by John Carroll
Story Published: Mar 19, 2015 at 11:12 PM PDT
Story Updated: Mar 20, 2015 at 9:07 AM PDT

Three men are in custody after they were caught trying to get into the U.S. by jet skis early Wednesday morning.

The Border Patrol said the small watercraft is becoming more and more popular for smugglers trying to get people into the U.S.

The three men were caught by a coastal interceptor boat, called a "SAFE" boat, dispatched from the Coast Guard station at the Embarcadero. The boat was sent out to get the men after the Border Patrol spotted two jet skis crossing into the United States about a mile off of Imperial Beach. Once the riders saw that they'd been spotted, they turned back toward Mexico. One of them got away, but the other lost control, throwing the three men on board into the water.

Agents tell San Diego 6 smuggling by jet ski is becoming more and more common.

"It's been very common recently, in the past months due to the heightened security that's happening right now on the land borders, so the transnational criminal organizations had had to find alternative methods to try to circumvent law enforcement," said Border Patrol Agent Brandon Cazares.

Cazares said we can all help in deterring human smuggling. Things to watch for include boats arriving at odd hours and offloading people or cargo, frequent use of binoculars and cell phones, and Cazares said to be wary of strangers asking about security procedures.

Depending on their immigration histories, the men being smuggled in could either simply be returned to Mexico, or they could face criminal prosecution. It's likely the latter will be the fate of the man driving the Jet Ski.

http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/...296975481.html