June 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have discovered and closed a tunnel carved into the ground between San Diego and Tijuana that stretched more than 1,000 feet into the United States, the agency announced Thursday.
The agency said the tunnel, located near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, had an exit point near a commercial warehouse. The tunnel entrance was discovered in a residential area in the Mexican border town of Tijuana, and had been concealed with freshly laid tile, CBP said.
"The investigation revealed the tunnel was equipped with electrical wiring, lighting, ventilation systems and a track system designed for transporting large quantities of contraband," a CBP release said.
The tunnel stretched nearly 3,000 feet, spanning the United States and Mexico border and measured nearly 4 feet high and more than 2 feet wide.
It is the latest in a long series of tunnel discoveries in the Southwest.
Drug and human smugglers have used clandestine, underground tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border for decades and routinely use them to move drugs and people into the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has discovered more than 95 tunnels in the San Diego area alone since 1993. They are also routinely discovered in other border states, including Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
"Contractors will pour thousands of gallons of concrete into the tunnel, preventing the tunnel from use by Foreign Terrorist Organizations," the release continued.
