Abandoned panga found in Sunset Cliffs with 11 life jackets, several fuel tanks

[An abandoned panga was found in Sunset Cliffs early Monday. (U.S. Border Patrol )

Officers received a report of an abandoned vessel on shore near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Guizot Street around 6:45 a.m.

By KAREN KUCHER
APRIL 20, 2020 11:45 AM

SAN DIEGO
A suspected smuggling boat was found abandoned in the Sunset Cliffs area early Monday although no people were discovered, a Border Patrol spokesman said.

Federal law enforcement officers received a report of an abandoned panga-type vessel on shore near Sunset Cliffs and Guizot Street around 6:45 a.m.
Responding agents found the 28-foot boat, which carried 11 life jackets and five fuel containers, four of which were still full, on the beach, said Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jeff Stephenson.

Pangas are low-slung fishing boats outfitted with outboard motors often used by smugglers to bring people across the border.

It was not known when the boat was abandoned on the beach, although agents assume it was overnight, Stephenson said.

Agents searched the surrounding area but did not find anyone associated with the boat, he said. The vessel will be seized by Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations unit.

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