Eleven people were detained after a smuggling boat washed ashore in Huntington Beach Monday night.

The 23-foot vessel was discovered around 9:15 p.m. on Huntington Beach at the intersection of 17th street and Pacific Coast Highway near lifeguard Tower 14.

Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the scene to find the boat run aground on the sand.

The boat was intercepted by police before it made ground and six people were immediately detained as they tried to flee, according to the United Stated Department of Homeland Security. Authorities then searched the area and located an additional five people.

Video from an independent journalist showed the people being restrained and loaded into a United States Customs and Border Protection van.

Huntington Beach police were the the first to respond to the scene, but the investigation is being handled by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Nine of the people detained were men and two were women, officials said. All 11 people were in the country illegally and were not citizens, DHS added.

DHS said smugglers will often use “pleasure crafts” or fishing vessels to smuggle migrants or narcotics into the region. The agency said it is “working tirelessly to identify, intercept, and disrupt criminal organizations operating in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties.”