More Brazen Smuggling Activity

On December 9 we reported that drug smugglers were taking increasingly brazen measures to import drugs to the US. Smuggler’s use of fast, open pangas (Mexican fishing boats) to motor up the West Coast is of great concern to California’s law enforcement authorities, and specifically the US Coast Guard, which is tasked with maritime surveillance and drug interdiction efforts.

More recently, on December 30, the San Diego-based U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell interdicted three suspected smugglers and seized 1,375 pounds of cocaine. The upshot of this activity is that mariners on the West Coast need to be extra careful and alert to these illicit activities. 

In the past, smugglers’ activities centered closer to the Mexican border. Today, authorities are seeing a dramatic increase in the distances they travel — as far north as Big Sur for instance. In Santa Barbara, local ranchers have also been put on alert after smugglers landed on their remote beaches to unload large quantities of drugs.

If you happen to see any fast moving pangas, we’d strongly suggest you get out of their way and call the authorities as soon as safely possible. These smuggling activities often take place in broad daylight and you wouldn’t want to get caught-up in the melee.