Two men pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday for piloting a panga boat that capsized during a human-smuggling attempt off the coast of Del Mar, leading to the deaths of four people, including two children.
The mass-casualty accident involved a boat loaded with 19 people that left Mexico on May 4, 2025, then overturned the following day.
Emergency crews responding to the incident found the bodies of 18-year- old Marcos Lozada-Juarez, 55-year-old Gorgonio Placido-Diaz and 14-year-old Prince Patel. Prince's 10-year-old sister, Mahi, also died, but her remains were not discovered until a few weeks later.
Several other occupants of the boat -- including the children's parents -- were hospitalized for injuries ranging in severity from minor to critical.
Jesus Ivan Rodriguez-Leyva, 27, and Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna, 31, entered their guilty pleas in a San Diego federal courtroom on Tuesday morning to charges of bringing in aliens resulting in death and bringing in aliens for financial gain.
Prosecutors say Rodriguez-Leyva was acting as the boat's captain, while Zuniga-Luna was a co-captain who also fueled the vessel.