About 15 people were found aboard a panga boat landing on Arroyo Quemada beach along the Gaviota coast just before 9 a.m. Monday.
According to a Twitter post from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office public information officer, sheriff’s deputies were on the scene providing aid to the passengers, as well as determining jurisdiction for the case.
“We are coordinating with state and federal agencies to determine jurisdiction and will update this thread with info when it is available,” the post said.
Personnel from the United States Coast Guard, California Highway Patrol, and State Parks also responded to the scene.
Jaime Ruiz, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told Noozhawk that there were 15 migrants on the boat including 12 males and three females.
Ruiz also said that two bundles recovered by Santa Barbara sheriff’s deputies were later identified as approximately 88 pounds of methamphetamine.
“Santa Barbara Sheriffs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations are coordinating a response and transportation of the 15 migrants for processing, as well as the seizing of the drugs,” Ruiz said.
Panga boats with outboard motors occasionally land on the Gaviota Coast, and previous incidents have been connected to human-smuggling and drug-smuggling operations originating in Mexico.
At least 14 people were detained following a panga boat landing near Arroyo Hondo in July.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.