Monterey County Sheriff’s Office takes stand against coastline drug smugglers

Protecting the Big Sur coast line from drug smuggling is one of the top priorities for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s a problem the sheriff’s office said is creeping north, as Southern California agencies are cracking down.

The department has been putting a $50,000 federal grant to good use, cutting off access to smugglers along the coast as well as clamping down on illegal immigration.

“We think of Monterey County as a nice coast line, a beautiful coast line and we want to protect it,” said Sergeant Randy Ragsac with the sheriff’s office.

The latest large-scale bust was in June. More than 100 bales of marijuana were seized and nine suspects were arrested near Big Sur.

Ragsac was there for that bust and he said the sheriff’s office wants to be better prepared for similar situations.

“We could have up to four extra deputies working there at any given time because of the grant,” Ragsac said, referring to the Big Sur area.

Currently, Ragsac said there’s one deputy manning the coast line and they also have the option to use a plane.

So far there have been no drug smuggling or panga boat sightings since the sheriff’s office started using the grant money. Deputies said an increased law enforcement presence up and down the state has reduced incidents altogether.

The suspects in the June case are set to go on trial later this month.

As for the grant, deputies said it will run out next March but they plan to try to renew it.