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SAN DIEGO (AP) - Three of the 15 people who were stranded on a boat for three days off the Pacific Coast have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants.
Others aboard the rickety vessel told investigators they had agreed to pay $4,000 each for the illegal trip from Mexico to California, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The three suspects were due in court Thursday.
Four women and 11 men were rescued from the boat Wednesday about 12 miles off the San Diego coast and 20 miles north of the Mexican border. Aside from the suspects, three passengers were being held as material witnesses, while the rest were being sent home to Mexico or El Salvador.
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