14 DAY TRIAL // A panga fishing boat loaded with around a ton of marijuana washed ashore on Monday morning, about 10 miles (16 km) away from Malibu, in California.
The 30-foot (9-meter) long open fishing boat was discovered near the Ventura and Los Angeles county line, close to Leo Carrillo State Park, at about 8 a.m. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were immediately called at the scene, which is a popular surfing spot.
NBC Los Angeles informs that huge sacks stuffed with pot were found onboard the Mexican boat, with a possible street value of $2 million (€1.45 million), depending on the quality of the weed. The weight of the cargo has not been officially confirmed by authorities, but after seeing the vessel, they estimated it weighed more than a ton.
“It's hard to say for certain the exact weight because the drugs are wrapped and sealed numerous times, in large bundles. Two thousand pounds [910 kg] is about all these pangas can fit,” Deputy Joseph Baclawski of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department's Special Enforcement Bureau said, according to Reuters.
The seized bundles of marijuana will be transported to a Homeland Security Investigations office, where their exact weight will be determined.
It's not clear yet how the motor-powered watercraft came to be abandoned, but State Park Rangers, who first noticed the beached boat, say three men were found hiding in bushes nearby and have been taken into custody. One of them was reportedly pretending to be a “regular beach-goer.”
Local authorities even performed a helicopter search to determine if anyone onboard the boat escaped into nearby hills. The three men captured already by the police face criminal trafficking charges and could also be deported.
It is thought the boat washed up on the beach after it started leaking fuel.
Lt. James Royal of the Los Angeles County Sheriff office says pangas – drug smuggling boats – have become popular among smugglers in recent years. He also mentions that these clandestine importation operations often begin south of the Mexican border, but range up and down the California coast.
In September 2013, for instance, 18 people were detained after members of the California National Guard spotted a panga boat near Arroyo Quernada Beach, in Santa Barbara County. More than 2,000 pounds (910 kg) of marijuana were seized on that occasion. And in March 2013 packs of weed worth about $4 million (€2.9 million) were washed ashore near Santa Barbara.