Four Charged after Ton of Marijuana Seized from Boat in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CA -- Four men have been charged with drug trafficking following the seizure of approximately one ton of marijuana found Tuesday on a boat in Long Beach, authorities announced Thursday.

The seizure was the third largest smuggling incident in the last month, the Depart of Justice said. The haul brings to the total amount of marijuana to more than three tons.

Omar Quintero, 28, of Los Angeles, Miguel Angel Quintero Jr., 38, also of Los Angeles; Eliasib Ventura, 34, of Alhambra; and Jonathan Ventura, 31, of Pomona, were taken into custody Tuesday afternoon and were charged Wednesday.

The men were captured after officers with the Long Beach Police Department’s Port Police Division alerted Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force after they had spotted a truck that was under investigation. The truck was hooked to a fishing boat on a trailer at the South Shores launch ramp in Long Beach. A search of the vessel revealed bundles of marijuana inside, according to court documents.

“As drug traffickers continue to use our waters for smuggling, law enforcement will continue to interdict them,” U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said. “These arrests and seizures demonstrate the commitment and cooperation across all levels of law enforcement to stemming the flow of drugs into the United States, by whatever means.”

Quintero was released on a $50,000 bond, but the other three were ordered to detention by a federal judge. All four defendants are scheduled to be arraigned next month.

If convicted of conspiracy with the intent to distribute marijuana, the men would each face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

Tuesday’s arrests and seizure came just one day after Homeland Security Investigation special agents recovered 44 bundles of marijuana weighing approximately 3,000 pounds on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Island National Park. Authorities believe the marijuana may be related to an abandoned Mexican panga discovered by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies on Gaviota Beach in Santa Barbara Sunday afternoon.

“This sudden surge in local maritime smuggling activity is definitely a cause for concern,” said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “By using pleasure craft to ferry contraband, smugglers believe they can more easily blend in with legitimate boating traffic along the Southern California coast, which is all the more reason we need the public to remain vigilant and contact law enforcement if they see anything suspicious.”

-- Photo courtesy of the DOJ