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Malibu |
The discovery of an abandoned smuggling boat with 250 pounds of marijuana last Friday, along with the arrest of 10 illegal immigrants from Mexico the week before, are the latest incidents in an ongoing trend of human traffickers and drug smugglers targeting the Malibu area.
By Megan Farmer / Special to The Malibu Times
An abandoned drug smuggling boat found just north of Leo Carrillo State Beach last Friday, which contained at least 250 pounds of marijuana, is the latest example of a trend of human traffickers and drug smugglers heading further north up the California coastline to circumvent U.S. authorities.
Friday's discovery followed the apprehension of 10 Mexican nationals in Malibu a week before. The eight men and two women, ranging in age from 20 to 40, were discovered after their 25-foot, open-air “panga” boat washed ashore at Leo Carrillo, officials say. There were no drugs on board and the immigrants have since been deported, according to authorities.
The frequency of these criminal operations have been steadily increasing and creeping further up the coast, said Claude Arnold, Special Agent in Charge at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Los Angeles. ICE is a division of the Department of Homeland Security. This summer has been especially active for smugglers in the Malibu, Ventura and Santa Barbara areas, with six intercepted panga boats between Malibu and Point Mugu since June, Arnold said.
“The increased resources used down south on the border definitely plays a role in the activity we are seeing in Malibu and other areas further north in California,” Arnold said, “This is a sign of desperation on the part of smuggling organizations to move further north and try to avoid border patrol and coast guard authorities.”
ICE spokeswoman Virgina Kice said in 2009, 49 boats were seized and 400 people arrested between San Diego and Santa Barbara. That number more than doubled in 2010 when 110 were boats seized and 867 people arrested, she said. This year is on track to be even higher, with 90 boats seized so far in 2011 and 520 people arrested, Kice said.
The boat trip from Mexico to Malibu is a dangerous and risky one, Arnold said. The small, open panga boats typically have no navigation or safety equipment, and often do not contain life preservers for the passengers, he said. The only equipment smugglers might carry with them are a handheld GPS device and a cell phone.
The smugglers begin their trip from various locations on the Mexican coastline and sail between 50 and 100 miles westward before heading north in an attempt to bypass United States authorities, he said. It costs passengers $3,000 to $4,000 to buy a spot on the boat, and it takes about 12 hours to reach the destination. The trips are usually done overnight and are planned so they land on the California shoreline in the early morning hours when it is still dark and no one is at the beach, Arnold said.
The human traffickers and drug smugglers are one and the same, Arnold said, and they treat their passengers much like they do their drug cargo.
“Passengers are treated as a commodity, they are no different than a bail of marijuana to the smugglers. If some people die or get lost along the way, that's just factored in as a cost of doing business,” Arnold said.
Smugglers will often force passengers to jump out of the boat and swim ashore, resulting in injuries, broken bones and sometimes death.
Malibu Mayor John Sibert said he fears this is a trend that will only continue to increase as border security is strengthened. Sibert said it's difficult to approach this problem at the city level since its roots are based on a national problem and it may be an issue facing Malibu residents until a better immigration worker program or policy is created for the United States. In the meantime, Sibert advises Malibu citizens to keep an eye out for any behavior that seems odd or out of place, and to report any suspicious activity to authorities.
More detai : Malibutimes
By Megan Farmer / Special to The Malibu Times
An abandoned drug smuggling boat found just north of Leo Carrillo State Beach last Friday, which contained at least 250 pounds of marijuana, is the latest example of a trend of human traffickers and drug smugglers heading further north up the California coastline to circumvent U.S. authorities.
Friday's discovery followed the apprehension of 10 Mexican nationals in Malibu a week before. The eight men and two women, ranging in age from 20 to 40, were discovered after their 25-foot, open-air “panga” boat washed ashore at Leo Carrillo, officials say. There were no drugs on board and the immigrants have since been deported, according to authorities.
The frequency of these criminal operations have been steadily increasing and creeping further up the coast, said Claude Arnold, Special Agent in Charge at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Los Angeles. ICE is a division of the Department of Homeland Security. This summer has been especially active for smugglers in the Malibu, Ventura and Santa Barbara areas, with six intercepted panga boats between Malibu and Point Mugu since June, Arnold said.
“The increased resources used down south on the border definitely plays a role in the activity we are seeing in Malibu and other areas further north in California,” Arnold said, “This is a sign of desperation on the part of smuggling organizations to move further north and try to avoid border patrol and coast guard authorities.”
ICE spokeswoman Virgina Kice said in 2009, 49 boats were seized and 400 people arrested between San Diego and Santa Barbara. That number more than doubled in 2010 when 110 were boats seized and 867 people arrested, she said. This year is on track to be even higher, with 90 boats seized so far in 2011 and 520 people arrested, Kice said.
The boat trip from Mexico to Malibu is a dangerous and risky one, Arnold said. The small, open panga boats typically have no navigation or safety equipment, and often do not contain life preservers for the passengers, he said. The only equipment smugglers might carry with them are a handheld GPS device and a cell phone.
The smugglers begin their trip from various locations on the Mexican coastline and sail between 50 and 100 miles westward before heading north in an attempt to bypass United States authorities, he said. It costs passengers $3,000 to $4,000 to buy a spot on the boat, and it takes about 12 hours to reach the destination. The trips are usually done overnight and are planned so they land on the California shoreline in the early morning hours when it is still dark and no one is at the beach, Arnold said.
The human traffickers and drug smugglers are one and the same, Arnold said, and they treat their passengers much like they do their drug cargo.
“Passengers are treated as a commodity, they are no different than a bail of marijuana to the smugglers. If some people die or get lost along the way, that's just factored in as a cost of doing business,” Arnold said.
Smugglers will often force passengers to jump out of the boat and swim ashore, resulting in injuries, broken bones and sometimes death.
Malibu Mayor John Sibert said he fears this is a trend that will only continue to increase as border security is strengthened. Sibert said it's difficult to approach this problem at the city level since its roots are based on a national problem and it may be an issue facing Malibu residents until a better immigration worker program or policy is created for the United States. In the meantime, Sibert advises Malibu citizens to keep an eye out for any behavior that seems odd or out of place, and to report any suspicious activity to authorities.
More detai : Malibutimes
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