Federal agents arrested four Mexican citizens and seized more than a ton of marijuana after spotting a small fishing vessel stranded on Santa Rosa Island during the weekend, authorities said.
A U.S. Navy helicopter initially spotted the vessel, known as a “panga,” traveling north about 46 miles west of Point Loma last Thursday with several people and multiple bales of suspected narcotics on board, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
After monitoring the boat for an hour, Navy pilots needed to refuel the chopper and left the scene. Authorities called off the search after failing to relocate the vessel, but launched patrols over the Channel Islands in case the suspected smugglers made landfall.
On Saturday afternoon, authorities spotted wreckage on a Santa Rosa Island beach, about 26 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara. Agents were lowered by helicopter and discovered the four suspects hiding in the vegetation, in addition to uncovering 46 bales of marijuana totaling 2,448 pounds, according to a criminal complaint filed yesterday.
“We haven’t had any interceptions that far north in decades,” said Vincent Bond, a spokesman for the CBP’s San Diego office. “We do intercept a growing number of vessels closer to the border.”
According to the complaint penned by Ricardo Rodriguez, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the boat was likely heading to Santa Barbara or Santa Maria when it ran out of fuel.
Under questioning, one of the four suspects reportedly told agents he had been approached by a man known as “El Chunco” while traveling to Ensenada. The suspect accepted a proposal to deliver marijuana to the United States for a fee of $10,000, and brought in a friend from his neighborhood to help out.
They met up with a third man in Ensenada on Thursday and received a satellite positioning system from “El Chunco” with a programmed route they were to follow, according to the complaint.
A fourth man who joined them on the vessel had apparently paid $2,000 to be smuggled into the United States.
After setting off from Ensenada, the suspects eventually noticed the Navy helicopter monitoring their progress northward and shut down the outboard engines until it left, according to the complaint. They continued their journey until running out of gasoline and coming ashore on Santa Rosa Island.
The four suspects identified in the complaint are Jesus Efrain-Armenia, Francisco Javier Gracia-Esquivel, Jose Antonio Rodriguez-Lopez and Fidel Sanchez-Zavala. Bond said they would be charged with smuggling narcotics.
The spokesman said authorities have seen an increase in attempts to utilize small vessels to smuggle drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States from Mexico.
“We suspect it’s in response to the fact that the land border security has tightened significantly over the past several years, to the point that this riskier attempt has to be taken to ferret people or narcotics into the country,” Bond said.
He added that a small amount of the seized marijuana would be retained as evidence, while the majority will be destroyed.
“Any time you can get a ton of marijuana off the streets or prevent it from reaching the streets of America is a good day,” he said.
See this is what happens... : 3/10/2010
If we just made drugs legal for people who need it, this would not happen, oh wait, it is legal right? Hmmm I guess it still is profitable to bring it up from Mexico......
SBman
Right on SBman : 3/10/2010
The ballot initiative to make marijuana legal does not curb this kind of thing at all. It simply says that you can possess and buy an ounce without legal penalty. Doesn't do a thing to control supply side, so the blackmarket will explode under 'legalization'. Cartels and traffickers have even more incentive now to get the pot here illegally because people can buy it without penalty. Instant market! Whoo hoo! We've already seen this with 'medical' marijuana - supply is totally unregulated. People making 'oil' using butane in apartments - that will be the norm. Grows up in the mountains - that already is the norm. No reason to stop now. Subverting public land is a lot cheaper than renting or buying farmland or houses to grow it in. California is being so stupid about this. WAKE UP!
Calling it like it is
TIred of the potheads : 3/10/2010
Every week we are subjected to crime and drugs involving marajuana, and every week the potheads post crap about "how are crime problems will go away with legalizing pot..." Give us all a break and get real jobs potheads!
just bust the pot shops... : 3/10/2010
It's so much cheaper, you don't need helicopters...Like 'tired" said it's all because of us potheads who don't work. We're the real problem right! Just keep thinking that way and you'll be buying the Coast Guard or Border Patrol a whole new fleet of helicopters for drug enforcement!!! I'm sure that's the solution the country is looking for...sorry for ruining your badge crush moment, and an apology to the Canna-Med and the well that is advertising next to my post! (???)
Boycott Boy
I'm tired of drug warriors and alcoholics : 3/10/2010
@ TIred of the potheads
"Give us all a break and get real jobs potheads!"
