Agents Seize Boats Packed With 1,270 Lbs. of Marijuana

Photo: Marijuana seized by agents from multiple agencies in San Diego’s Mission Bay. Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

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Two boats loaded with more than 1,270 pounds of marijuana were stopped in Mission Bay this week, and another vessel occupied by five undocumented immigrants was intercepted near Ballast Point, federal authorities reported today.

A team of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Homeland Security personnel spotted the first of the suspected smuggling vessels, a 29-foot Amato, headed toward Dana Landing around 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to CBP spokesman Ralph DeSio.

The boat was initially stopped for a documents check, but agents noticed an anomaly in its deck and called for drug-sniffing dogs. The agents were then alerted to 956 pounds of marijuana in more than 100 bundles, DeSio said.

The dogs also tipped off agents to a second vessel that contained 321 pounds of marijuana, DeSio said.

Three people were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempts, he said. Their names were not released.

Also on Monday, the Coast Guard made contact with the occupants of a boat that went aground near Ballast Point. Coast Guard personnel found four men and a woman, all Mexican citizens, and turned them over to the Border Patrol, DeSio said.

--City News Service

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