Drug smuggling boat discovered north of Refugio State Beach

Five bales of marijuana were found in bushes near a roadway north of Refugio State Beach after a panga boat was discovered Friday afternoon.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said the illegal drug smuggling boat was discovered at about 12:30 p.m. by a resident who saw the boat off of Arroyo Quemada Lane and called police.

The boat is described as being about 30 feet long with two outboard motors and had a large container with approximately 90 gallons of fuel.

U.S. Coast Guard officials worked to safely remove the fuel from the boat.

Authorities were unable to locate any suspects associated with the panga boat. Homeland Security Investigations will take possession of the boat and take over the investigation.