Overview
- Federal prosecutors filed charges Monday identifying Barrera Núñez as the boat’s operator in a case that carries potential life imprisonment or the death penalty.
- Charging documents detail passenger accounts of engine trouble, pleas to turn back to Mexico, and an alleged order from the operator for people to jump overboard.
- Four people died and five survivors, including the accused, were rescued off Imperial Beach and taken for medical care as the Coast Guard and Border Patrol responded.
- Authorities say bad weather limited early search efforts and contributed to the peril for those on the small wooden vessel.
- One passenger was separately charged with attempting to re-enter the United States after prior deportations, as officials highlight increased prosecutions tied to maritime smuggling routes.