U.S.-Mexico Border Tunnel
ENGINEERING FEAT: A 6-footer could walk through the tunnel without having to duck very often. Its wide enough about 4 feet for people to pass each other with ease. (Don Bartletti / LAT)
PASSAGE SOUTH: Officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement look down into the tunnel at its end point in a warehouse in Otay Mesa, Calif. The shaft is about 8 feet deep, and the tunnel floor is cross-hatched so people can keep their footing. (Don Bartletti / LAT)
BASE OF OPERATIONS: A warehouse at 8640 Siempre Viva Rd at the corner of Ave. Costa Brava where an opening to a sophisticated cross-border tunnel was discovered. The opening is in a ground floor office near this corner of the V&F Distributors warehouse in an industrial park south of San Diego (Don Bartletti / LAT)
INCONSPICUOUS: Inside the Otay Mesa warehouse, the tunnels exit was concealed beneath tile inside a small office. (Don Bartletti / LAT)
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WAREHOUSE: V & F Distributors LLC rented the 50,000-square-foot building as a produce-processing facility but used it as a front for drug trafficking, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Authorities who raided the tunnel last week found 2 tons of marijuana. (Don Bartletti / LAT)
POWER: Cords and cables line the tunnel, and outlets provided electricity for the tools authorities believe were used to dig it. (Don Bartletti / LAT)
