Posted: Dec 10, 2012 10:38 AM by The Associated Press
Updated: Dec 11, 2012 2:29 AM
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities have intercepted a suspected smuggling boat and arrested 25 people on a Los Angeles County beach.
U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Jerry Conlan says the panga boat was spotted just before dawn Monday and it came ashore at a Portuguese Bend beach near Rancho Palos Verdes.
Pangas are open hull fishing boats often used for smuggling drugs or people from Mexico.
The suspected illegal immigrants tried to hide but 25 were captured by 8:30 a.m. It's unclear if any of those arrested are smugglers.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are among several law enforcement agencies searching the area.
Earlier this month, a U.S. Coast Guard chief petty officer was killed when his small boat was rammed by a panga off Santa Cruz Island.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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