The South Coast is a region of California, making up roughly the southernmost third of the Californian coast. It refers for the most part to the Southern California coastal counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego due to the cosmopolitan "SoCal" atmosphere and location of major urban coastal centers. Of these counties only the western two-thirds of San Diego, coastal half of Ventura, most of Los Angeles and all of Orange are included.[1]

South Coast
Region of California
Location of the South Coast in California (The lighter shaded area includes Central Coast counties that are included in some definitions)
Country	United States
State	California
Population	~ 20 million

However, some sources include the western part of Riverside, and southwestern part of San Bernardino Counties, and the northwestern corner of Baja California, because of their proximity to the Pacific Coast and because they are in the same bio-region and watershed.[2]^{[unreliable source?]}

Smuggling

During the prohibition era the waters of the South Coast were a popular smuggling route in for alcohol.[3] With increased security at the Mexico–United States border smuggling has increased;[3] during the 2011 fiscal year, more than 200 smuggling vessels were observed.[3] Most of the vessels attempt to off load their cargo of drugs and/or illegal immigrants in San Diego County;[4] however, destinations are as far north as the California Central Coast.[3][5] Often, vessels used for smuggling operations are abandoned upon making landfall.[6]

Most often smuggling utilizes small boats, often Pangas.[7] Additionally, larger craft are utilized, either having crew members smuggling illicit items aboard, or hiding illicit items in shipping containers.[7] In one case, a Narco-submarine was caught near the Channel Islands.[8] In March 2018, the United States Coast Guard estimates it only interdicts a quarter of what is smuggled to the United States through the Pacific Ocean.[9]

See also

• Central Coast (California)
• North Coast (California)
• South Coast Air Basin
• Southland

References

External links