SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says it located another panga boat used to smuggle drugs at Arroyo Quemada Beach.
Sheriff's patrol personnel, as well as sheriff's narcotics investigators, found 2,000 pounds of marijuana on the 30-foot boat early Sunday morning.
Detectives found evidence consistent with marijuana smuggling activities, including trash and debris that was strewn about the beach and nearby trails.
Narcotics detectives say they recovered 50 plastic-wrapped bales of marijuana, weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, with an estimated street value of $4 million. The bales of marijuana were found partially hidden within bushes.
A Sheriff's K9 unit searched the area for suspects, but no one was found.
The seized evidence will undergo further examination and processing. The boat and its fuel containers were removed by Vessel Assist / HSI and will be turned over to the federal government.
Anyone who sees suspicious boats in Santa Barbara County waters and/or any suspicious activity on Highway 101, adjacent to coastal beach access, is asked to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
