Federal government officials seized over 1,000 pounds of marijuana from a Mexican panga boat beached at Malibu's Pirate's Cove on Friday night. Three male suspects were arrested, and sheriff's deputies are on the hunt for a fourth possible smuggler. more ›

How did the "dim-witted" sheriff's deputy who flunked out of "The Academy" on his first try get caught smuggling a burrito loaded with black tar heroin into jail? It was a set-up. more ›

Federal agents arrested a 21-year-old Mexican citizen on Tuesday morning at the San Ysidro border crossing on suspicion of trying to smuggle meth into the U.S. inside two cans of cheese sauce and one can of jalapenos. more ›

The Orange County Sheriff's Department's Harbor Patrol detained a captain and his passengers after the alleged human smuggling boat was intercepted off Seal Beach just before midnight on Wednesday. After entering a restricted area in the harbor, the 30-foot fishing boat was stopped by the Naval Weapons Station. more ›

During a multi-agency task force investigation coordinated by U.S. and Mexican authorities, over 14 tons of marijuana and a cross-border tunnel between San Diego and Tijuana were discovered on Tuesday. Similar drug smuggling tunnels have been uncovered in recent years, usually located in the light industrial area of San Diego's Otay Mesa neighborhood. more ›

During a routine pat-down at LAX last Wednesday, August 24, TSA agents discovered two unlikely passengers - bright yellow birds - stuffed in socks and taped to the arm and leg of a female China-bound traveler, reports L.A. Now. more ›

Typical smuggling cases involve the illegal movement of drugs INTO the United States. Not in this case. Dr. Tyron Reece, a 71-year-old general practitioner in Inglewood, was arrested earlier this week for conspiracy to smuggle prescription drugs from California to Mexico. more ›

It's a big week for smuggling and it's only Tuesday. The discovery of a capsized "smugglers' boat" in the surf near Palos Verdes Estates has prompted an investigation, says the Daily Breeze. On Sunday, three suspected smugglers were arrested on a small boat off Newport Beach after hurling packages into the ocean. more ›

Three Mexican nationals suspected of drug smuggling were arrested aboard a boat off Newport Beach on Sunday after being spotted by lifeguards, according to authorities. The 25-foot panga, reported stolen in Mexico, was reportedly headed to Huntington State State park when it was seized by police, according to ABC Local. more ›

Norihide Ushirozako, a Japanese man who plead guilty on May 23 to smuggling live turtles and tortoises into the United States via LAX, will be released from federal custody after being sentenced to time served, as reported by CBS LA. more ›

Federal agents are investigating a 25-foot boat carrying 200 pounds of marijuana that was found sinking near Rancho Palos Verdes on Friday, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday that a 37-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested last week at the Otay Mesa border crossing when officials found "159 pounds of concealed iguana meat hidden in coolers underneath fish," according to a news release. more ›

It is now a misdemeanor for any prison employee or visitor to smuggle a cell phone into prison, reports. ABC Local. Senators unanimously approved the bill SB26, similar to one that former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed as too weak, on Thursday, reports the Sacramento Bee. The misdemeanor is punishable up to a $5,000 fine. more ›

The leader of a human smuggling ring with ties the Avenues street gang was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison this week. Eduardo "Tito" Alvarez-Marquez, 37, of Glassell Park, was sentenced by United States District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez. The 25-year sentence is one of the longest prison terms ever imposed locally in an "alien smuggling case." more ›

Don't sew yourself into the upholstery. Don't hide half a ton of marijuana in bogus concrete furniture. Don't miss KTLA's supremely disturbing gallery of "Bizarre Border Busts" with a collection of 39 photos courtesy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. more ›

Last month, Customs and Border Protection were waiting when Song Dong of Garden Grove returned to Los Angeles from Vietnam. During inspection, they initially noticed bird feathers and droppings on his socks and upon a further look, "14 live birds attached to two flat pieces of clothe that were wrapped around his calves," according to the United States Attorneys Office. more ›

• One week after being subdued in his cell with a taser gun and lapsing into a coma, 35-year-old Orange County inmate Jason Jesus Gomez has died, officials announced today. Gomez, who was in jail for a probation violation, stopped breathing after officers used the taser on him during a scuffle.
• Say cheese: LA City Council voted today to approve a contract that will put cameras in 300 LAPD cars.
• Just like Britney Spears, blonde bombshell Farrah Fawcett had her alluring face and form plastered on posters in bedrooms all over the country. Now, also like Spears, Fawcett's medical records were subject to some prying eyes.
• The tragic details of a 911 call placed last fall by a 15-year-old girl whose family was murdered in the yard while gathered for a barbeque have been released by authorities. Danielle Blixt made the call before realizing the killer was her own brother, who also committed suicide during the bloody incident.
• You'rrrrrrreeeeee OUT! "Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa was suspended for three games and fined by the commissioner's office Wednesday following a wild argument." Bowa got the boot from last night's game versus the Giants.
• Shell game: A Diamond Bar man has been sentenced to spend 6 1/2 months in prison for participating in an international smuggling ring that brought rare Asian tortoises into the country.
• Pandora's Box? The Community Thrift Store in Covina found an unusual item nestled among the items in a box of donated goods: A grenade! The building was evacuated.
• Are you Hollywood or Westside? Do you know enough about local landmarks, newsmakers, history, and...cashmere sweaters? Have a high tolerance threshold for the misspelling of well-know spots in the city (i.e. Pizzeria Mozzo and Grumman's Chinese Theatre? Ahem.) and cross-promotion? Represent your 'hood over at the MetroChallenge, an online quiz tied to the crop of new Metro Collection condos in partnership with our friends over at CurbedLA.