CUSTOMS: FOUR ARRESTED WHILE UNLOADING MARIJUANA AT LA JOLLA

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Four Mexican citizens were arrested Wednesday while
unloading 400 pounds of marijuana from two boats at the base of the La
Jolla cliffs, just north of San Diego, the U.S. Customs Service said.

Four more suspects were at-large, U.S. Customs spokesman Vincent Bond
said. Officials weren't sure if they escaped by land or water.

The names of the people arrested were not released. They were expected
to appear in federal court Thursday for arraignment on charges of
smuggling, possession of narcotics and conspiracy.

Each could face five to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The suspects were arrested around 5 a.m. while unloading the marijuana
- -- worth an estimated $200,000 -- into an inflatable boat docked at
the base of the cliffs.

One of the suspects had attempted to swim away, but ran into trouble
because the area is rocky, Bond said. The man was rescued by Coast
Guard lifeguards, treated at a hospital for hypothermia and released
to authorities.

The bust followed two weeks of surveillance of the La Jolla and Bird
Rock beaches by the San Diego Marine Task Force. A bale of marijuana
weighing 30 pounds had been discovered along the rocky shoreline.

The task force is made up of officers from Customs, the Border Patrol,
the Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Diego
County district attorney's office and the Chula Vista and Coronado
police departments.

Checked-by: "Don Beck"