Panga Pilots Get 70 Months After Four Drown Off Del Mar

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Two Mexican nationals who piloted an overloaded panga that capsized off Del Mar in May 2025, leaving four people dead, were each sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on Monday, federal prosecutors announced.

Read the U.S. Attorney's Office release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/panga-boat-pilots-sentenced-maritime-smuggling-event-killed-four-homeland-security

The sentences were imposed on November 9, 2026, in the Southern District of California, according to the release.

The case is number 25cr2057-BJC, officials reported.

Jesus Ivan Rodriguez Leyva, 28, of Mexico — sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.

Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna, 32, of Mexico — sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.

A Broken Motor, No Lights, And Nineteen Aboard

According to their plea agreements, each man admitted that he piloted the vessel from Mexico into the United States on May 5, 2025, with 19 people aboard, including three minors, officials reported.

The vessel had no running lights and no radio, according to the release.

It was overloaded with more passengers than the panga could safely hold, officials reported.

The people aboard were only given trash bags to cover their clothes and were not properly outfitted for the voyage, according to the plea agreements.

After the panga left Popotla, Mexico, the motor failed and the pilots returned to the launch site, where the motor was quickly repaired, officials reported.

As the panga approached the beach in Del Mar, the pilots told the people aboard to remove their life jackets to make it easier to run to waiting vehicles, according to the release.

Four Deaths, A DNA Match, And A Guilty Plea

About 200 yards from shore, the motor failed again and the vessel capsized in the surf, officials reported.

Homeland Security Investigations' San Diego Marine Task Force, the U.S. Coast Guard, local lifeguards and U.S. Border Patrol began a joint search and rescue operation, according to the release.

Four people were taken for medical care, and three more were found dead at the scene, including one minor, officials reported.

On May 21, 2025, a human foot was found on the shoreline near Torrey Pines State Beach, and DNA testing identified it as belonging to a 10-year-old who had been aboard, bringing the death toll to four, according to the release.

The four who died were two Mexican national adults and two minors from India, ages 14 and 10, officials reported.

Rodriguez Leyva and Zuniga Luna 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, according to the release.

Attempted bringing in aliens resulting in death, under 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(i), (v)(II) and (a)(1)(B)(iv), carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a $250,000 fine, officials reported.

Bringing in aliens for financial gain, under 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii), carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, a three-year mandatory minimum and a $250,000 fine, according to the release.

Seventy Months, A Judge's Words, And A Task Force Case

"Today's sentences reflect the serious consequences of placing greed above human life," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

"This case underscores the critical role of our partnerships in responding to maritime smuggling events," said Kevin Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego.

At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks said: "This case is a tragedy all around."

In a related case, three load drivers pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport people within the United States for the Mexico-based smuggling organization and have already been sentenced, officials reported. That case is number 25-cr-02056-BJC.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations' Marine Task Force, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the U.S. Coast Guard, the San Diego Lifeguard Service and the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office, according to the release.

It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jill Streja and Sean Van Demark, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Hickman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang, officials reported.

The case is part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation into maritime human smuggling, according to the release.

Anyone with information about maritime smuggling activity is asked to contact Homeland Security Investigations.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, "Panga Boat Pilots Sentenced in Maritime Smuggling Event that Killed Four in Homeland Security Task Force Case," November 9, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/panga-boat-pilots-sentenced-maritime-smuggling-event-killed-four-homeland-security