Four people have been detained with Border Patrol searching for five more individuals after a panga fishing boat washed ashore Tuesday morning in Laguna Beach.
All of the subjects are men and Mexican nationals, Border Patrol confirmed. The four people who were detained have been transported to a nearby Border Patrol facility, the agency said.
The panga boat washed ashore around 6:25 a.m. on Elmoro Beach in Crystal Cove State Park near lifeguard station No. 3, according to state officials.
This incident is not the first time a panga boat has washed ashore in Laguna Beach. As recently as June 11, a boat suspected of being involved in a human smuggling operation with up to 12 people on board washed ashore.
“These boats are cheap, these motors are cheap,” said Aliso Viejo Resident, Scott Carlton. “It's going to keep happening more and more.”
One school, El Morro Elementary School was under lockdown because of the search connected to the panga boat's discovery. The lockdown has since been lifted.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents are currently combing the area searching for any additional people who could have been on the boat.
