60 Pounds Of Marijuana Seized Near Abandoned Panga In Malibu

CALABASAS, CA — U.S. Border Patrol agents seized 60 pounds of marijuana Sunday near an abandoned panga boat that was beached at Deer Creek Beach in Malibu.

Agents responded to a report from the Maritime Coordination Center at about 7:45 a.m. January 5, that a 40-foot panga with "three powerful outboard engines" had washed ashore, according to the U.S. Border Patrol press release. Agents didn't encounter any people on or near the boat, which was near Point Mugu State Park.

Agents inspecting the boat found several large bundles of marijuana nearby, totaling 60.08 pounds, and more than 500 gallons of fuel on board. The estimated street value of the marijuana was $24,000, authorities said. The marijuana and the panga boat were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

"A vessel of this size, with this much power, is capable of carrying up to 5,000 pounds of narcotics and able to travel at a high rate of speed, U.S. Border Patrol officials said. "Considering these capabilities, a boat like this would not likely be purposefully abandoned. The vessel had a broken steering cable that agents believe forced the smugglers to abandon it."

The U.S. Border Patrol collaborates with federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies to address transnational maritime threats along the Southern California coast, with the mission to increase homeland security by eliminating crime along the coast, officials said.

If you have information about maritime smuggling or suspicious activity along California's coast, contact 9-1-1, the press release said.