Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials say a 50-foot panga boat was found beached about a half-mile north of Gaviota, near Hollister Ranch early Thursday morning.
Local law enforcement responded to the beach at approximately 3:30 a.m. after receiving information about the boat from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Sheriff's officials say they came into contact with several people who were in the process of unloading large bags of marijuana from the boat. Twenty people were arrested and officials say they seized approximately 5,300 pounds of dried marijuana and more than 40 gallons of marijuana crude oil.
The sheriff's office says the panga boat and all suspects were released to agents from the Department of Homeland Security and transported to a federal detention facility.
