Crime & Safety

2 Smugglers Found With 333 lbs Of Methamphetamine Off OC Coast

Officers detained a vessel off Huntington Beach Monday discovering pockets of meth hidden in multiple compartments, in a bust worth $900K.

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US Coastguard and a joint team arrested two Mexican nationals, and prevented over $900,000 worth of methamphetamine from entering the United States.
US Coastguard and a joint team arrested two Mexican nationals, and prevented over $900,000 worth of methamphetamine from entering the United States. (Renee Schiavone/Patch)

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA— Two were arrested, and several hundred pounds of methamphetamine were discovered inside a boat bound for the United States on Monday. Two Mexican nationals driving the small boat were detained in the early morning hours near Huntington Beach. The boat was taken to a United States Coast Guard station in Long Beach for inspection.

"Approximately 333 pounds of methamphetamine was discovered in various locations throughout the vessel by a canine team," a spokesperson reported. "A field test kit confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine."

Methamphetamine was found inside compartments within the vessel found off Huntington Beach Monday (US Customs and Border Protection photo)

According to the United States Border Patrol officers, the methamphetamine discovery amounted to an estimated street value of over $900,000.

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The men arrested were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force.

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