Authorities discover drug-smuggling tunnel at US-Mexico border

• Mexico's Sinaloa cartel is responsible for many of these tunnels.
• Since 1993, almost 100 tunnels have been found in same area.
• The tunnel is estimated to be over 1,750 feet long.

US anti-narcotics agents have discovered a drug smugglers' tunnel running under the US-Mexico border and equipped with a rail track, electricity, and ventilation system, the US Department of Justice said.

The so-called "narco-tunnel" led from the Mexican city of Tijuana to a warehouse 300 feet from the border in San Diego, California, the department said in a statement.

US authorities arrested six people for their alleged involvement in the drug-running scheme. They are accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, among other crimes.

"There is no more light at the end of this narco-tunnel," said US Attorney Randy Grossman in the statement.

The tunnel, estimated to be more than 1,750 feet (530 m) long, was also fitted out with reinforced walls.

The attorney general's office for the Mexican state of Baja California, where Tijuana is located, told Reuters US authorities had notified them of the discovery Sunday, two days after it was found.

Mexican authorities said that Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, led for years by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is responsible for many of these tunnels, found in warehouses, homes, and businesses.

Since 1993, close to 100 tunnels have been found in the same area, most recently in March 2020, US prosecutors said.

The tunnel was one of the largest located in the region, the Baja California attorney general's office said

Mexico's federal prosecutor's office did not respond to a request for comment.