Federal agents recently intercepted a suspicious fishing boat off the coast of Newport Beach, detaining 14 individuals in connection with a Newport Beach maritime smuggling attempt.
According to reports from the California Post and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on the 3rd, when law enforcement spotted the vessel and ordered it to stop.
Footage from the scene shows agents approaching in high-speed interceptor boats and boarding the ship with weapons drawn. As an agent shouted that there were eight people below deck, the hidden occupants emerged from the cramped space one by one.
The boat carried a total of 14 people, including 11 adult males, two adult females, and one minor male. All individuals were identified as Mexican nationals, handed over to the Border Patrol, and placed into custody while the vessel was seized.
In connection with this case, 44-year-old Jose Miguel Castro-Dueñas, a Mexican national previously deported on alien smuggling charges, has been re-indicted. Federal prosecutors stated that Castro-Dueñas was convicted of alien smuggling in 2007, served approximately 13 months, and was deported in 2008. However, he illegally re-entered the U.S. by boat in September and joined an international smuggling ring.
Investigators revealed that Castro-Dueñas accumulated an $18,000 smuggling debt to the organization and agreed to work off $1,000 for each pickup he successfully executed. On the day of the incident, he was reportedly directed by the organization to pick up migrants near Newport Harbor.
Bill Esserghli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, stated that a previously deported alien smuggler illegally returned to the U.S. and resumed smuggling activities along the coastline, calling the incident a blatant attack on the rule of law and national sovereignty.
Maritime smuggling attempts have been on the rise in Newport Beach. Last month, a suspected smuggling vessel approached a private dock in Newport Harbor and dropped off 12 men before fleeing the scene.
In response to the recurring incidents, the city of Newport Beach is pursuing the installation of two surveillance cameras at the harbor entrance. The plan involves utilizing breakwaters and existing infrastructure to monitor vessels entering and leaving the harbor 24 hours a day, enabling authorities to respond swiftly to suspicious movements.
