November 2, 2013 -- Updated 1423 GMT (2223 HKT)
Three people are in custody and could face federal charges after
investigators found a newly-completed, "highly sophisticated" drug
tunnel linking San Diego to Tijuana, Mexico, according to U.S.
authorities. FULL STORY
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VIDEO
3 detained after 'sophisticated' San Diego-Tijuana drug tunnel found
November 1, 2013 -- Updated 0242 GMT (1042 HKT)
Massive drug tunnel discovered in bust
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Authorities say seized drugs had a street value of nearly $12 million
- Officials describe the underground passageway as a "super tunnel"
- Authorities say three people were detained after the tunnel was found
- U.S. prosecutor: The tunnel was built by Mexico's Sinaloa cartel
The drug tunnel stretched
the length of nearly six football fields and had lighting, ventilation
and an electric rail system, authorities said Thursday.
It was 35 feet deep, 4
feet tall and 3 feet wide. And it was built by one of Mexico's most
notorious criminal organizations, the Sinaloa cartel, U.S. Attorney
Laura Duffy told reporters.
And now three people are
in custody and could face federal charges after investigators seized
more than 8 tons of marijuana and 325 pounds of cocaine linked to the
tunnel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.
Word of the detentions
comes a day after investigators shut down what they described as the
newly completed and "highly sophisticated" tunnel, which connected a
warehouse in Mexico with another warehouse in a California industrial
park.
Duffy said that authorities have a message for cartels tied to drug tunnels.
"If you continue to build
and attempt to use these tunnels, we are determined to make this a big
waste of your dirty money," she said. "Not only will we take your drugs
and shut down your tunnels before you even get an opportunity to use
them, but we're now in a position where we're going after your
management."
Prosecutors are reviewing
charges against the detained individuals and expect they will be filed
later Thursday, according to Duffy.
The discovery was made by
the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, which includes members of ICE, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
See inside a Tijuana drug tunnel
Authorities compared the find to other "super tunnels" discovered along the border in recent years.
"It was just two years
ago, November 2011, that we discovered and shut down two elaborate super
tunnels like the one here today," Duffy said. "And at the time we did
so, we stood before you and we warned the cartels directly. If you build
them, we're going find them, and if we find them, we're going to
destroy them. Today, we again make good on that promise."
The Sinaloa cartel,
named after the Mexican state where the gang was formed, is one of the
most powerful drug-trafficking groups in the nation.
Leader Joaquin "El
Chapo" Guzman's nickname, which means "shorty," matches his
5-foot-6-inch frame, though he has climbed to great heights in the drug
smuggling business. Forbes magazine has estimated that "El Chapo" is
worth $1 billion.
The U.S. Treasury
Department has declared him the most influential trafficker in the
world, and Mexican authorities have been on his tail since his 2001
escape from a Mexican prison in a laundry cart.
Officials said the drugs seized as part of this week's tunnel investigation had an estimated street value of nearly $12 million.
CNN's Miguel Marquez reported from San
Diego. CNN's Cristy Lenz and Catherine E. Shoichet reported from
Atlanta. CNN's Jack Hannah and Mariano Castillo contributed to this
report.
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