Cross-border tunnel found in Southern California

SAN DIEGO – U.S. authorities say they have discovered a secret cross-border tunnel in the California desert.

Authorities scheduled a news conference Wednesday afternoon in a residential area of Calexico, a city of about 40,000 people located 200 kilometres east of San Diego.

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A media advisory from federal authorities says the tunnel links Calexico with the large industrial city of Mexicali, Mexico, but provided no details.

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RAW VIDEO: US officials raid cross-border tunnel; find money, drugs

0:32 Raw video: US officials raid cross-border tunnel; find money, drugs

Dozens of tunnels designed to smuggle drugs have been found along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years. Some have been equipped with hydraulic lifts and electric rail cars.

Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel has long controlled drug trafficking along the border in California’s Imperial Valley, which offers easy freeway access to Los Angeles and Phoenix.