Otay Mesa-Tijuana Drug Tunnel Discovered During Massive Drug Bust

An elaborate drug tunnel connecting Mexico and the U.S. was discovered when officials seized 20 tons of marijuana during a raid, according to the LA Times.

The roughly 1,800-foot passageway was no temporary affair, outfitted with rail, light and ventilation systems. The tunnel, which was the "length of six football fields," notes Reuters, connected the Mexican city of Tijuana with Otay Mesa, California. On the Mexican side of the border, officials seized four additional tons of marijuana from a warehouse that hid the other entrance.

The Tijuana-Otay Mesa pipeline was also the route of the longest such tunnel ever discovered, a 2,400-foot long corridor discovered in 2006, according to Reuters. Officials have discovered 125 drug smuggling tunnels since the 1990s, reports the AP.

Recently, the Mexican drug war has ramped up, with bloody massacres spreading terror across the country. In October, the largest Mexican drug bust in recent years yielded 105 tons of marijuana.