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Authorities seized 12 tons of marijuana and arrested 21 people Wednesday (Oct. 21) in connection with an elaborate drug tunnel on the U.S.-Mexico border. The tunnel fronted in a warehouse near San Diego was equipped with a ventilation, and rail system.

Reports Yahoo! News:

The passage connecting warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, was about 2,400 feet long and 30 feet deep. It was lit, ventilated and equipped with a rail system — hallmarks of the most sophisticated tunnels found along the border.

Near-simultaneous police stings on Wednesday resulted in six arrests in San Diego and 16 in Mexico. Authorities recovered two tons of marijuana in the U.S. and 10 tons in Mexico.

U.S. authorities said smugglers tried to move the first load of drugs through the tunnel on Wednesday but that nothing got through undetected.

The sting came after an undercover agent for U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agreed to provide the drug smugglers with drivers and use of a warehouse in exchange for a $10,000 payment for each truckload of drugs moved, according to a probable cause statement.

“We see a super tunnel open for business once every year or so,” U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy told ABC News. “Just when they think they’re ready to move, we put it out of business.”

The tunnel was discovered in an area controlled mostly by El Chapo’s Sinola Cartel. However, suspects who were  arrested referenced the Jalisco New Generation, a six-year-old fast-growing cartel controlling a portion of Mexico’s western region.

Those arrested included Isaias Enriquez-Acosta, 53, and Isidro Silva-Acosta, 27, both of whom copped federal conspiracy charges, while four others were charged in state court.

Photo: screenshot