2,000 pounds of marijuana washes ashore in California

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KCOY) -- The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says it located another panga boat used to smuggle drugs at Arroyo Quemada Beach.

Sheriff's patrol personnel, as well as sheriff's narcotics investigators, found 2,000 pounds of marijuana on the 30-foot boat early Sunday morning.

Detectives found evidence consistent with marijuana smuggling activities, including trash and debris that was strewn about the beach and nearby trails.

Narcotics detectives say they recovered 50 plastic-wrapped bales of marijuana, weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, with an estimated street value of $4 million. The bales of marijuana were found partially hidden within bushes.

A Sheriff's K9 unit searched the area for suspects, but no one was found. 

The seized evidence will undergo further examination and processing. The boat and its fuel containers were removed by Vessel Assist / HSI and will be turned over to the federal government.

Congresswoman Lois Capps has been vocal in the effort to combat panga smuggling on Central Coast California shores. She sent a statement saying, "as these incidents illustrate, there is still more to do and that's why I will continue to push for more federal support and collaboration to help keep our shores safe."

Part of that effort that Capps touched on includes the Coast Guard collaborating with county law enforcement.