NPR Spotlights Panga Found off PV Coast

Small fishing vessels, called pangas, recently found off the Palos Verdes coast, have become part of a larger smuggling operation that's led to the interception of hundreds of people trying to sneak into SoCal, according to a National Public Radio story.

In the story, Palos Verdes resident George Uraguchi is interviewed about what he saw the morning a capsized panga was found near Palos Verdes Estates in August. In a , Uraguchi told Palos Verdes Patch he found fuel canisters floating near the submerged panga but no people. He also found discarded wet shirts along the trail leading to Bluff Cove.

During the past year, "more than 600 people have been caught trying to sneak into Southern California by sea," according to the NPR article "Small Fishing Boats Smuggle People To California."

On May 13, another panga was found abandoned near Bluff Cove. In July, near Point Vicente with 200 pounds of pot on board.

Read the full article here.