Officials seized more than 11,000 pounds of narcotics during an international joint operation in March, the largest maritime cocaine seizure in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since 2009.

The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and a Joint Interagency Task Force snagged the tons of cocaine from a coastal freighter in early March. The drugs were thrown off a small coastal freighter but recovered in international waters off the coast of Costa Rica.

"This is dangerous work," said Rear Adm. Joseph Servidio, commander of the 11th Coast Guard District in a statement. "I send my deepest appreciation to the men and women on the front lines who risk their lives to stop these drugs from reaching our streets and the streets of our partner nations.”

The USS Gary was routinely patrolling the region with a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment aboard when they approached the freighter. The ship’s crew, according to a statement, was seen throwing bales of contraband into the ocean.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell and the Canadian navy vessel HMCS Whitehorse aided the operation to provide additional U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement teams to help search the boat and retrieve contraband from the ocean. U.S. Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft helped find floating bales of the drug.

When officials pulled all the bales out of the ocean, the cocaine weighed approximately 11,000 pounds.

The drug bust marks the largest in the region since 2009, when a semi-submersible craft in the Eastern Pacific was caught carrying five tons of cocaine by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis.

Officials have seized more than one million pounds of cocaine at sea in the Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean since 2010.

When Ayana Pitterson goes on vacation she makes some unusual stops.

Besides the usual tourist locations, Ayana also visits local thrift stores.

"I'm not saying you have to spend the whole day doing it," Pitterson said. "But pick one or two and just browse those thrift stores, the consignment shops and vintage shops and you'll be very surprised and happy."

Pitterson goes through a closet of resale shop items she's picked up on vacation like a purse from New York, a sun dress from Las Vegas and a Christian Dior jacket from Beverly Hills. In each case she paid a fraction of the new price.

When she makes travel plans, Ayana checks social networking sites like Facebook, Yelp and Instagram to get thrift store recommendations. She says it's a nice way to save money in the middle of an expensive trip.

Tanya McAnear, who owns Bad Madge & Company in San Diego's North Park neighborhood, says more and more tourists are now coming to her store.

"You're connecting with people who live in a community," said McAnear. "It's a much different feeling, it's true and authentic."

McAnear also visits vintage stores while she travels. She says it is an effective way to get to know the locals.

"You don't want to go to the mall. You want to see something different," said McAnear. "It's not the same old cookie cutter business."

For Ayana Pitterson, every vacation is a new adventure, and a new resale shop.

"Wherever we travel I'm always going to be on the lookout for an awesome place to thrift," said Pitterson.

Amid a severe drought, residents are tackling their lawns trying to meet the governor's unprecedented water mandates.

Heading into the long holiday weekend, many are already thinking about how they are going to reduce water usage by 25 percent. Whether you're in the market for a desert landscape or artificial turf or something in between, there's no shortage of choices.

We caught-up with a mom today at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon who is considering desert-scaping. The only problem is her son wasn't sold on the idea.

"I like running around in grass, so I prefer grass instead of a desert landscape," said young Owen Castello.

At the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, you can let your kids take some grass for a test run, see how it feels underneath their feet. And find out how many average gallons per year each option needs in watering.

But what plants would a nursery choose for landscaping if it was their job to maintain it and pay for the water?

Rosemary, Germander, Statice, Manzanita, Bougainvillea -- those are some of the plants lining the commercial property of Walter Andersen nursery in Poway.

Luckily, San Diego has what horticulture experts say is a Meditterean climate with a huge diversity of native plants. NBC7's Dagmar Midcap says the Meditterranean climate will become about 10 to 15 percent drier over the next decade, according to most climate models.

Gardners were out in full force looking for options from Cordylines and Flax to complement their artificial turf.

"You can't just let everything die because everything gets dry enough as it is without us going out and adding to that," said Cliff Resch, retired La Mesa police chief. "So, we need to keep a certain amount of greenery. We need to keep a certain amount of open space between our houses and plants."

He says from a public safety standpoint, just turning off the water and letting the lawn die is dangerous in this wildfire-prone area.

"It's very dangerous for the home, and you can't just do that. Not only can you not afford to do that, but your neighbors don't want you to do it. If you talk to the Fire Department, they don't want you to do it."

But what if you don't have the time or budget to replace your entire yard with artificial grass or San Diego bentgrass sod, which has shorter roots and therefore uses less water?

Experts say start small. Replace one water-guzzling shrub with something like Germander or Rosemary. Or slowly start scaling back the size of your yard.

"All of us have to look at helping out, but it's got to be within reason and it's got to be within the budget," Resch said. "You don't want to tear out your grass, but yet you can't go out and water your lawn every day."

Six people, including a 5-day-old baby girl, were hurt in a fire at a Pacific Beach apartment complex on Friday night, as dozens more were displaced, officials said.

