Another Human Smuggling Incident in Laguna Beach

Reports of human smuggling are surfacing again along the Laguna Beach coastline.

The latest incident occurred last Thursday morning, when two men were arrested at Emerald Bay. Officers from the U.S. Border Patrol are claiming that the men were part of a group of about 10 who had paid upwards of $2,000 apiece to be transported from Mexico to the United States.

The rest of the group, which arrived on the beach in the dark pre-dawn hours of June 16 aboard a small boat, wasn’t able to be located by either the Border Patrol or U.S. Coast Guard, despite a search by helicopter and patrol boat. The men taken into custody told authorities that all persons on the smuggling boat were able to make it to shore safely. The arrestees also reportedly told police that one of the smuggled men who escaped apprehension had a criminal record that included child sexual assault and weapons charges.

Found near the abandoned boat were nine life vests and 13 gas cans containing approximately 80 gallons of fuel.

There were five similar incidents of oceanic human smuggling reported along Orange County beaches in 2010, all a result of beefed-up security measures along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The two Mexican nationals who were taken into custody are reported to be a 34-year-old from Mexicali and a 38-year-old from the state of Sonora.