Suspected human smuggler arrested after 14 migrants intercepted off Newport Beach
Suspected human smuggler arrested near Newport Harbor
A suspected human smuggler was arrested after allegedly preparing to pick up migrants arriving by boat at Newport Harbor.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A suspected human smuggler was arrested after federal investigators say he was preparing to pick up migrants arriving by boat at Newport Harbor.
The arrest came Saturday, when the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a boat off Newport Beach carrying 14 people, all identified as Mexican nationals.
Federal prosecutors say Jose Miguel Castro-Duenas was waiting in a white Honda Pilot near Newport Harbor to pick up people arriving by boat.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Castro-Duenas admitted he was working with a smuggling group and had previously picked up migrants arriving by boat at the same Newport Harbor location.
Suspected smuggling operation
Prosecutors say Castro-Duenas had been deported to Mexico in 2008 after a previous federal conviction for human smuggling.
Mark Takla, chief of the Orange County U.S. Attorney's Office, said the complaint details three recent alleged instances involving Castro-Duenas.
"We have three instances in the alleged complaint," Takla said. "The one that occurred last Saturday, August 29, and September 19 when he was in the vicinity of other smuggling events."
The arrest follows several suspected maritime smuggling incidents involving Newport Beach and Newport Harbor.
FOX 11 previously obtained video showing at least 20 suspected migrants getting off a panga in Newport Harbor in 2024 before scattering into the surrounding neighborhood.
Then, last month, surveillance video obtained by FOX 11 showed another panga entering the Newport Beach area, with at least a dozen people getting off the boat.
According to the federal complaint, Castro-Duenas told investigators he was picking up people who arrived by boat at the Newport Harbor location.
Prosecutors allege he was working to pay off an $18,000 debt tied to his own illegal entry into the United States.
"Each pickup he did for the smuggling group would knock $1,000 off the total," according to the complaint.
The group allegedly provided Castro-Duenas with a white Honda Pilot and a cellphone.
Prosecutors say Castro-Duenas was instructed to be at Newport Beach Harbor by 10 a.m. Saturday.
That same day, the Coast Guard intercepted the boat carrying 14 people off Newport Beach.
Federal prosecutors vow to prosecute
Takla said the investigation is a priority for federal prosecutors.
"There’s no question this is a priority for the administration and our office," Takla said.
"I think the word is getting out, which is good. But there’s no question our office takes this conduct seriously and will prosecute," he added.
Castro-Duenas is facing federal charges. If convicted of the alien-smuggling charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in federal prison.