U.S. Indicts Alleged Cartel Tunnel Engineer in San Diego Case; Four Charged Over $45 Million in Cocaine
Prosecutors say a man named Hernandez designed the nearly 2,000-foot Tijuana-to-San Diego tunnel found in May, where agents seized more than a ton of cocaine tied to CJNG.
Federal prosecutors have indicted a man they describe as the mastermind behind a cross-border drug tunnel discovered in San Diego this spring, Breitbart reports. Four people are charged in the case, which Breitbart's subhead puts at $45 million in cocaine.
The allegation. Prosecutors say a man identified as Hernandez was behind the tunnel authorities found in May 2026. When it was discovered, agents seized more than one ton of cocaine that belonged to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, according to the report.
The tunnel. Breitbart Texas reporter Randy Clark, in earlier reporting quoted in the piece, described a passage of almost 2,000 feet with reinforced walls, electricity and a railway system. It ran from the Tijuana side to a store in San Diego.
Why it matters. A tunnel with power and rail suggests a large, well-funded operation built over time. The indictment goes after the person prosecutors say engineered it, not only the people moving the product.
Limits of this report. We could read only excerpts of the Breitbart article. We do not have Hernandez's full name, the counts, the names of the other three defendants or any court date. Everyone named is accused, not convicted. Breitbart says its details on the tunnel come from earlier Breitbart Texas reporting.