Authorities tracking a suspected smuggling boat in the ocean Friday arrested 15 suspected undocumented immigrants after the craft landed in Mission Beach.
U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted the 35-foot fishing boat heading north offshore near Belmont Park about 3:45 a.m., according to USBP public affairs.
The federal agency launched an interceptor boat and helicopter to keep tabs on the skiff, which landed near Ocean Front Walk and San Luis Obispo Place about 15 minutes later.
Border Patrol officers took the suspects — all but one of them male — into custody in the area. The detainees were believed to be Mexican nationals ranging in age from 12 to 47, officials said. They were taken to a USBP station for processing.
