ENCINITAS — The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 13 migrants aboard a panga-style vessel approximately 22 miles west of Encinitas on Friday, officials said.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations patrol aircraft spotted the vessel at 7:20 p.m. and alerted Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Diego, the department said.
The Coast Guard cutters Haddock and Benjamin Bottoms were diverted to respond, and small boat crews were launched to intercept the vessel.
The AMO aircraft tracked the panga until it entered the U.S. Contiguous Zone, a maritime area extending 24 nautical miles from the U.S. coastline, guiding Coast Guard crews to its location.
Authorities took 13 adults into custody, including 10 men and three women, all of whom claimed Mexican nationality.
The Coast Guard transported the individuals to Sector San Diego, where they were turned over to Border Patrol personnel in San Clemente.
The incident is the latest in a series of apparent maritime smuggling attempts along the San Diego coastline. Last week, a boat carrying several people washed ashore in Ocean Beach. In January, the Coast Guard stopped a panga boat with 15 migrants off Point Loma. Just weeks later, Oceanside lifeguards discovered a panga-style vessel carrying 26 people that had run out of fuel about a mile off the coast near Oceanside Harbor.
Last April, cell phone video depicted between 15 and 20 people jumping out of a suspicious motorboat and onto a Carlsbad beach, with most of the individuals jumping into a waiting SUV on Garfield Street and Grand Avenue before the vehicle sped off, according to NBC7.
