Smuggling attempt in panga boat caught off Huntington Beach coast

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California—Authorities have detained a dozen men and woman they say may have been trying to enter the U.S. illegally from Mexico in a small boat.

Firefighters examined the people after the panga boat – a type of small fishing vessel commonly used by smugglers – showed up off Huntington Beach in late January.

Authorities told KABC-TV the men and women were cold but uninjured. Nine Chinese men, a Chinese woman and two Mexican men were handed over to federal custody. One of the Mexican men is believed to be the smuggler.