High Seas

Nearly 1/2 ton of marijuana seized from teens aboard boat

Three teenagers were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle more than a half-ton of marijuana into the U.S. in a sailboat.
     
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the weekend arrests on Tuesday.
   
The Coast Guard spotted the 22-foot boat off San Diego on Saturday, agency officials said. Aboard were two men, ages 18 and 19, and a 19-year-old woman who told authorities they were heading back from a fishing trip to Ensenada, in Mexico.
     
The boat was escorted to Shelter Island and inspected. Customs officials say a drug-sniffing dog alerted agents, who found 277 packages of pot with a total weight of 1,060 poinds hidden under the deck. Officials said the drugs were worth about $636,000.
     
Similar loads of marijuana were seized from small vessels two weeks ago and in January.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us