DOJ charges Mexican man with terrorism over drug tunnel from Tijuana to San Diego

The Justice Department announced terrorism-related charges on Thursday against a Mexican man it says helped engineer a drug-smuggling tunnel under the U.S.-Mexico border. A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Luis Manuel Hernandez Victoria, 60, who is known as "El Ingeniero" ¹.

Prosecutors say he designed and built the tunnel for the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, one of the most powerful criminal groups in Mexico. The Trump administration designated the cartel a terrorist organization last year ¹.

What he is charged with

Hernandez is charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He also faces conspiracy charges for constructing or financing a cross-border tunnel, using a tunnel to import drugs, and importing drugs ¹.

He faces life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million if convicted ¹. An indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt.

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Mexican authorities in Jalisco state arrested him and seized weapons and narcotics, the Justice Department said ¹. Mexican press coverage dates the arrest to Oct. 16 in Zapopan, Jalisco, and says extradition proceedings are expected ². That coverage does not name the cartel ².

The tunnel

Authorities say the tunnel ran inside a Buy 4 Less store in San Diego's Otay Mesa neighborhood and extended to Tijuana. They describe it as about 2,000 feet long, 55 feet deep and 4.5 feet high, with reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation and rails ¹.

Agents found it after a May 29 raid and seized cocaine the department valued at $45 million. Homeland Security Investigations had watched the store since December 2025 and saw little customer traffic but many suitcases moving in and out ¹.

Federal agents and San Diego County sheriff's deputies seized more than 1 ton of cocaine from three vehicles. Hernandez is the seventh person charged in connection with the tunnel ¹.

What officials said

Kevin Murphy, who leads Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, said the indictment underscores the agency's commitment to dismantling criminal groups that threaten national security ¹. Adam Gordon, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, said Hernandez "engineered his own downfall" ¹.

Hernandez engineered his own downfall,

Why it matters

That matters because the case applies a terrorism-support charge to a person accused of building smuggling infrastructure. Such tunnels are not new. About 100 have been found in Southern California over the last three decades ¹.

What happens next is not yet clear. The wire report does not say when Hernandez will appear in a U.S. court. Mexican coverage says extradition proceedings are expected ². Courts will decide whether the terrorism charge holds up.

The Record

1. May 29, 2026Federal agents raid a Buy 4 Less store in San Diego's Otay Mesa neighborhood and find the tunnel. They seize cocaine valued at $45 million ¹.
2. Oct 15, 2026Mexican authorities arrest Hernandez in Jalisco, the Justice Department says. Mexican press dates the arrest to Oct. 16 ¹².
3. Oct 29, 2026The Justice Department announces a grand jury indictment that includes a material support for terrorism charge ¹.

Sources

1. Courthouse News, “DOJ charges 'El Ingeniero' with terrorism in cross-border tunnel case” (2026-10-30). courthousenews.com/doj-charges-el-ingeniero-with-terrorism-i
2. Zeta Tijuana, “Detienen a 'El Ingeniero', presunto constructor de túneles para el tráfico fronterizo” (2026-10-16). zetatijuana.com/2026/10/detienen-al-ingeniero-presunto-const

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