Twenty-four people were arrested this morning while allegedly trying to enter the country illegally in a 25-foot panga, the U.S. Border Patrol reported.
Twenty men and four women were taken into custody about 4:30 a.m. at Crystal Cove State Park, said Gerardo Gutierrez of the border patrol.
No drugs were found, Gutierrez said. Assisting in the arrests were Newport Beach police officers, Orange County sheriff's deputies, and state parks security personnel.
The Orange County coastline has become a hot spot for illegal immigrant and marijuana smuggling in recent years.
In February, also at Crystal Cove, nine suspects were detained and over 1,000 pounds of pot were confiscated during another smuggling attempt.
And in July 2011 at Crystal Cove, a panga boat carrying 15 illegal immigrants flipped in the surf. No one was hurt or killed, but 14 people, all Mexicans, were taken into custody.
-- City News Service contributed to this report.
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