A federal judge in San Diego sentenced 38-year-old David Alfonso Barrera Nunes to 57 months in prison for piloting a smuggling boat that capsized in dense fog off Imperial Beach last November, drowning four migrants; a grandfather was also trapped in the hull with his granddaughter. Barrera Nunes, a Mexican national, admitted he ignored repeated engine trouble on the panga even as passengers begged him to turn back toward Mexico, then made it to shore.
The sentence was reported by Fox 5 San Diego & KUSI News in connection with the boat's role in the November 14, 2025 crash. Court documents cited in that report state that Barrera Nunes agreed to pilot the boat, which carried nine migrants, in exchange for a discounted smuggling fee for himself. Federal prosecutors had originally charged him in November 2025 with bringing in noncitizens resulting in death and bringing in noncitizens for financial gain under Title 8 U.S. Code Section 1324.
Fog, Engine Failure, and a Boat That Would Not Turn Back
The panga encountered rough surf and capsized amid fog, pitching everyone aboard into the water.
After the boat capsized, Barrera Nunes reached shore.
A Grandfather's Rescue and a Trapped Survivor
Amid the chaos, a grandfather was trapped on the boat during the capsize. He pulled his granddaughter out and was later rescued, but not before a metal fragment severely injured his leg. Border Patrol agents responded to the scene.
Five people were rescued after the crash. Several passengers were hospitalized following the crash, according to details reported by CBS 8 San Diego. Separately, four people drowned in the crash.
Co-Pilot's Body Recovered a Week Later
The case also involved other people aboard the boat.
The case involved a federal prosecution.
Part of a Wider Surge in Ocean Crossings
The Imperial Beach capsize is one entry in a grim pattern along San Diego County's coastline. A May 2021 capsize in San Diego killed three people, and a March 2023 shipwreck at Black's Beach in La Jolla left eight dead, according to KPBS, which noted that nighttime fog, rip currents, and shallow sandbars make coastal landings extremely hazardous for unseaworthy vessels like pangas. Maritime smuggling events along the San Diego Sector coast more than tripled between fiscal years 2019 and 2022, climbing from 194 recorded events to 669, per data compiled by inewsource.
Maritime smuggling increased during the earlier period, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The November 2025 crash also pushed local governance debates further up the coast: the San Clemente City Council took up a draft 20-year lease with CBP for roughly $1 million in 24/7 coastal surveillance cameras, a proposal Hoodline covered directly after the capsize, with supporters arguing the cameras would deter panga landings while civil liberties advocates raised privacy concerns.
Barrera Nunes piloted the boat. The 57-month term was imposed in the criminal case tied to the Imperial Beach maritime smuggling accident, even as the underlying flow of ocean crossings off San Diego's coast continues.
