BajaNomad - Panga smuggling a deadly $6000 trip from Rosarito to San Diego (6 dead in past year)

Panga smuggling a deadly $6000 trip from Rosarito to San Diego (6 dead in past year)

Woooosh - 10-5-2011 at 02:58 PM

Apparently putting a military barracks above the Popotla smuggling launch point hasn't slowed things down. The boats aren't running full any more though, just like the cruise ships.

One guy swam around the border fence in TJ and didn't make it. (What's it like 25 yards and three feet deep at low tide?)

Second man found dead in a Panga that landed in Pacific Beach at Law street (Tourmaline Surf Park). The pangas used to make it up to Orange County, now they are landing more at the central San Diego beaches.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/05/man-found-dea...

Two dead in separate maritime smuggling incidents

SAN DIEGO — Two people died and 16 others were arrested in two separate maritime incidents involving illegal border crossers, the Border Patrol said Wednesday.

The first incident was reported about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday near the border fence south of Imperial Beach, supervisory Border Patrol Agent Michael Jimenez said.

Agents apprehended two men on the beach who entered the United States from Mexico by swimming around the fence that juts into the ocean near Border Field State Park, Jimenez said.

They told the agents they had lost sight of a third man who was with them. They described him as a poor swimmer.

Agents searched the water and found his body a short time later. It is believed that he drowned, Jimenez said.

About three and a half hours later, agents spotted an 18-to-20 foot-long panga boat traveling in the waters off Pacific Beach with no lights on.

When it came ashore south of Mission Boulevard near Law Street in Pacific Beach, agents found one person near the boat. Agents followed footsteps in the sand to a nearby street where they discovered 13 others from the boat, Jimenez said.

They found one man lying face down in the panga, dead, Agent Damon Foreman said. An autopsy will be conducted to determine how the man died.

Agents determined that 9 men and 6 women had been on the boat originally. Of those, 11 were taken to hospitals to be treated for minor bumps and bruises, Jimenez.

All were treated and released except for one person suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, Jimenez said.

Agents do not how long the boat was on the water nor how the people on board were injured. No drugs or contraband were found.

All of the people involved in both incidents were Mexican citizens, Jimenez said. Their names and ages were not released.

Agents will determine if any have criminal backgrounds and, if so, they could remain in custody. The rest will be formally removed from the country, Jimenez said.

Agents are also trying to determine who was in charge of the panga smuggling attempt.

Jimenez said the incident highlights the extreme danger of trying to enter the country via the ocean.

Six people have died since October of last year in maritime-related incidents, the Border Patrol said.

[Edited on 10-5-2011 by Woooosh]

jakecard - 10-5-2011 at 03:31 PM

Where in the article does it mention $6000?

How do you know the boat was launched from Rosarito?

And what? Not even a picture of the panga? Dang!

Jake

JESSE - 10-5-2011 at 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jakecard
Where in the article does it mention $6000?

How do you know the boat was launched from Rosarito?

And what? Not even a picture of the panga? Dang!

Jake

And apparently Popotla is then only place you can launch a panga in the Tijuana-Ensenada corridor. :lol:

Woooosh - 10-6-2011 at 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE

Quote:

Originally posted by jakecard
Where in the article does it mention $6000?

How do you know the boat was launched from Rosarito?

And what? Not even a picture of the panga? Dang!

Jake

And apparently Popotla is then only place you can launch a panga in the Tijuana-Ensenada corridor. :lol:

Does it matter? The Army is on the beach with trucks all day long here. I see them searching the jetskis surfers use for tows looking for drugs- huh?! A smuggling panga did launch 100 meters from my house a few months back and the pollos capsized in the first set of waves, waded back to shore and were captured. How much fuel would have to carry that would enable a launch from further south? Plenty of pictures in the San Diego media- even them carting the dead body away.

DENNIS - 10-6-2011 at 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

A smuggling panga did launch 100 meters from my house a few months back and the pollos capsized in the first set of waves, waded back to shore and were captured.

Captured? In Mexico, these people are considered righteous migrants. More likely they were saved.

JESSE - 10-6-2011 at 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

A smuggling panga did launch 100 meters from my house a few months back and the pollos capsized in the first set of waves, waded back to shore and were captured.

Captured? In Mexico, these people are considered righteous migrants. More likely they were saved.

Not true, they are usually detained and investigated and the pollero arrested.

DENNIS - 10-6-2011 at 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE

Not true, they are usually detained and investigated and the pollero arrested.

