U.S. Border Patrol agents caught four illegal aliens attempting to enter the country on jet skis Sunday night. The four were spotted traveling past the Imperial Beach pier, off the southern California coastline.

Joint Harbor Operations Center (JHOC) alerted a Coast Guard cutter about the illegal crossers, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) release.

Border Patrol agents caught the illegal aliens at Coronado Silver Strand State Beach, where human smugglers dropped the three women–aged 18, 20 and 40–and one 15-year-old male in the dark of night. They were transported to a Border Patrol station for processing.

The smugglers that facilitated the aliens’ illegal entry into the U.S. appeared to have high-tailed it back to Mexico after the drop. CBP’s Office of Air and Marine attempted to locate them from the air, searching the area using a helicopter.

On a recent tour of the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, Border Patrol representatives told Breitbart News that smuggling using the ocean is one of the frequently used methods to challenge border security in the San Diego sector.

National Border Patrol Council Local 1613 spokesperson Gabe Pacheco commented to Breitbart California on Monday:

Working in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, the Border Patrol prevented the illegal trafficking of people into the U.S. With Border Patrol agents successfully carrying out their daily duties of detection, prevention and apprehension near the land border, this places added pressure on transnational criminal organizations. They operate just like any other business; however, their interest is in human trafficking. They offer their victims a quick and easy trip north to a safe location. However, the victims subject themselves to the risk of drowning, falling off the watercraft, and other dangers out at sea.

The Border Patrol is specifically responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian international land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the island of Puerto Rico. Agents work around the clock on assignments, in all types of terrain and weather conditions.

Photo: File (An earlier photo from the same border station was unrelated to the story.)

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana