$4M Of Pot On Beach Discovered In California

Roughly $4 million worth of pot was found on a beach in California over the weekend.

On Sunday, Santa Barbara authorities reportedly recovered approximately 2,000 pounds of marijuana near an abandoned fishing boat on Arroyo Quemada Beach. The find marks the second significant pot discovery on a Santa Barbara beach this month.

Deputies from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene on Sunday to investigate a panga fishing boat reported abandoned on the beach.

Panga-style fishing boats are commonly used to illegally transport individuals, drugs, and various types of contraband from Mexico into California.

According to Santa Barbara authorities, a search of the fishing boat turned up substantial evidence to support the theory that the vessel was used to smuggle contraband.

Investigators described the vessel as “an apparently abandoned 30-foot ‘panga’ style boat with two outboard engines and 20+ fuel containers on board.”

In a public statement, officials explained that “sheriff’s detectives located a significant amount of evidence that was consistent with marijuana smuggling activities, including trash and debris that was strewn about the beach and nearby coastal access trails.”

Police estimate that $4 million worth of pot, weighing in at nearly 2,000 pounds, was recovered from the beach during the search. The marijuana was found in individually wrapped bales partially hidden along the roadway that leads to the area.

All contraband and evidence recovered from the fishing boat have been confiscated by detectives from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Narcotics division. Police were unable to locate any suspects in the apparent smuggling, although a K-9 unit was dispatched to search the area.

Earlier this month, California authorities discovered roughly $1 million worth of marijuana on a beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base. The contraband was reportedly recovered near a 20-foot-long panga fishing boat that was believed to have crashed onto the beach.

According to authorities, nearly two dozen boats smuggling contraband were intercepted along Santa Barbara County’s coastline in 2012. Both of this month’s marijuana seizures are currently part of an ongoing investigation by local authorities in partnership with Homeland Security.

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[Top image via Wikimedia Commons]