A combined effort between the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Department of Homeland Security led to the interception of a suspected smuggling vessel off the coast of San Diego. According to a press release by the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Terrell Horne, with support from the USS Spruance and other DHS partners, interdicted the vessel on Saturday. The vessel was carrying eight individuals, purportedly Mexican nationals.
The initial sighting was made by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircraft last Friday night. The 40-foot vessel was detected about 37 miles south of Point Loma and was tracked traveling northwest. Upon entering U.S. waters, a Navy SH-60 Seahawk helicopter from the USS Spruance assisted in maintaining visual contact. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that last Saturday morning, the boat crossed the U.S.-Mexico maritime boundary and continued into the U.S. contiguous zone.
Subsequently, coordination between the involved parties led to the deployment of boarding teams from the Terrell Horne and the Spruance at around 10:35 a.m. The vessel was reported to be compliant during the interdiction process. The eight individuals on board, seven adult males and one adult female claimed to be Mexican nationals. They were taken into custody without incident.
The individuals were then transferred to DHS partner agents in Oceanside, California, by the crew of the Terrell Horne.
