About 15 people are in custody after a panga was spotted in the La Jolla area early Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said.
The panga-style vessel was spotted off the coast near the Birdrock neighborhood in La Jolla at around 3:35 a.m., CBP said.
Moments later, CBP agents observed the panga land near Nautilus Street and arrested a total of 15 people--13 men and two women.
Of the 13 men arrested, 12 are Mexican nationals and one is a Guatemalan national. The two women are from El Salvador and Guatemala, CBP said.
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The 15 people in custody will be transported to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing.
Pangas are small motorized fishing boats often used for human and drug smuggling from Mexico to the United States.
No other information was available.
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