Baja village has become smugglers’ launch point
By Leslie Berestein

Monday, March 1, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.



Popotla’s activity and proximity to the border make it an attractive spot for smugglers to take to the sea with their human cargo, U.S. and Mexican officials say.

Until a couple of years ago, the small fishing village of Popotla south of Rosarito Beach was a tourist haven. Visitors from north of the border, as well as from Tijuana, came down on weekends to shop for pottery or ironwork, or to sample fresh seafood in one of the many small restaurants lining its crescent-shaped cove.

Since that time, Popotla has become known as a haven for something else. The village, which has fallen on hard times since tourism dried up in the face of Baja California’s drug war and tighter travel restrictions, has become the main launching point for smugglers ferrying illegal immigrants into the United States by sea.

Although there are other launching sites, including the village of La Salina several miles to the south, U.S. and Mexican authorities say Popotla’s combination of activity and proximity to the border has made it an ideal spot for smugglers to set up shop.

Locals, while loath to discuss details, are aware of it. Some residents of a mobile-home park have observed mysterious light signals on the water. Residents who work on the beach have heard about what happens there at night but prefer to turn the other way.

“I haven’t seen them, but everyone knows about it,â€