10 Detained In Suspected Human Smuggling Case Near Malibu [California]

10 Detained In Suspected Human Smuggling Case Near Malibu [California]: Ten people were detained

Friday after a boat possibly involved in human smuggling washed ashore near Malibu, authorities said. An

investigation began about 8:30 a.m. when rangers found a 25-foot panga boat washed ashore near Leo

Carrillo State Park, said Capt. Lee Thompson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A panga is a

Mexican-style fishing vessel often used for smuggling. No drugs were found in the boat, Thompson said. At

2 p.m., park rangers found 10 dehydrated suspects about 2 miles down a road inside the park, at a busy

campground, Thompson said. "They were reportedly on the boat for 15 hours without water, so they didn't

get very far," Thompson said. The suspects, eight men and two women, are Mexican nationals from 21 to

40 years old, he said. … Authorities say smugglers have been pushing farther north from Mexico into areas

including Ventura County to avoid border security. Friday's incident was the sixth suspected smuggling

case reported in or near Ventura County in recent months. [HSEC-3.6; Date: 26 August 2011; Source:

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/aug/26/panga-boat-found-along-pch-several-suspects-held/]