A report of a boat beached on the Southern California coast led to discovery of more than 60 pounds of marijuana last weekend.
The report came in Sunday and agents found a 40-foot panga boat on the shore near Point Mugu State Park in Malibu, the U.S. Border Patrol said.
In addition to the marijuana, investigators found containers filled with more than 500 gallons of fuel in the boat.
The pot has a street value of about $24,000, according to 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," Border Patrol said.
Pangas are the vessel of choice for smuggling contraband up the coast from Mexico. Agents think the drug smugglers were forced to abandon the boat, which had a broken steering cable.
Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations have seized 925 pounds of marijuana and 26 vessels since October, Border Patrol said. More than 280 arrests from maritime smuggling have been made in the region.
