Five illegal aliens face federal charges after a deadly human smuggling operation off the San Diego coast killed four people, including two children.
The tragedy unfolded when a Mexican smuggling boat capsized near Del Mar Beach.
The incident left a 14-year-old Indian boy dead, his 10-year-old sister missing and presumed dead. Their parents are hospitalized, with the father in a coma.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the panga-style boat, carrying 16 people, overturned before reaching shore.
Three bodies were immediately recovered from the water, while four survivors required urgent medical attention and were rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital for respiratory issues.
Border Patrol agents quickly launched a search for nine missing individuals believed to have fled the scene.
Mexican nationals Jesus Ivan Rodriguez-Leyva and Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna were arrested on the beach and charged with bringing in illegal aliens resulting in death and for financial gain.
Their capture represents just the tip of the iceberg in what authorities describe as a complex smuggling network operating with complete disregard for human life.
Three additional Mexican citizens—Melissa Jenelle Cota, Gustavo Lara, and Sergio Rojas-Fregoso—were arrested after Border Patrol agents tracked vehicles connected to the smuggling operation.
These vehicles contained eight of the nine missing aliens who had fled from the capsized boat.
The 10-year-old Indian girl remains the only person unaccounted for, with search efforts continuing along the coastline.
Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California declared:
“The drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business. We are committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims, and to holding accountable any traffickers responsible for their deaths.”
Adding to the charges, Rojas-Fregoso faces additional penalties for being in the United States illegally after a previous deportation.
This case underscores how the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies emboldened human smuggling networks to operate with impunity along the border.
Encinitas Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Sanchez classified the incident as a “mass casualty event.”
Multiple agencies deployed air resources, lifeguards on boats and jet skis, and personnel walking the beach in search of additional victims.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Diego Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson said:
“Human smuggling, regardless of the route, is not only illegal but extremely dangerous. Smugglers often treat people as disposable commodities, leading to tragic and sometimes deadly consequences, as we saw in this case. Yesterday’s heartbreaking events are a stark reminder of the urgent need to dismantle these criminal networks driven by greed.”
Filed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Van Demark and Edward Chang, the indictments come after maritime smuggling attempts along the California coast increased dramatically under the previous administration.
