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Smuggled by Surfboard

Image by Peter C. Salisbury

At about 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, U.S. Border Patrol Agents spotted a surfer paddling north about 200 yards off the Imperial Beach coast, near the Mexican border. On the orange surfboard, agents could see a blue duffle bag that the surfer released into the water and continued paddling north.

Agents ordered the surfer ashore. He seemed to be complying by coming close to the beach but then refused to leave the water. Agents waded out to arrest him.

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The “surfer” was a 30-year-old Mexican citizen who admitted to being in the United States illegally. The blue duffle bag soon washed ashore and inside Border Patrol agents found nearly 25 pounds of marijuana wrapped in five packages. Officials estimated the street value of the pot at more than $74,700, or about $187 an ounce. The suspected smuggler was arrested and taken into custody.

Imperial Beach lifeguards were queried and none had heard of the bust. Local surfers expressed amusement upon hearing of the bust.

One surfer said he had witnessed the bust of a surfer last year who had a surfboard filled with drugs.

"It was really lumpy looking," according to the surfer. “There's some crazy dudes around here."

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At about 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, U.S. Border Patrol Agents spotted a surfer paddling north about 200 yards off the Imperial Beach coast, near the Mexican border. On the orange surfboard, agents could see a blue duffle bag that the surfer released into the water and continued paddling north.

Agents ordered the surfer ashore. He seemed to be complying by coming close to the beach but then refused to leave the water. Agents waded out to arrest him.

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The “surfer” was a 30-year-old Mexican citizen who admitted to being in the United States illegally. The blue duffle bag soon washed ashore and inside Border Patrol agents found nearly 25 pounds of marijuana wrapped in five packages. Officials estimated the street value of the pot at more than $74,700, or about $187 an ounce. The suspected smuggler was arrested and taken into custody.

Imperial Beach lifeguards were queried and none had heard of the bust. Local surfers expressed amusement upon hearing of the bust.

One surfer said he had witnessed the bust of a surfer last year who had a surfboard filled with drugs.

"It was really lumpy looking," according to the surfer. “There's some crazy dudes around here."

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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