Santa Barbara Man Charged After 3 Drown in Capsized Boat From Mexico

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent watches from near the end of the border structure which runs into the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California as people visit the beach in La Playa, Mexico on April 17, 2018. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

A Santa Barbara man accused of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States near the Ocean Beach Pier, where three drowned during the attempt in 2022, made his first appearance in a San Diego federal courtroom Feb. 22.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Faustino Romero De La Cruz, 40, was arrested in Santa Barbara Feb. 21 and is now facing charges for the incident.