The U.S. Coast Guard shut down three illegal charter vessels operating in Southern California over Labor Day weekend, the Guard announced. Sector San Diego halted two illegal charter vessels and their voyages while they carried passengers for hire. Meanwhile, the USCG teamed up with the Marina Del Rey Sheriff’s law enforcement to stop Beirut, a 58-foot pleasure boat operating an illegal charter vessel with 15 passengers. The vessel is in violation of not having a valid certificate of inspection, not having a Coast Guard-licensed captain, running in coastwise trade without the appropriate certificate of documentation endorsement and for failing to…

Members of U.S. Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach recently stopped an illegal charter vessel operating in the Newport Beach area of Orange County, California. A 50-foot pleasure craft, Yachtley Crue, was carrying 12 passengers on Aug. 6 when Coast Guard members found the vessel in violation of 46 C.F.R. 176.100 (a) for not possessing a valid Certificate of Inspection, 46 C.F.R. 67.323 for operating in coastwise trade without the appropriate Certificate of Documentation endorsement and 46 C.F.R. 16.201 for failure to have a random drug testing program, according to the USCG. “The Coast Guard will aggressively pursue any operator…