Panga boat

The Coast Guard intercepted three boats off the coast of San Diego last week, detaining about a dozen migrants as smuggling attempts continue taking place in the area.

FOX 5 in San Diego reported that the first interception took place last Wednesday, when officers were sent to a boat seen three miles offshore. They intercepted eight people, all of whom claimed to be Mexican.

On the following day another boat was intercepted after crossing into U.S. waters. Practically at the same time, another boat was intercepted but, when being escorted to the shore, it changed course and sought to evade the Coast Guard vessel. Officers then shot at the engine to disable the boat, later taking three migrants into custody.

Mexico's consul general in San Diego said earlier this month that smuggling attempts keep taking place every week despite the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Speaking to Border Report, Alicia Kerber Palma said "smugglers seem to be taking advantage of the needs of the migrant community, not caring whether he leaves them in the middle of the ocean or on the shore."

Kerber Palma went on to describe human smugglers as "unscrupulous" and urged migrants not to risk crossing into the U.S. that way. "They don't care about the conditions the migrants are in, whether they are children or adults."

Other attempts have made headlines over the past months. One of them took place earlier this year two Mexican nationals were charged s after a GPS mishap caused their panga to be stop functioning in the water.

The vessel was carrying nine migrants when to U.S. Coast Guard encountered it floating 12 miles due west of Point Loma, California, around midnight.

The boat had no navigation lights and was described by officials as being "dead in the water," according to Fox 5.

The passengers had been charged between $6,000 and $14,000, according to Border Report. One passenger from China was reportedly charged $50,000.

The passengers included five citizens of Romania, one from China, and three from Mexico. One of the passengers described a harrowing journey, noting that he feared the boat would capsize and thought he might die.

Originally published on Latin Times