New details emerge in deadly panga smuggling case at Torrey Pines State Beach

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Four people, including two children, died when a smuggling boat capsized at Torrey Pines State Beach on Monday. Now, court documents reveal suspects were paid, or expected to be paid, between $200 and $3,000 for their roles.

Five people have been arrested and charged in connection with the deadly human smuggling attempt.

According to Department of Justice documents, two men were arrested near the beach shortly after the vessel capsized that morning. Both admitted to driving the boat and smuggling people into the U.S.

One of the men revealed he was recruited to smuggle the 15 people from Popotla, Mexico, near Rosarito, and transport them to the United States.

The DOJ reports the men were paid a total of $4,000 pesos, about $200, to cover the trip's expenses.

The other man arrested said he was paid $3,000 for the mission.

More than 12 hours after the deadly smuggling attempt, Border Patrol agents found and arrested three additional people related to the incident on Flower Street in Chula Vista. At that location, they also found eight migrants who were still missing from the boat incident.

One of the suspects said he was expecting a $500 payment for his work.

Several migrants arrested claim they had agreed to pay between $10,000 and $13,000 to be smuggled into the country. Several said they were attempting to reach Los Angeles.

The accused smugglers now face several charges, including transportation of undocumented immigrants, bringing them in for financial gain, and charges related to resulting deaths.

In a tweet about the incident, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she's urging the Attorney General to prosecute these suspects to "the fullest extent under the law," mentioning the death penalty in her post.