City officials say the owner filled the tunnel and started eviction; police logged 49 calls in a year.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — A westside neighborhood near Cibola High School is on edge after city code officers uncovered a backyard tunnel leading to an underground bunker at a rental home, a discovery police say coincided with a yearlong spike in thefts and trespassing on the block.
Residents and police describe a sharp turn from quiet streets to constant disturbances over the past 12 months. The Albuquerque Police Department’s Northwest Area Command stepped up patrols as reports of stolen packages, car break-ins and suspicious foot traffic grew. Code enforcement later found a reinforced tunnel connecting the property to a nearby arroyo and alerted police. The homeowner has since filled the bunker and begun eviction proceedings, but tenants are still in place for now. The city’s nuisance abatement rules — which can shutter a problem property — were not used at the time, officials said, leaving neighbors frustrated as they prepare for weeks more of uncertainty.
Neighbors Alandra and Joshua Esquibel said the area “was a very quiet neighborhood” until new tenants moved into the house last year. They described people arriving at all hours, “coming and going” with bags and camping near mailboxes. A neighbor identified only as Kimberly said her suitcase, packed with her child’s clothes, was stolen from her driveway within minutes of being set down; police later detained a suspect seen walking in the area. Police records show officers were called to the block 49 times in the past year for incidents ranging from mail theft to auto burglaries. “It was a large, dug-in tunnel network,” said Albuquerque Police Department Northwest Area Commander Chris Patterson, noting support structures, concrete and brick inside the passage. “It was pretty large … built into the backyard of the house that led into the adjoining arroyo.”
Patterson said detectives believe the bunker served as a hideout and staging point. He linked it to “some auto thefts” and a series of property crimes, and said investigators suspect a drug connection but have not publicly detailed any seizure. The city’s code team, led by manager Jeremy Keiser, said inspectors first focused on the excavation itself, not the pattern of calls for service. Keiser said his office did not initially have the police call history and therefore did not consider a nuisance action at that time. Under the city ordinance, a property can be condemned if criminal activity occurs at least three times within a three-month span. Keiser said that if the homeowner had not filled the tunnel, the ordinance “would have taken place” because the excavation posed “a massive safety issue.” Patterson emphasized that APD can arrest suspects and investigate crimes, but eviction and condemnation decisions rest with civil authorities.
The discovery adds a jarring twist to a region where Cold War-era shelters and DIY storm or storage spaces are not unheard of, but rarely appear in active criminal investigations. Longtime residents said they chose the neighborhood for its schools and easy access to the West Mesa, not for late-night traffic and patrol lights. Police body camera videos from unrelated incidents in the area show otherwise quiet cul-de-sacs and open arroyos where people can quickly come and go. In this case, the tunnel’s outlet into an arroyo gave officers another reason to worry: a ready escape route that is hard to secure and easy to hide. While similar underground spaces elsewhere have been found on rural properties, neighbors here said they had never seen one tied to repeated thefts on a city block.
Legally, the case sits at an in-between moment. The owner has initiated eviction proceedings, and officials said the tenants have until the end of March to leave. The bunker has been filled, according to the city, but officers continue to monitor the block and investigate unsolved thefts that neighbors say started months before the tunnel was found. No condemnation order has been issued under the nuisance ordinance, and officials said they will reassess if new hazards or repeat offenses emerge. APD said it will keep patrols up in the Northwest Area Command and coordinate with code enforcement as reports come in. If charges related to the tunnel or excavation are filed, they would move through Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County; none had been announced as of Friday.
On the street, the mood is anxious. “This community is super scared,” Alandra Esquibel said, noting the tenants remain on the property while the case plays out. Kimberly, the neighbor whose suitcase was stolen, said she still checks her cameras when dogs bark at night. Patterson said officers have talked with residents, gathered videos and compared license plates linked to reported thefts. Keiser said inspectors will return if new complaints are filed, adding that the excavation alone would have triggered action if it had remained open. For now, neighbors say the filled-in dirt is a visible change, but they want the revolving door of visitors to stop. “We moved here because we loved it,” Alandra said. “We thought the location was great.”
As of Friday, patrols continue in the area and the eviction timeline stands, with the next expected change coming at the end of March when the tenants are required to leave. Police said they are still reviewing recent theft reports tied to the block.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.