A suspected human smuggler is behind bars after a boat carrying migrants was intercepted off the Orange County coast. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the boat off Newport Beach with 14 Mexican nationals aboard. Prosecutors say the suspect was allegedly preparing to pick up the migrants by vehicle at Newport Harbor. According to a federal criminal complaint, the suspect admitted he was working with a human smuggling group and had picked up migrants at the same location in the past. Authorities say the man was deported to Mexico in 2008 following a previous federal conviction for human smuggling. He now faces a federal alien-smuggling charge and could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison if convicted. Officials say the investigation remains ongoing. The migrants were intercepted before they could be picked up at the harbor. Authorities have not released additional information about their immigration status or what will happen to them as the case proceeds.
