Four charged in Tuesday’s smuggling attempt

Four Mexican citizens face federal charges for their alleged involvement in this week’s attempt to smuggle undocumented immigrants into Crystal Cove by boat, authorities said.

The four were among 14 detained at the cove Tuesday morning when their panga boat capsized as it tried to land there illegally, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials said in a news release Friday.

Among those charged are the boat’s captain, assistant captain and the boat’s navigator, according to the release. The fourth person facing federal charges was a passenger who had been arrested two weeks earlier, when he tried to enter the United States illegally in another boat that came ashore in Orange County, authorities said.

Five others were charged Wednesday in connection to other alleged maritime smuggling incidents along the Southern California coast.

— Lauren Williams