A Mexican cartel allegedly built a sophisticated underground drug highway into San Diego, complete with a rail system, to smuggle millions of dollars in cocaine across the US border. Now the alleged mastermind is facing federal charges. Luis Manuel Hernandez Victoria, known as “El Ingeniero” (The Engineer), is accused of designing and constructing the tunnel for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a Mexican syndicate designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization.
“Hernandez engineered his own downfall,” said US Attorney Adam Gordon. Authorities discovered the passage May 29, 2026, beneath a Buy 4 Less, a retail store at 2498 Roll Drive, Suite E, near San Diego’s Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Federal agents seized more than one ton of cocaine worth an estimated $45 million. The underground route stretched approximately 1,933 feet from Tijuana into San Diego, reaching 55 feet below ground. Reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation and a rail system equipped the passage, which stood just 4.5 feet tall. A federal grand jury has charged Hernandez with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiring to construct or finance a cross-border tunnel, conspiring to use the passage to import controlled substances and conspiracy to import controlled substances.
