By: Janessa Castro Cruz

In San Diego, at a retail store called “Buy 4 Less”, in June of 2026, the homeland security task force investigation discovered a cross-border tunnel that was used to traffic thousands of pounds of drugs across the border that led to Tijuana, Mexico. Authorities say that some of those drugs were likely headed to the Midwest and the Chicago area. The tunnel stretched 1,933 feet away from the retail store to Mexico, and it had walls, rails, lighting, ventilation systems, and electricity.

The investigation started December 2025 when the retail store was reported for having suspicious activity. When the homeland security task force began surveilling they discovered individuals transporting empty suitcases across the border and between the store and vehicles.

In May 2026, they watched a lot of suspicious activity coming from the retail store, like a man loading heavy items into a van and dropping it off to a nearby mechanic shop. They also watched a few suspects place three deep freezers onto a truck, filling them with packages.

San Diego county sheriff’s deputies stopped the trucks and they discovered evidence of controlled substances. They discovered more than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) of cocaine from the vehicles, with a street value of $45 million worth of cocaine, according to authorities.

Officers started search warrants at the retail store “Buy 4 Less” and the mechanic shop that a man dropped off items to. Hidden under the store’s floor, they found the tunnel that extended about 1,064 feet (and as deep as 21 feet), from the retail store to the U.S.-Mexico border, and another 800 feet into Mexico.

4 people were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one of them faces additional charges for conspiracy to use a cross-border tunnel and to import controlled substances.