Video shows massive drug-smuggling tunnel connecting U.S. and Mexico

U.S. Video shows massive drug-smuggling tunnel connecting U.S. and Mexico By Mark Osborne June 2, 2026 / 1:05 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Four people have been arrested and charged with trafficking more than $45 million in cocaine through an elaborate 2,000-foot-long tunnel between border cities in Mexico and California, complete with electricity, reinforced walls, ventilation and a rail system, according to federal officials.The tunnel was discovered as part of a monthslong investigation into a warehouse for a supposed discount store, Buy 4 Less, located near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, right across the border from Tijuana, Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. By the end of the operation, more than a ton of cocaine and the sophisticated tunnel underneath the store were found, officials said."For these defendants, it wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel. It was lights and sirens," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. A stairway of a cross-border drug tunnel between U.S. and Mexico, in this handout image released June 1, 2026, with location given as between Otay Mesa, California, U.S., and Tijuana, Mexico.  US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California/Handout via REUTERS The U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Tunnel Task Force began surveilling the purported Buy 4 Less store in December 2025 when, federal officials said, a new group of apparent employees was seen in and around the store. Federal officials keeping an eye on the store noted, "During the surveillance, the activity around the Buy 4 Less location did not appear to be consistent with a normal retail location. For example, investigators observed minimal foot traffic from customers coming in and out of the Buy 4 Less store." The employees were allegedly seen taking apparently empty suitcases — based on how they were handled, according to the Department of Justice — across the border into Tijuana by car...