A Good Chase, but Police Reel in Wrong Fish

San Diego police Tuesday arrested two San Diego area men and seized about $200,000 worth of marijuana in an early-morning bust at the South Mission Beach jetty.

But when six local and federal agencies tried to reel in the offshore partners in the alleged drug-dealing ring, all they caught were two crab fishermen on their morning jaunt.

“It’s just the wrong place at the wrong time,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Ronald D’Ulisse. “Like walking by the liquor store when it gets robbed.”

Police officers reached the jetty at the entrance to Mission Bay about 5:30 a.m., after a tip from a fisherman who said he had seen men with guns unloading heavy duffel bags from two tugboats into a pickup truck. Police requested help in tracking down the boats, and were aided during the next two hours by two U.S. Coast Guard cutters and a smaller Coast Guard boat, helicopters from the Coast Guard and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, two Mission Bay Harbor Patrol boats and a lifeguard chase boat. Agents from the U.S. Department of Customs were aboard one of the boats.

“A veritable armada is what we had,” said San Diego Police Lt. Chuck Ellis. “They asked for a naval destroyer. I thought that would be kind of neat.”

Ellis said the fleet gave chase to two tugboat-shaped boats that police had seen offshore when they made their arrests on the jetty, but officials were waiting for the Coast Guard cutters’ .50-caliber machine guns before apprehending the sailors, who were presumed to be armed and dangerous.

At one point, Ellis said, pursuers saw “buoy-like” objects that could have been bales of marijuana thrown over the side of the boats. “Turns out they’re unloading lobster traps,” he said.

The captured fishermen, both from Cardiff, said they knew something was going on, but didn’t realize they were the ones being pursued until they were told so over a Coast Guard loudspeaker off Torrey Pines Beach State Park about 7:45 a.m.

“It’s been an interesting day,” said Jack Purdew, 64, when he was released along with Michael Mierlot, 30. “I’ve never had handcuffs on in my whole life. I can’t say I liked it. . . . I had two-thirds of a barrel of crabs, but I guess they’re all dead by now.”

Coast Guard officers who had been aboard the cutters and helicopters said the fishermen followed a simple course while going about 6 knots, never trying to evade the pursuing boats. After interrogating the fishermen, who waited until about 2 p.m. to have their boats returned to them, officials said they simply had the wrong men.

“It hurts me to say this, but that’s the way it looks,” said Al Rivera, a U.S. customs special agent.

Coast Guard boats continued to sweep the area until 5 p.m. but had no success.

Meanwhile, federal Drug Enforcement Administration officials charged the two men in custody with possession and intent to distribute marijuana. Police identified them as Ricky Fenandez, 33, and Robert Calvert, 32, and gave their addresses as in the San Diego area. Neither was carrying a weapon. A third suspect, who may have been armed, eluded police at the jetty.

D’Ulisse said the marijuana appeared to be a relatively poor grade from Mexico. He said the amount being transported was large for this time of year and a conspicuous site was used to unload.

“I don’t judge it to be a very sophisticated operation,” he said. But he added, “they’re not novices their first time out of the box.”