Seal Beach Navy Weapons Station personnel caught nine individuals who reportedly admitted to being illegal aliens on Wednesday, Nov. 16. A tenth man, a U.S. citizen, has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling aliens.
About 11:45 p.m., the crew of a weapons station boat saw a 24-foot Bayliner recreational boat enter a restricted area and detained the vessel, according to Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Michael R. Jimenez, a public information officer for the Border Patrol’s U.S Border Patrol-San Diego Sector.
Jimenez said the Navy contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
According to Greg Smith, public information officer for the Naval Weapons Station, the Navy and the Sheriff’s Department assisted the border patrol with an anti-smuggling opration in Anaheim Bay on Wednesday night. He said the Sheriff’s Department and the Navy already had boats in the area at the time.
Jimenez said deputies boarded the Bayliner and suspected the 10 people aboard were part of an attempt to smuggle illegal aliens.
“The deputies contacted the Maritime Coordination Center in Long Beach, which dispatched Border Patrol agents to the scene,” Jimenez said. “Agents questioned the captain, a 46-year-old male U.S. citizen, and nine other occupants. Eight males and one female ranging in age from 25 to 54, all Mexican nationals, admitted to illegally entering the United States through the maritime domain. Agents arrested the boat captain on suspicion of alien smuggling, and took the nine Mexican nationals into custody for illegally entry in the U.S. All 10 individuals were transported to a local Border Patrol station for processing and further investigation.”
Smith said the Sheriff’s Department took the suspects to the Navy base to be detained. He said the Border Patrol sent agents to the base.
Smith said it was between 1:30 and 1:45 a.m. when the border patrol with the 10 prisoners.
