A possible human smuggling attempt in Mission Bay is under investigation Sunday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Coast Guard said officers spotted a boat at around 12:30 p.m. and with the help of CBP boats stopped the boat, and those onboard boarded off in Dana Point.
Officials said 15 suspected undocumented immigrants were on board. The immigrants have been taken into custody and the boat has been seized.
The incident comes as border patrol said they've ramped up holiday weekend patrols amid a wave of smuggling attempts.
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"Recent maritime events have demonstrated that smugglers exploit migrants and put lives in significant danger for their own profit,'' said Aaron Heitke, of the U.S. Border Patrol's San Diego sector.
In May, two such attempts resulted in fatalities, with three people dying on May 2 in a wreck off the coast of Point Loma and another person dying on May 20 when a panga boat capsized off the shore of La Jolla.
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NBC 7 has reached out to CBP for more details on the incident.
No other information was available.
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