CBP Regional Partners Intercept Smuggling Boat with 15 Undocumented Aliens in Santa B CBP Regional Partners Intercept Smuggling Boat with 15 Undocumented Aliens in Santa Barbara Release Date: January 25, 2021 Santa Barbara, Calif. - On January 21, 2021, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Regional Coordinating Mechanism (ReCoM) partners working with CBP intercepted a small, open bowed fishing vessel that originated in Mexico (“panga”) with 15 individuals on the beach near Santa Barbara. A panga boat was discovered by USCG maritime near Santa Barbara, loaded with 15 illegal immigrants The vessel was discovered during a routine U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) maritime air patrol. The panga-style vessel made landfall on the beach in the area of Goleta, CA. After doing so, the group scattered to avoid apprehension. U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), including the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (LA-BEST), arrived on scene and apprehended all 15 people after an exhaustive five hour search.