Two Panga Pilots Sentenced to 70 Months Each in Del Mar Maritime Smuggling Event That Killed Four
SAN DIEGO — Jesus Ivan Rodriguez Leyva and Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna, both Mexican nationals, were sentenced in federal court on November 9 to 70 months in prison each for piloting a panga that overturned near Del Mar, in San Diego County, California, in May 2025, killing four people, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California announced. The dead were two Mexican national adults and two minors from India, ages 14 and 10.
According to the Justice Department, the two pleaded guilty on April 14, 2026, to two counts of attempted bringing in aliens resulting in death and two counts of attempted bringing in aliens for financial gain. Their plea agreements state that on May 5, 2025, they piloted the vessel from Popotla, Mexico, into the United States with 19 aliens aboard, including three minors; the panga had no running lights or radio, was overloaded beyond what it could safely hold, and the passengers were given only trash bags to cover their clothes. After the motor failed once, they returned to the launch site for a quick repair and set out again.
As the panga approached the beach in Del Mar, the two told the passengers to remove their life jackets so they could run to waiting vehicles. About 200 yards from shore the motor failed again and the vessel capsized in the surf. Onlookers filmed the event and notified law enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations' San Diego Marine Task Force, the U.S. Coast Guard, local lifeguards and the U.S. Border Patrol mounted a joint search and rescue: four people were found and taken for medical care, and three were found deceased on the scene, including one minor. On May 21, 2025, a human foot found on the shoreline near Torrey Pines State Beach was identified by DNA as belonging to the 10-year-old aboard, bringing the death toll to four.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks told one defendant at the hearing that the case was a tragedy all around and that four people were no longer here as a result of their actions. U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said the sentences reflect the serious consequences of placing greed above human life. Three load drivers in a related case, No. 25-cr-02056-BJC, have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced; this case, No. 25cr2057-BJC, was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jill Streja, Sean Van Demark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Hickman, and investigated by the HSI Marine Task Force, the Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, and the Coast Guard, among others.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼（GSM联邦固定图库）。 / Photo: U.S. Department of Justice headquarters (GSM federal asset library).
