The government officers were patrolling several miles offshore from the Leucadia neighborhood of Encinitas about 3:30 a.m. when they spotted the 36-foot vessel, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Following a brief water pursuit, the migrants -- 12 men, four women and a 16-year-old boy, all Mexican citizens in the Unites States illegally -- surrendered and were taken into custody along with the fishing craft. California Border Patrol personnel then took custody of the detainees.

On Tuesday night, CBP agents found nearly 1,000 pounds of marijuana hidden underneath the cabin of a seemingly abandoned powerboat tied to a dock on Mission Bay, the agency reported. The personnel seized the cannabis and impounded the California-registered vessel.

No arrests were announced.