SAN DIEGO BAY, CA - MARCH 8: Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents of the Marine Interdiction Unit search the horizon for Mexican smuggling boats at the opening of the San Diego harbor on March 8, 2006 in San Diego, California. The CBP boat is roughly 8 miles from the U.S.-Mexican border with Tijuana on the Pacific Ocean. CBP agents patrol 91 coastal miles along the southern California coast to the Mexican border. Smugglers moving north are often interdicted at sea carrying marijuana along with their human cargo. Mexicans can pay 1200-1300 USD for a passage depending on where they are dropped off. The 25 foot CBP boat uses a variety of radar inputs from the U.S Navy fleet stationed at San Diego and from the US Coast Guard patrolling the area off of Point Loma, California. It is estimated that some 6.3 million illegal Mexican immigrants live in the US and some 485,000 undocumented Mexican immigrants enter the US annually. The US government estimates 11 million illegal immigrants reside in the US In 2005, San Diego and Imperial counties of southern California deported 40,335 Mexican and Central American immigrants. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
San Diego, California – A heartbreaking chapter has closed in the aftermath of a suspected human smuggling tragedy off the coast of Del Mar earlier this month. The body of 10-year-old Mahi Brijeshkumar Patel, who has been missing since a smuggling boat capsized on May 5, was found on May 21 by a passerby on Torrey Pines State Beach, officials confirmed this week.
Patel was one of approximately 16 to 18 people aboard the suspected smuggling vessel that overturned in the early morning hours. She was the final victim unaccounted for. Her identity was confirmed through DNA testing by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office. The cause of death is still pending.
The incident claimed three lives, including Mahi’s 14-year-old brother. Her parents survived but were hospitalized with injuries. Two other victims — Mexican nationals aged 18 and 55 — also died in the tragedy.
The capsized vessel, believed to be a panga boat commonly used in maritime smuggling operations, flipped near Torrey Pines just after 6:30 a.m. on May 5. Emergency responders reported that bodies had washed ashore and several passengers were rescued, including four who were transported to Scripps Health facilities with respiratory issues. One patient was listed in critical condition.
Authorities discovered 18 life vests aboard the vessel, but many on board were reportedly not wearing them. The U.S. Coast Guard said it remains unclear where the boat originated, but officials suspect it was part of a human smuggling operation traveling north from Mexico.
Federal officials have since arrested five individuals in connection with the incident. Among them are the suspected captain and co-captain, who face potential human smuggling charges. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has stated that the Department of Homeland Security will recommend that the Department of Justice seek the death penalty for the suspects, citing the Immigration and Naturalization Act and the Federal Death Penalty Act.
