total approximate weight of 274 kgs (604.06 lbs.).

The packages contained a substance, a sample of which field tested positive for cocaine, with a total approximate weight of 1,029.60 kgs (2,269.87 pounds)—or well over 1 ton.

Following seizure of the suspected cocaine on May 29, 2026, a U.S. Magistrate Judge signed warrants authorizing searches at Buy 4 Less and 923½ Coolidge Avenue. At Buy 4 Less, agents found the exit point of the subterranean tunnel, concealed under the floor of a storage room within the store.

The tunnel, which was accessed using a sophisticated hydraulic lift, is approximately 55 feet deep and extends approximately 1,064 feet from its exit point at Buy 4 Less to the U.S./Mexico International Border, where agents estimate it continues for another approximately 800 feet to its entry point. The tunnel is equipped with electricity and ventilation and, at some points, is up to 4.5 feet tall.

The post  BUSTED: Homeland Security Task Force Uncovers Sophisticated Cartel Tunnel, Seizes Over One Ton of Cocaine Worth $45 Million Near Southern Border — Four Charged with Trafficking appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.