Woman, 73, Pleads Guilty in Cross-Border Tunnel Scheme

A 73-year-old Southern California woman admitted Thursday to facilitating a cross-border drug tunnel earlier this year.

Glennys Rodriguez of Chula Vista pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, admitting that she agreed to rent a warehouse at 10145 Via De La Amistad in San Diego. A tunnel on the property was found by federal agents in April.

Rodriguez admitted that she arranged for a third person to be the warehouse’s renter while knowing that it would be used for illegal purposes, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said she also admitted that she was given cash from people in Mexico to facilitate the rental of the warehouse.

Rodriguez acknowledged to prosecutors that she knew “the cash used for the rental of the Amistad Warehouse was derived from illegal and unlawful sources,” according to the news release.

Further, prosecutors said she knew the cash used to pay for the rental was proceeds from drug trafficking.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered the tunnels in Otay Mesa. One tunnel was discovered at 10005 Marconi Drive. The second was found at 10145 Via de la Amistad.

Both locations were in an industrial area just a few hundred feet from the border with Mexico. Federal agents reported the tunnels included lighting and a rail system.

Rodriguez will be sentenced on Feb. 27. A maximum sentence for the crime is 20 years in prison.

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