panga

“People have observed pangas crammed with illegal aliens, hitting our beach, and then scattering in the community or jumping into a van, which is parked nearby and ready to receive them,” Knoblock said.

Alcarez was arrested after Coast Guard gunshots disabled the panga’s engine.

Lifeguards found “lifeless bodies and two overturned pangas spread over an area of about 400 yards,” Ms. Muñoz said.

He didn’t know what kind of boats they were, but said pangas - small open boats with outboard engines used in smuggling operations - often come ashore there.

It was even better than she had hoped for: It was a big, beautiful, strong panga, the perfect tool for cutting mutarara branches.