Crime & Safety
Smuggling Boat Intercepted, 10 People Held, Authorities Say
Fishing boat used for smuggling was stopped near the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach.
Ten people were detained today when a fishing boat being used for human smuggling was intercepted off the Orange County coast by sheriffs deputies assisting a federal operation, authorities said.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department's Harbor Patrol was tipped off about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday that a smuggling boat would be off the coast, a member of the Seal Beach Police Department told a camera crew at the scene. The boat and 10 people on board were detained around midnight near Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, he said, adding that the 30-foot fishing boat featured sleeping quarters.
"Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol assisted in a federal case involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection," said Sgt. John Whitman, the watch commander of the county Sheriff's Department's Harbor Patrol.
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At the scene this morning were Immigration and Naturalization Service agents, Border Patrol agents, sheriff's deputies and officers from the Seal Beach and Cypress police departments.
—City News Service
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