14 People Detained After Panga Boat Lands In Laguna Beach

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Fourteen people were detained by authorities after their panga boat washed up on the Laguna Beach coastline Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A Facebook video circulated that same day showing a group of people hastily exiting from a boat that had come ashore at Agate Street Beach in Laguna Beach, the report said. The incident occurred at around 10 a.m. Wednesday, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.

The 14 people detained include nine men and three women from Mexico, a Guatemalan man and a U.S. resident who "served as a pickup crew driver," the report said.

Life vests and gasoline were found on the boat and shoreline, officials told the Los Angeles Times.

Officials told the Los Angeles Times that small boat vessels are typically used to smuggle migrants, as well as narcotics, into the United States.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which leads enforcement efforts on illegal immigration.

An estimated 12 gallons of gas was found aboard the panga boat, and life jackets were recovered along the shoreline, Laguna Beach Police Department Lieutenant Cornelius Ashton said.

To read the full report on the panga boat that washed up on Laguna Beach shores, view the complete article on the Los Angeles Times.