SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Border Patrol agents have provided a better look inside the sophisticated cross-border tunnel discovered in early April, which stretches approximately half a mile from Tijuana to San Diego.
Friday, agents showed ABC 10News one of the tunnel's entry points located between the two border walls in Otay Mesa. The tunnel was still under construction when it was found.
"It was constructed in such a way that people can move through it, crawl through it. At its highest point, it is 42 inches high and about 28 inches wide," said Border Patrol agent Justin Castrejon.
The tunnel runs under a portion of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and features a railway system, lighting, and ventilation.
Agents said the tunnel was built by a foreign terrorist organization with substantial resources.
"This organization is highly organized, highly funded, and you can see that with the links that they put into the tunnel," they said.
When agents first entered the tunnel, they discovered that those responsible for its construction were aware they had been discovered.
"The foreign terrorist organization put in improvised barricades, so material in there to prevent agents from moving through there. So, a very dangerous tactic," said Castrejon.
At its deepest point, the tunnel ran approximately 50 feet underground. Its point of origin was located in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood, with a projected exit point near or within a commercial warehouse space on the U.S. side.
The discovery was made by the Border Patrol's specialized Tunnel Team, a group of agents specifically trained to detect and investigate underground passages.
"To go after these tunnels, to go after the people that are constructing these tunnels. They go through a lot of training, and they have a lot of experience in detecting and putting into these tunnels," Border Patrol explained.
The tunnel will now be filled with thousands of gallons of concrete from the U.S. side to prevent the criminal organization from ever using it again.
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