As violence in the Mexican border city of Tijuana continues to rise, the US government has instructed its personnel there to avoid public spaces, take cover, and keep an eye on local media reports.
According to Fox News, authorities in Mexico are looking into at least 10 car fires in Tijuana, prompting US agencies to err on the side of caution and lock down their staff.
The order was justified by “several car fires, barricades, and extensive police action in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate.”
According to Fox News, a spokesman said that “US federal personnel have been advised to hide in place until further notice.”
Just over the border from El Paso, in Ciudad Juarez, the violence started on Thursday.
Infighting between the local organisation Los Mexicles and the notorious Los Chapos, members of the Sinaloa Cartel formerly headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, resulted in a brawl that left two people dead and 20 wounded, according to the Times of San Diego.
Later, the violence spilled over onto Juarez’s streets, where gang members murdered nine more victims, the majority of whom were civilians.
According to Fox News, Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero Ramrez said that the national guard and police reserves are prepared for deployment in case it becomes necessary.
Just a few months after the US revealed the existence of a tunnel connecting a warehouse in San Diego with Tijuana, the city is still experiencing violence.
It’s believed that the 1,700-foot tunnel, which is “completely operational,” is used to carry narcotics like heroin and fentanyl into the US.
According to police, the covert route from Tijuana to San Diego included train and ventilation lines, power, and reinforced walls.
According to investigators with Homeland Security Investigations, it is 61 feet deep as well.
In the past 20 years, more than a dozen such complex tunnels have been unearthed in the vicinity of San Diego’s Otay Mesa border crossing.
A “known drug stash home” in National City, south of Downtown San Diego, was being watched by agents.
According to US police, it was unclear how long the tunnel had been in use and how much, if any, narcotics had passed through unnoticed.
In conjunction with the investigation, they confiscated 3.5 pounds of heroin, 165 pounds of meth, and 1,762 pounds of cocaine.
Six individuals, ranging in age from 31 to 55, were accused of planning to distribute cocaine.
All of them live in Southern California and have entered not guilty pleas.
The tunnel is located along one of the border’s most heavily protected sections, highlighting the drawbacks of border fortifications.