MALIBU—Sixty pounds of marijuana was found near an abandoned panga boat in Malibu on Sunday, January 5.
According to a press release from the U.S. Border Patrol, a 40-foot panga was found beached at Deer Creek at about 7:45 a.m. The Maritime Coordination Center made the initial report. The panga was equipped with three powerful outboard engines. Officials did not find anyone in or around the boat and no arrests were made.
They discovered several pounds of marijuana totaling 60.08 pounds and more than 500 gallons of fuel on board. Patrol officials stated that:
“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. 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 estimated value of the marijuana is $24,000 on the street.
In September 2019, another panga boat was found off the coast of Malibu containing 577 pounds of marijuana and 605 gallons of gasoline. The 35 foot boat was discovered in the early hours of the morning in the area of Pacific Coast HighwayMa and Deer Creek Road. Cases of marijuana were found in the panga, scattered on the beach and floating in the water.
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.
