U.S.-Mexico drug tunnel spanned 800 yards, held 2 tons of cocaine

A drug-trafficking tunnel nearly half a mile long underneath the California-Mexico border was discovered by federal agents, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday. Two tons of cocaine and seven tons of marijuana, worth nearly $22 million, were seized by federal agents who believe this to be the "longest cross-border tunnel ever discovered." The 800-yard tunnel route begins at a house in Tijuana, Mexico, and ends in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego. Agents were hot on the tail of the alleged drug traffickers after they noticed a commercial truck deliver an industrial dumpster filled with wood scraps to an outdoor industrial lot; days later, agents discovered this to be an entryway into the tunnel. The tunnel was furnished with ventilation systems, lights and even a large elevator that led into a closet inside the Tijuana residence, officials said."This case is a strong reminder of the vulnerabilities that exist along the Southwest border," said Hunter Davis, director of air operations for Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations...more