19 charged in maritime human smuggling operation in California

Nineteen people have been charged in San Diego federal court on suspicion of operating what prosecutors called a lucrative human smuggling ring that brought undocumented immigrants from Mexico to San Diego County’s coastline via personal watercraft and boats.

Nine of the defendants were in custody as of Wednesday. Many of the defendants are from Tijuana or Nayarit, Mexico, according to court documents.

Court documents show the charges came after a surveillance operation led by Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol agents, who tracked the operation’s vehicles, drop-off locations and private communications.

Investigators served search warrants at various “stash” houses — or homes where migrants are temporarily hidden once they cross into the U.S. — in San Diego and in Los Angeles, leading to the seizure of $100,000, prosecutors said. Agents previously seized more than $120,000 during the investigation.

“Human smuggling cases are a top priority because lives are at stake,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Whether racing a jet ski up the coast without life jackets or hauling a tractor-trailer packed with people, smugglers expose vulnerable migrants to extreme danger and prioritize profit over human life.”

Court documents allege the defendants belong to a transnational organization that smuggled people into the U.S. via the sea, charging $7,000 to $16,000 per person. Tens of thousands of dollars in profits were regularly sent back to the group’s members in Mexico, the complaint said.

Prosecutors said the migrants were transported from a small island off the coast of Mexico by personal watercraft to local beaches, such as Sunset Cliffs, Bird Rock in La Jolla and Imperial Beach.

Once they landed on the beach, migrants were first taken to one of several stash houses located throughout San Diego or Los Angeles counties, then driven farther — to northern California or Las Vegas — before they could connect with relatives in the U.S., according to the court documents.

The court documents say that a handful of migrants were put into harm’s way during the journey.

One woman said she was forced off the personal watercraft off the coast near a beach, despite her not knowing how to swim, the complaint reads. Another man said he was told by the smugglers he had to jump out of a second-story window at one of the stash houses to escape law enforcement coming to detain them.

One of the defendants told investigators he was paid $600 per week and another $300 per person that he would transport to stash houses in San Diego and National City, according to the court documents.