Nearly 3 Tons Of Marijuana Seized From Panga On San Miguel Island
SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) — Three Mexican nationals face federal drug trafficking charges after being arrested Sunday in a marijuana-laden panga in the Channel Islands.
The three men were spotted early Sunday morning piloting a panga loaded with nearly three tons of marijuana on San Miguel Island, the westernmost island in the Channel Islands chain, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Adam Eggers said.
The panga was spotted on the island by a Good Samaritan, who contacted law enforcement officers at the Maritime Coordination Center in Long Beach. After a Customs and Border Protection helicopter spotted the suspects, it touched down and the three men were detained, Eggers said.
The panga was towed back to the Coast Guard's base and the 5,700 pounds of marijuana, which has an estimated street value of nearly $3 million, were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, he said.