Police: Beached drug smugglers 'didn't read surf report'

 

At least 250 pounds of marijuana, 250 gallons of gasoline and a demolished boat were found Thursday along the beach near Point Mugu State Park in another apparent smuggling incident around the Ventura-Los Angeles County line. Investigators responded about 7:45 a.m. to reports of gasoline containers on the water and beach near the Pacific Coast Highway and Deer Creek Road. In addition to more than a dozen large containers filled with gasoline, they found bricks of marijuana and clothing items along the beach, sheriff's officials said. A boat was later found grounded on some rocks near Deer Creek, authorities said. None of the suspected smugglers were found or arrested. Assistant Sheriff Gary Pentis said it appeared they had a vehicle waiting for them to accept a delivery after they came ashore. Given all the gasoline on the boat, which had two motors, they were probably planning on making a round trip before they apparently crashed into the rocks, officials said. "They didn't read the weather or surf report," Pentis said, referring to Thursday's strong waves. The incident was at least the seventh suspected smuggling case reported in or near Ventura County in recent months, including several between Point Mugu and Malibu. And Santa Barbara County authorities reported finding a suspected drug-smuggling boat off the Gaviota coast just Wednesday. Authorities say smugglers have been pushing farther north from Mexico into Ventura County and other areas to avoid border security. Pentis said the trend actually has been occurring since the 1980s. "Smugglers are seeing heavy pressure in San Diego and Los Angeles, so they look for more remote beaches such as this," he said. Capt. Scott Dettorre of the Ventura County Fire Department said emergency personnel initially treated Thursday's incident as a water rescue. They found a panga-style vessel — a type of small, open boat often used by smugglers — grounded on the rocks and heavily damaged. That type of boat typically holds three or four people, officials said. Crews searched the ocean over a one-mile radius, did not find anyone and then began a land search, Dettorre said. Searchers included Ventura County and Los Angeles County firefighters, sheriff's deputies, state park officials, lifeguards, the Coast Guard and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Sheriff's Capt. Mike Aranda said at least 250 pounds of marijuana and up to 250 gallons of gasoline were recovered from the apparent drug-smuggling operation. The pot was mostly found on the beach near a stairway leading up to the highway. Also Thursday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said an abandoned panga boat found off the Gaviota coast Wednesday was empty, but evidence showed it was being used for drug trafficking. The department asked the public to be on the lookout for suspected Mexican smuggling boats spotted recently off the Santa Barbara coast. Panga boats typically are 19 to 28 feet long, but the one recovered Wednesday was 30 feet, authorities said. Ten people were detained only last Friday after a boat possibly involved in human smuggling washed ashore north of Malibu. No drugs were found then. Another possible human smuggling case occurred in late July after an abandoned boat was found near Surfers Point in Ventura. A few weeks earlier, 15 suspected undocumented immigrants were discovered on Santa Cruz Island, where they were reportedly abandoned by a smuggler. In late June, a group of suspected undocumented immigrants was found near Malibu. In March, suspected smugglers and more than a ton of marijuana were found on Santa Rosa Island after their boat reportedly ran out of gas. Aranda said authorities do not know if any of the smuggling incidents are connected. "This has become a common occurrence," he said Thursday.