A panga-style boat and a ton of marijuana were discovered early Sunday near a tiny beach community along the Gaviota coast, authorities say.
Investigators were called out in the early morning hours to Arroyo Quemada north of Refugio State Beach west of Goleta, said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
They found the abandoned 30-foot boat with two outboard engines and more than 20 fuel containers, she said.
Hoover said around 50 plastic-wrapped bales of marijuana also were discovered partially hidden in the bushes near the roadway leading from Arroyo Quemada to Highway 101.
The value of the drugs was placed at $4 million, she said.
“A sheriff’s K-9 unit searched the immediate area for any associated suspects and additional evidence of marijuana smuggling,” Hoover said.
No arrests were made.
Arroyo Quemada is an eclectic community of about a dozen homes north of Refugio Beach.
“Panga”-style boats are small watercraft powered by one or more outboard motors. They commonly are used by fishermen in developing countries and have become increasingly popular with smugglers engaged in transporting illegal immigrants, narcotics and other contraband to the United States from Mexico.
Between 2012 and 2013, more than 20 pangas have landed on the Santa Barbara County coastline, Hoover said.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.