Smugglers Caught Off Coast of Davenport

by Daniel Miranda , August 1, 2013

Authorities seized over 1200 pounds of Marijuana

DAVENPORT—Members of the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team arrested four males off the coast of Davenport near Shark Tooth Beach on suspicion of smuggling. They arrested 30-year-old Salviano Davalos from San Luis, Arizona, 34-year-old Jose Luis Martinez-Ruiz, 24-year-old Alex Cerna and 30-year-old Jose Martin Garcia all of Los Angeles.

Silviano Davalos

On Saturday, July 27, at 9:40 am, a California State Lifeguard was patrolling the area of Shark Tooth Beach when he saw several males acting suspiciously. The lifeguard also noticed that there was a Panga type boat anchored near the beach. Being familiar with that type of boat being used in drug smuggling, the lifeguard called for assistance. Units from all over the county responded.

Alex Cerna

With the area in a virtual lockdown by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire Law Enforcement, UCSC Police, the California Highway Patrol and the Capitola Police Department, the four men were eventually detained and arrested. Officers also searched the Panga boat and found several dozen tightly wrapped bundles of marijuana.

Jose Luis Martinez-Ruiz

Agents from the Santa Cruz Anti-Crime team and the Narcotics Task Force, along with agents from Homeland Security, took over the investigation. They collected and seized 175 bundles of marijuana from the beach. The weight was almost 1200 pounds with a street value of 2.1 million dollars.

“This is not the first time this has happened but it is the largest seized since 1988, when we recovered 15 tons of Asian marijuana off the coast,” Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team Commander Mario Sulay said. “It seems that the smugglers are moving up the coast of California.”

Jose Martin Garcia

Agents also discovered that the Panga boat was equipped with a large capacity fuel tank. These types of boat are commonly used for smuggling.

The US States Attorney’s Office of Northern California is reviewing this case to see if the four men will be prosecuted on federal charges. As of today, the men are charged with trafficking marijuana with the intent to distribute it for sale.