I hire people.But, I can't hire people with a drug conviction. The insurance companies will not let me hire someone with a drug conviction. If you molested children, I can hire you. If you killed your neighbor, I can hire you. In the country illegally, I can hire you. Bad alcoholic, I can hire you. Caught with a joint, I can't hire you. Besides, have you seen the job market lately? There are not any jobs unless you want a government job, where, I can hire you...except if you have a drug conviction. So, Mr. Tired of Potheads, exactly where do you propose those with drug convictions get hired? You're not adding anything to the conversation here. If we ratchet down the drug war and drug convictions maybe these guys could get a job. Currently, they are not allowed a job, so what do you expect them to do? What can they do? I've had to turn away people that I felt would do a good job because of these drug laws.
Get it over with and legalize the stuff so we can get back to work. I'm tired of alcoholics.
TYC
FEDZ : 3/10/2010
boooooooooooo
37AQL
: 3/10/2010
If it matters the Marijuana that comes from Mexico is Dirt Weed(Low Quality) anyway. Its not like it would have fetched a high price on our black market and even less in a dispensary. The brick weed was most likely headed to a street gang that is cartel controlled. So the real problem is gang and illegal Immigration activity. The war on drugs is coming to an end. Just visit http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/53 to see why. The people making money on smuggling are those damn Canadians. This is according to the DEA website; http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/state_factsheets.html
"Prices and Potency (THC Content)
Prices for commercial-grade marijuana have remained relatively stable over the past decade, ranging from approximately $400 to $1,000 per pound in U.S. Southwest border areas to between $700 to $2000 per pound in the Midwest and northeastern United States. The national price range for sinsemilla, a higher quality marijuana usually grown domestically, is between $900 and $6,000 per pound.
BC Bud sells for between $1,500 and $2,000 per pound in Vancouver; but when smuggled into the United States, it sells for between $5,000 and $8,000 per pound in major metropolitan areas."
Its white people in their 40's and 50's here in up state CA that grow the majority of marijuana for the medical community. Domestically grown Marijuana is worth a lot more because its better quality. The smugglers will eventually fade.
Iam glad they got Crappy Weed off the streets
Let us be fair --- make Alcohol illegal : 3/10/2010
Alcohol suppliers and drinkers need to be shot on sight...they are the main ones messing up the world. Mary Jane users should at least be ashamed and give up trying to make the world look better via self medication. The prescription drugs that the MD's are using to grow their business profits, avoiding looking their patients in the eye, should be taken away as well. Coffee just makes people into jerks. All forms of refined sugar need to be outlawed as well to prevent these diabetic diseases. A pleasant world for us straight arrow people is just a few good paid off politicians away. Or maybe legalize and regulate it all (and educate with the taxes) and let the dealers suffer the drop in price?
just a nice fellow
YEAH!!! : 3/10/2010
MAKE TABACCO AND ALCOHOL ILLEGAL!!!
OUR CHILDREN WALK INFRONT OF LIQUORS IN BARS EVEY SINGLE DAY!!!!
LETS MAKE IT FAIR!!
Let's see what will happen : 3/10/2010
Just legalize crack cocaine and meth. It'll take the drug lords out of it, right?
SB Citizen
: 3/10/2010
That what the Mexican President did
SB Citizen
: 3/11/2010
and mexico is so much better off.......hey that must be why everyone is trying to sneak in.....oh wait
When its legal they dont call it meth : 3/12/2010
DEXEDRINE (dextroamphetamine sulfate) is the dextro isomer of the compound d,l -amphetamine sulfate, a sympathomimetic amine of the amphetamine group. Chemically, dextroamphetamine is d-alpha-methylphenethylamine, and is present in all forms of DEXEDRINE as the neutral sulfate. Is one of the strongest stimulants you can get next to DESOXYN® (methamphetamine hydrochloride tablets, USP), chemically known as (S)-N,a-dimethylbenzeneethanamine hydrochloride, is a member of the amphetamine group of sympathomimetic amines. Which can all be obtained by a doctor. The difference between those drugs and meth are the amount of impurities in meth, that is what kills most of the users are the impurities. People smoke these pills just like crack, they just clean off the outer coating and smoke it on foil.
Just to let you know
Do you drink beer?? : 3/13/2010
Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, a member of the hemp family. Humulus lupulus grow on both coasts of the US, and in Europe. Hops are an essential ingredient in beer because they contain slightly to very bitter essential oils that help to give beer, ale and the like its tang.
Hemp is another word for cannabis
heroin is legal in England? : 3/14/2010
This article seems to show that taking the money out of heroin removes the societal costs of policing and other treatment. People grow out of the habit and can maintain fairly normal lives until then.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/misc/60minliv.htm
google it
They should sell it back to save their jobs : 3/15/2010
They should sell it back to the cartels to save their jobs for this June's Police Job Cuts.
: 3/18/2010
Thanks for the druglibrary website i found it interesting
don't legalize it : 6/24/2010
What will happen when your kids start doing it!
i rather they smoke than drink : 6/24/2010
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