San Diego

19 Detained on Suspected Smuggling Boat Off San Diego's Coast

Nineteen people were taken into custody, including two suspected smugglers.

Nineteen people suspected of trying to enter the U.S. illegally were detained off the coast of La Jolla early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Around 1:50 a.m., a U.S. Coast Guards boat detected and intercepted a suspected smuggling boat about 8 miles off WindanSea Beach, a spokesperson said.

Nineteen people were on board and the U.S. Customs Border Protection was contacted to take them into custody.

Two of the 19 people were suspected to be smugglers and face charges of human smuggling, the CBP said.

This is the third time in as many weeks smuggling boats have been spotted off San Diego's coast.

On Aug. 26, the Coast Guards intercepted a boat also carrying 19 people on board off Point Loma.

A week later, 19 people were detained after a panga boat washed ashore in Carlsbad.

On Thursday, a boat with nearly two dozens people on board landed near Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. The people exited the boat and were seen getting into two cars leaving the area, according to the San Diego Police Department.

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