Border Patrol issued a search warrant May 16 for multiple cell phones belonging to smugglers and migrants aboard the panga boat that capsized in Del Mar earlier this month, leaving three confirmed dead.
The deceased included two Mexican nationals, whose details have not been released, and a 14-year-old Indian national, whose 10-year-old sister is missing and presumed dead, according to the warrant. The Coast Guard conducted a search with Customs and Border Protection, but did not find her.
Four others were found and hospitalized, including the parents of the two children. Eight more were found later after Border Patrol located three vehicles allegedly involved in the smuggling attempt after the migrants reached land.
Three of the migrants told Border Patrol that they agreed to pay $13,000 each to be smuggled into the U.S.
Their boat capsized because of a wave near Torrey Pines State Beach at about 7 a.m. on May 5. Initial reports from bystanders who ed the San Diego t Harbor Operations Center said that it looked like about 16 people were attempting to illegally enter the U.S., according to the search warrant.
The boat had come to a stop near the shore as one of the captains communicated with nearby drivers who were ready to depart Del Mar with the migrants, according to the warrant. One of the migrants told agents “as the boat waited it was struck by a powerful wave that caused it to turn over with people on board.”
Two defendants who allegedly captained the boat, Jesus Ivan Rodriguez Leyva and Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna, face life in prison or death on charges of bringing in aliens resulting in death, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. They were arrested and taken to the San Clemente Border Patrol Station.
Three other defendants who allegedly transported the migrants by car after they reached land face up to 10 years in prison for transportation of illegal aliens. One of them said he is typically paid $100 to $300 per migrant, depending on their final destination.
