Around eight tons of illegal drugs have been seized in a newly-discovered tunnel running between the US and Mexico.
Federal officials in San Diego say the half-mile-long tunnel connects a Tijuana house with an industrial lot advertised as a wooden pallet business in the Californian city.
The tunnel, which has a railway track, lighting and ventilation, was entered using an elevator large enough for up to 10 people which was hidden in the closet of the Tijuana house.
For 874 yards, the 3ft-wide tunnel then zig-zagged until it reached San Diego, where the exit was covered by a large rubbish bin.
Laura Duffy, US attorney for the Southern District of California, described it as "a rabbit hole".
She added: "Just the whole way that it comes up and that it comes up out right into the open, it is a bit ingenious, I think, and it's something completely different than what we've seen."
Authorities seized more than a ton of cocaine and seven tons of marijuana in the tunnel on Wednesday, revealing that it was the 13th sophisticated secret passage found along the California border with Mexico since 2006.
The region is popular for such tunnels because its soil is quite easy to dig with shovels and pneumatic tools. Both sides of the border also have warehouses that can provide cover for trucks and digging equipment.
Ms Duffy said this tunnel was unusual because it was not just built for marijuana - which is often transported this way because its bulk and smell make evading border inspectors' scrutiny more difficult - but cocaine as well.
Investigators had started monitoring the industrial lot in San Diego last autumn after Border Patrol agents noticed the heavy traffic and become suspicious.
Ms Duffy said she was "fairly confident" that the first drug load was sent earlier this month.
Six people have been arrested in connection with the tunnel, including one US citizen, two Cubans who were granted asylum and three Mexicans who were legally entitled to be in the country, Ms Duffy said.
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