1,933-Foot Tunnel Led to $45 Million in Cocaine, Indictment Says

A federal grand jury indicted Luis Manuel Hernandez Victoria on Thursday for allegedly designing and building a tunnel that ran from Tijuana into a San Diego retail store for the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación. The Justice Department said the 60-year-old Guadalajara resident, known as El Ingeniero, was arrested Oct. 15 by Mexican authorities in Jalisco state.

The tunnel was found May 29 inside a store called Buy 4 Less near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. It stretches about 1,933 feet, sits 55 feet deep and stands 4.5 feet high, with walls, electricity, rail and ventilation systems, according to the Justice Department. More than 1 ton of cocaine worth over $45 million was seized when it was discovered.

Hernandez faces four counts: conspiracy to construct or finance a cross-border tunnel, conspiracy to use a tunnel to import controlled substances, conspiracy to import controlled substances, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The Trump administration designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization last year.

Federal prosecutors said Hernandez is the seventh person charged in the case. Weapons and narcotics were seized during his arrest, the Justice Department said. The investigation involves Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the California Department of Justice and the FBI, and remains ongoing.