If they were all broke, they wouldn't be bothered.

Woooosh - 10-6-2011 at 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE

Not true, they are usually detained and investigated and the pollero arrested.

If they were all broke, they wouldn't be bothered.

Why? It is not a crime in Mexico.

JESSE - 10-6-2011 at 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE

Not true, they are usually detained and investigated and the pollero arrested.

If they were all broke, they wouldn't be bothered.

Not everything is corrupt dennis, people do their jobs, and thats it. In these cases most of the times theres an investigation, and the people are released.

DENNIS - 10-6-2011 at 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE
Not everything is corrupt dennis, people do their jobs, and thats it. In these cases most of the times theres an investigation, and the people are released.

What job are they doing? Stopping illegal entry into the United States? That's not their job, nor is it their desire.

Boatload of Mexicans leaves the beach in Mexico, gets swamped and the Mexican authorities apprehend the survivors.
I don't see this as a law enforcement activity. What is their reason for detaining the victims?
I can understand that they would lock up the pollero. They pose a threat to humanity as well as work for the enemy. But...the migrants?

Sunman - 10-6-2011 at 01:53 PM

There have been 4 or 5 instances of pangas beaching up here in Ventura County over the past few months.

One group was found beached on the back side of Santa Cruz Island. There have also been sightings of these pangas going around the back side of San Nicholas Island 60 miles off teh coast. I can't imagine being in a boat that small 60 miles to sea much less one that is drastically overloaded.

One can only wonder how many simply never make it and are never seen again.

JESSE - 10-6-2011 at 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE
Not everything is corrupt dennis, people do their jobs, and thats it. In these cases most of the times theres an investigation, and the people are released.

They detain and question the migrants precisely because they want to file charges against the pollero. And because a crime has been commited by the pollero. The migrants are usually released.

SoCal-Bob - 10-6-2011 at 02:06 PM

I need to get my eyes checked. I read the title and thought this thread was about $6000 Panda smuggling. What are them cute little bears doing in Mexico anyway? :lol:

tripledigitken - 10-6-2011 at 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
..........Boatload of Mexicans leaves the beach in Mexico, gets swamped and the Mexican authorities apprehend the survivors.
I don't see this as a law enforcement activity. What is their reason for detaining the victims?
I can understand that they would lock up the pollero. They pose a threat to humanity as well as work for the enemy. But...the migrants?

The pollero being an agent in the process of ultimately getting payments from migrants back to Mexico, may be viewed by the authorities as something other than a criminal. Just a thought.

JESSE - 10-6-2011 at 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SoCal-Bob
I need to get my eyes checked. I read the title and thought this thread was about $6000 Panda smuggling. What are them cute little bears doing in Mexico anyway? :lol:

Dave - 10-6-2011 at 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
Apparently putting a military barracks above the Popotla smuggling launch point hasn't slowed things down.

The military was there BEFORE they started smuggling.

Shocking, no? :rolleyes:

Woooosh - 10-6-2011 at 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE

Not true, they are usually detained and investigated and the pollero arrested.

If they were all broke, they wouldn't be bothered.

Not everything is corrupt dennis, people do their jobs, and thats it. In these cases most of the times theres an investigation, and the people are released.

I find that very true. In Mexico the people who make decisions only address what is on their desk in front of them. They do not ask for what is not there. They do not seek to fully resolve any problem, only clear the paperwork on their desk. That way they don't ever step on anyone else's toes and won't be casually discarded.

Cypress - 10-6-2011 at 03:11 PM

And in the USA? :biggrin:

The same game.

Woooosh - 10-6-2011 at 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
And in the USA? :biggrin:

The same game.

No, I am talking about honest but unmotivated people who just don't do anything beyond what they have to, let alone solve the problem. not corruption.

for the corruption the USA has whistle blower laws...

[Edited on 10-6-2011 by Woooosh]

Cypress - 10-6-2011 at 06:29 PM

And they're blowing the whistle on operation "Fast and Furious". At least they're trying.

Odd story! The US govt. selling guns to the drug cartels etc. Why would they do that?

Woooosh - 10-6-2011 at 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
And they're blowing the whistle on operation "Fast and Furious". At least they're trying.

Odd story! The US govt. selling guns to the drug cartels etc. Why would they do that?

We had a nomad thread about it when the story broke a few months ago. The outrage started when a BP agent was shot by a narco with one of these guns. Then everyone up the chain of command has fallen like dominoes.

Cypress - 10-6-2011 at 08:46 PM

Everyone? :biggrin: