Nogales, Arizona – Federal agents have delivered a crushing blow to the Sinaloa Cartel after discovering and raiding a mᴀssive, professionally engineered drug tunnel stretching from Mexico into Arizona, seizing a staggering 4 tons of cocaine and arresting 62 individuals in a major cross-border operation.
On March 15, 2026, DEA and ICE Homeland Security Investigations teams, working alongside U.S. Border Patrol, stormed a warehouse in the Nogales area and uncovered a highly sophisticated smuggling tunnel equipped with ventilation systems, lighting, rail tracks, and reinforced walls. The tunnel extended nearly 400 yards across the international border and was actively being used as a high-volume superhighway for moving mᴀssive quanтιтies of cocaine into the United States.
Agents seized approximately 4 tons (8,000 pounds) of high-purity cocaine with an estimated street value of over $120 million. They also recovered large sums of cash, firearms, and drug packaging equipment inside the tunnel and connected stash houses.
Sixty-two individuals were arrested during the operation, including several high-ranking cartel operatives responsible for coordinating shipments. Authorities say the tunnel was operated by a powerful Sinaloa Cartel faction that has been flooding Arizona and the Southwest with ᴅᴇᴀᴅly drugs for years.
This is one of the most advanced tunnels discovered in recent years, demonstrating how cartels continue to invest heavily in underground infrastructure to evade border security and law enforcement.
DEA officials called the raid a “major victory” in the ongoing fight against cartel smuggling networks. The mᴀssive cocaine seizure will keep millions of ᴅᴇᴀᴅly doses off American streets and represents a significant financial loss for the cartel.
The message is clear: American law enforcement is hunting these tunnels aggressively and will not allow Mexican cartels to turn U.S. soil into their private distribution network. Every tunnel found and every ton seized weakens their ᴅᴇᴀᴅly empire.
The battle against cartel infiltration is intensifying — and today, federal agents scored a major win on American soil.
