CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / CARLSBAD

Twenty-one suspected illegal immigrants were arrested early Friday at Carlsbad State Beach after U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted a smuggling boat bringing its passengers ashore, officials said.

The Mexican nationals included 15 men, five women and a 16-year-old boy, officials said. Only three were wearing safety vests, authorities said.

The boat, with two people aboard, was spotted leaving the beach and was not located, officials said. The incident, which occurred about 2:30 a.m., is the latest in which smugglers appear to be dropping their passengers further north than in previous years.

-- Tony Perry