By The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Two Mexican men have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling a boatload of illegal immigrants on a 24-foot vessel that stranded them at sea for three days, authorities said.
The alleged smugglers were among 15 people -- 14 Mexicans and one Salvadoran -- who were rescued Wednesday after being stranded without food or water, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The boat’s engine died about 20 minutes after leaving Mexican shores and drifted north. The craft was found 12 miles off San Diego and 20 miles north of the Mexican border, according to Customs and Border Protection.
Eleven men and four women were taken to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and placed in custody of immigration authorities, said Vince Bond, a spokesman for the agency.
''They say they had been dead in the water for three days,’' Bond said. ''No reported injuries. They were just hungry, thirsty and sunburned.’'
Alberto Lozano, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, said the passengers entered the U.S. illegally.
Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said she did not know the names of the two Mexican men arrested.
Passengers said they agreed to pay $4,000 apiece to be brought to the United States, Mack said.
The vessel may have had engine trouble or run out of fuel, Bond said. A pleasure cruise noticed people waving from the boat and called a private towing company, which alerted authorities, he said.
The rescue comes amid a spate of smuggling attempts in California’s Pacific waters.
ICE agents have identified about 20 human smuggling boats in the San Diego area since August, Mack said. Those makeshift watercraft were found adrift, washed ashore or carrying illegal immigrants.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in those attempts.