A beached panga boat with more than 570 pounds of marijuana was seized by Ventura County Sheriff's deputies Saturday off Pacific Coast Highway at Deer Creek Road. Panga boat
Del Mar, California – A tragic scene unfolded early Monday morning along the Southern California coast when a small boat believed to be involved in a human smuggling operation overturned off the coast of Del Mar, leaving three people dead, four hospitalized, and as many as nine others still unaccounted for.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it received reports of an overturned vessel around 6:30 a.m. north of Torrey Pines State Beach. When rescue crews arrived, they discovered the capsized panga boat—a type often used in maritime smuggling—along with three deceased individuals and four others who required immediate medical care.
“It was an old, beat-up boat,” said Lt. Nick Backouris of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. “It appears to have been used to bring people into the U.S. illegally.” While authorities have not confirmed the nationalities of the individuals involved, law enforcement sources said the incident is being treated as part of an ongoing issue involving migrant smuggling attempts by sea.
Coast Guard spokesperson Adam Stanton said nine people remain missing and may have either made it to shore or remain in the water. “That nine number doesn’t mean they are in the water,” Stanton said. “They could have already reached land.”
The Coast Guard has deployed multiple resources in the search, including a 45-foot response boat, the cutter Sea Otter, and aerial support. Lifeguards, Border Patrol, and San Diego Police are also involved in the operation. Encinitas Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Sanchez estimated that there were 18 people aboard the vessel when it capsized.
Officials emphasized that, despite uncertainty about the missing individuals’ status, the search remains active out of caution. “We just want to make sure we don’t leave anyone behind,” Stanton said.
The U.S. Border Patrol has since taken over the investigation. According to the Coast Guard, maritime smuggling continues to be a persistent and dangerous trend. There have been 260 known maritime smuggling events this fiscal year alone—28 of which were reported in March.
This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks people take in pursuit of a better life, and the deadly toll such attempts can exact when orchestrated through illegal and often unsafe means.
