Two Plead Guilty in Fatal Smuggling Attempt in Boat That Stalled Off La Jolla

SAN DIEGO - Two men pleaded guilty today to federal charges stemming from a human smuggling attempt in a boat that stalled off the coast of La Jolla, leading to the drowning death of one of the vessel's occupants.

The boat's captain, Victor Alfonso Soto Aguilar, and another man who acted as a refueler -- Jose Ramon Geraldo Romero -- entered guilty pleas Wednesday in connection with the capsizing of a panga boat on May 20. Both men told authorities that they agreed to pilot the vessel in lieu of paying

smuggling fees to enter the United States, according to the complaint filed against them earl...