Marijuana Boat In Southern California Waters Busted By Coast Guard, Officials Say
Even in Los Angeles, the medical marijuana capital of the nation, where weed is semi-legal and certainly out-in-the-open, contraband pot seems to come at us from all directions -- by land, air and sea. Well, at least by land and by sea.
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U.S. Coast Guard and Customs & Border Protection officials said they nabbed a "drug boat" carrying 35 bundles of pot this morning off San Miguel Island, one of Southern California's Channel Islands off the Ventura County coast.
Also on-board:
Wiki
Three men. Make that three suspects, according to a Coast Guard statement.
A CBP plane on patrol in the skies above spotted the suspicious boat and called in the U.S. Coast Guard from L.A. and Long Beach, the Coast Guard says: The CHP increased patrols along the coast just in case the alleged drug boat landed.
Then, says the Coast Guard:
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles was launched and located the boat at about 9:55 a.m. The small boat was stopped in the water presumably after running out of fuel.
The Coast Guard cutter Blackfin eventually reached the vessel and took the men into custody.
Another USCG boat was working on grabbing the boat and the weed, according to officials. All -- the suspects, the pot, the boat -- will be turned over to U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, says the Coast Guard.
Prosecution? Likely.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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