Customs and Border Protection agents summoned to investigate an abandoned boat in Newport Harbor spotted another craft speeding across the water and discovered 18 people suspected of illegally entering the U.S. when they intercepted it Tuesday, Dec. 21.

A resident living near the 600 block of Lido Park Drive called  the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Harbor Patrol to report an unfamiliar boat docked in his spot on the harbor early Tuesday morning, OCSD Sgt. Todd Hylton said. Deputies found signs that the abandoned vessel may have carried undocumented migrants into the country and notified Customs and Border Protection.

The interior of a boat reported abandoned at Newport Harbor and investigated by Customs and Border Protection agents Tuesday, Dec. 21 that may have been used to smuggle undocumented migrants into the U.S.

Federal officials were examining the docked and empty boat at 12:15 p.m. when they saw a small “heavily laden recreational vessel” speeding through the harbor, CBP officials said in a statement. They notified agents stationed at the Port of Long Beach who intercepted the craft.

A total of 18 people suspected of being unlawfully present in the United States were aboard the speeding boat, CBP officials said. They were all taken into custody and transported to the San Clemente Border Patrol Station.

CBP officials reported a spike in the number of undocumented migrants attempting to come into the U.S. on small vessels repurposed for smuggling referred to as panga boats. They risk getting lost or capsizing on open waters and are typically charged thousands of dollars to embark on the hazardous journeys.

Related Articles