Marijuana Smugglers Barked Up the Wrong Route: Dog Beach in Del Mar

K-9 units apparently weren’t needed, but after a boat dropped a green load at Dog Beach in Del Mar early Sunday, federal agents confiscated about a ton of marijuana from suspicious vehicles, authorities said.

The incident occurred north of 29th Street about 3:45 a.m., said U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Steven Pitts.

“Border Patrol agents monitoring the coastline saw a boat come ashore,” Pitts said. “Agents responding to the beach contacted individuals in suspicious vehicles in the parking lot and subsequently discovered 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of marijuana in the vehicles.”

Pitts said the Border Patrol arrested several people, and may charge them after an investigation that was continuing.

According to the city website, the canine area formally known as North Beach stretches nearly a half-mile to the border with Solana Beach.

A couple of hours earlier in Ocean Beach, Pitts said federal authorities including the Harbor Police discovered a suspicious abandoned boat on the
beach.

 “About 1:30 a.m., Border Patrol agents observed a pleasure boat on the beach,” Pitts said.

Pitts said a search of the beach area failed to find anyone associated with the boat.

“We believe the boat had been used in maritime alien smuggling, but no drugs or anything illegal was found in the boat,” Pitts said.

—City News Service contributed to this report.