Authorities have uncovered a secretive operation in San Diego, where a fraudulent “Buy 4 Less” store concealed an entrance to a tunnel stretching all the way to Tijuana. This discovery has led to charges against four individuals.
Described by officials as a “sophisticated cross-border tunnel,” the passage was equipped with electricity and ventilation systems. The tunnel stretched approximately 1,933 feet in length, descended 55 feet underground, and measured 4.5 feet in height, with walls that were reinforced for stability.
The tunnel was unearthed following months of surveillance by investigators, who monitored the store due to its peculiar activities and unusually low customer traffic at the Otay Mesa location.
During their observations, law enforcement noted the store’s “employees” engaging in strange behaviors, such as moving suitcases that appeared to be empty in and out of the premises.
The authorities decided to act after witnessing individuals on two separate occasions loading suspicious-looking items into vehicles outside the store. These incidents prompted several traffic stops, which resulted in significant drug seizures.
In total, approximately 2,270 pounds of cocaine were confiscated during these stops. A subsequent search warrant for the store uncovered the hidden tunnel, further unraveling the operation.
Two U.S. residents — 29-year-old Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez of San Diego and 32-year-old Jose Jimenez of San Diego were charged along with Mexican residents Antonio Cortez, 18, and Brandon Escalante Sandoval, 26.
All four defendants were charged with distributing controlled substances, which has a max penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
Hernandez Lopez was additionally charged with constructing, financing or using unauthorized tunnels and importation of a controlled substance.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said the operation served as the “cardiac arrest” for the drug cartels’ illegal drug smuggling.
“Cocaine is now the lifeblood of the cartels and what you see here today is a cardiac arrest for their system and those defendants,” he said at a news conference Monday.
“They thought they saw the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, what they saw were our lights and sirens,” Gordon added.
