A Mexican national known as “El Ingeniero” faces federal charges for allegedly designing and constructing a sophisticated cross-border drug tunnel equipped with a rail system for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, according to reports.
Luis Manuel Hernandez Victoria faces federal charges including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to construct a cross-border tunnel. Prosecutors claim he engineered the underground passage to move millions of dollars in narcotics directly into Southern California.
The Otay Mesa Discovery and Seizures
Law enforcement agents uncovered the subterranean route on May 29, 2026. The passage ran approximately 1,933 feet from Tijuana, Mexico, straight into San Diego, terminating beneath a retail store named Buy 4 Less located at 2498 Roll Drive, Suite E, near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
The tunnel sat roughly 55 feet below the surface. Measuring just 4.5 feet tall, the narrow passage featured reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation, and a built-in rail system designed to move heavy cargo efficiently across the international boundary.
During the operation, federal agents seized more than one ton of cocaine with an estimated street value of $45 million. Authorities also recovered methamphetamine from the smuggling network.
Charges and Arrest Details
A federal grand jury formally indicted Hernandez on multiple counts. The charges specify conspiracies to construct or finance a cross-border tunnel, use the passage to import controlled substances, and distribute illegal narcotics.
Mexican law enforcement officers arrested Hernandez in Mexico’s Jalisco state on Oct. 15, 2026. During the arrest, authorities seized additional weapons and narcotics.
Hernandez marks the seventh individual charged in connection with the Otay Mesa tunnel. The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion received its formal designation as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States government on Feb. 20, 2025.
Secondary Tunnel Discovered in Tijuana
In a separate operation conducted alongside the main investigation, Mexican federal authorities and the Mexican navy uncovered another suspected smuggling tunnel in Tijuana’s Nueva Tijuana neighborhood.
That wood-lined passage measured approximately 869 feet long and sat about 21 feet underground. Officers operating at the site recovered ammunition, cellphones, bank cards, a digital video recorder, and dozens of doses of methamphetamine.
Keep reading
- Netpoleon India and QNu Labs Partner for Quantum-Safe Cybersecurity
- Midterm Elections Final Push: Trump Campaigns in Florida, Alaska Ballot Controversy, and Key Senate Races
- Ireland Road Tolls to Increase Across M50 and Dublin Tunnel in January (news-usa.today)
- India faces Japan in Asian Champions Trophy hockey (archyworldys.com)
