Crime & Safety

Jet Skis Carry Mexican Nationals to Tijuana River Mouth

The incidents occurred around 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Wednesday involving two to three Jet Skis.

The U.S. Border Patrol arrested seven Mexican nationals near the mouth of the Tijuana River Wednesday evening in two separate incidents involving Jet Skis, said Border Patrol Public Information Officer Timothy Hamill.

Around 11 p.m., two Jet Skis were spotted a mile offshore near the mouth of the river.

"At about 11:25 p.m. one of the Jet Skis dropped off two subjects and went back to sea. One of the Jet Skis got stuck in the surf line with four people on it," he said.

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Five of the six people were immediately apprehended and one tried to swim back to Mexico, at which time lifeguards were called in to assist.

"Shortly later the person that was trying to swim came to shore and was apprehended," he said.

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The Jet Ski that was stuck in beach sand was seized by the Border Patrol. The other made it back to Mexico.

A few hours earlier around 7 p.m., a 42-year-old Mexican man was apprehended north of the mouth of the Tijuana River by Border Patrol agents after being ferried across the U.S.-Mexico border by a Jet Ski. It is not known if this same Jet Ski was used during the incident four hours later.

"The person that was driving the Jet Ski dropped him off and went back south to Mexico," Hamill said.

No weapons or narcotics were recovered in either incident.

From October 2011 to October 2012, there were 205 incidents involving panga boats, Jet Skis or other crafts attempting to illegally enter the United States from Mexico.

107 incidents have occurred along the San Diego coast since last October, Hamill said.


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