Drug busts off San Diego Coast net meth, marijuana

SAN DIEGO (KABC) -- Authorities released images of two drug boat busts off the San Diego coast over the weekend that led to the arrest of six people and seizure of over 500 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 900 pounds of marijuana.

The first apprehension by Customs and Border Protection agents, along with the U.S. Coast Guard happened, around 1:10 a.m. Saturday, when agents detected a panga-style boat traveling northbound off the San Diego coast, according to CBP officials. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour helped CBP agents chase down the boat, which was eventually halted around 12 nautical miles west of Oceanside when agents fired shots into the suspects' engine.

Agents arrested four people from the roughly 28-foot boat and seized 528 pounds of methamphetamine.

The second seizure happened shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday, when the crew on U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Haddock responded to a report of a suspicious vessel and boarded a fishing boat that was docked at the San Diego Bay channel.

CBP agents also responded to the vessel and found two people who did not have proper documentation to be in the United States. The agents took the two into custody and towed the boat to U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego, where a canine team allegedly found 941 pounds of marijuana wrapped in cellophane packages in the boat's center console.

All six suspects were arrested and taken into custody by Homeland Security.

City News Service contributed to this report.