Smoke and fire were seen at about 8:40 p.m. coming from the 19-unit Park Lamont complex in the 4700 block of Lamont Street. The fire was spanning across multiple floors of the building.

Upon arriving, crews found people on the front lawn in need of medical care, officials said. Three victims were being taken by ambulance to the hospital and a fourth victim opted to drive to the hospital.

After 10 p.m., officials said another two were reportedly injured, bringing the total number of victims to six. Many of the victims, including the baby, were suffering smoke inhalation, officials said.

Other residents were asked to evacuate the complex.

San Diego police officers responded to the area and temporarily closed down traffic as crews fought the blaze. Crews had the fire knocked down at about 9 p.m.

The American Red Cross responded to assist those displaced by the fire, helping at least 15 residents find temporary housing.

A battalion chief described the fire as what could've been "a nightmare" because Park Lamont is a two-story building with a hallway running through the middle of it, from end to end, giving a fire everything it needs: air and room to move.

According to residents, they heard something they described as an explosion right before the fire broke out. Almost immediately, thick, black smoke filled the hallway.

The complex manager told NBC 7 the fire started at apartment No. 2 – the home of an elderly tenant. That tenant was one of the victims taken to a nearby hospital.

Firefighters said they were fortunate to douse the blaze in around 20 minutes. The fire was lapping against the outside of the building's second floor threatening the rest of the structure.

Just two doors down were roommates Frank Brown and Tom Lebedz. Brown said he was fast asleep at the time the blaze broke out.

“I was very fortunate [my roommate] was home because he works night and if he’d been gone, I would probably still be sleeping,” Brown told NBC 7.

Lebedz said the fire spread quickly.

“There was smoke beginning to billow up from under the door and it was foul, very foul smoke. I opened the door completely and it flooded black smoke in the apartment,” he recounted.

Fire officials said a total of 34 firefighters fought the blaze. Between 35 and 40 residents were displaced overnight while crews worked to secure the building.

The battalion chief said the apartment building sustained massive smoke and fire damage.

The one-bedroom apartment where the fire started was extensively damaged. Fire officials said an adjoining unit also sustained some fire damage and there was smoke damage throughout the 19-unit complex.

Damage is estimated at $650,000 to the building, plus $50,000 to the contents inside. Officials also estimated $200,000 in smoke damage to the complex.

Investigators determined the fire was accidental, caused by smoking and an open flame igniting an oxygen tube.

Officials said those who were hurt in the fire are expected to make full recoveries.

San Diego police and SWAT officials were called to Pacific Beach early Saturday after a suspect claiming to be heavily armed barricaded himself inside a warehouse building.

By 11:10 a.m. the standoff in the 2900 block of Garnet Avenue was over as the suspect – now identified as Kevin McGuiness, 53 – surrendered and was taken into custody.

According to police, McGuinness was living inside the warehouse building. Another man visited him there Friday night and the two got into a dispute.

Police said McGuinness fired shots at the visitor. The man fled and was not injured.

San Diego Police Department Lt. Kevin Mayer said police received a phone call around 10:30 p.m. Friday reporting that someone had been shot at the building. When officers arrived, they discovered McGuinness living inside a warehouse.

Officers attempted to get McGuinness to come outside and speak with them, but he refused to open the door.

Lt. Mayer said SWAT was called in because the suspect was believed to be armed with explosives.
After a lengthy, overnight standoff, McGuinness came outside and was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

Before the man's surrender and arrest, SWAT crews attempted several different methods for many hours to get the suspect out of the building. This included at least four flash bangs, tear gas and the firing of rubber bullets. Police also used a fire hose to spray water through a busted window.

Officials also used a robot to investigate a suspicious red box found near the building.

Just before 10 a.m., officials pulled the door off the building. With dozens of police officers surrounding the area, it appeared officials were closer to contacting the suspect barricaded inside. About an hour later, McGuinness was in custody.

Traffic was closed in both directions along Garnet Avenue, between Mission Bay Drive and the Interstate 5 overpass. Drivers and pedestrians were urged to avoid the area.

No one was injured in the standoff.

A 17-year-old New York youth died Saturday of injuries he sustained nearly two days earlier when he fell off the roof of a six-story building while running from police, according to the NYPD.

Bronx teen, Hakeem Kuta, fell onto the pavement between two buildings on Valentine Avenue in Bedford Park a little after 7:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition. He died at 10:48 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Kuta and another boy, 14, had been running from police after officers confronted them and several other people while responding to a call of kids smoking marijuana in an apartment building lobby.

The two teen boys ran up a staircase and two officers followed them to the roof of the building, police said.

Police were heard shouting at Kuta to just relax.

But while on the roof, the boys tried to jump 10 feet to another rooftop and lost their footing.

One of the officers was able to grab the 14-year-old before he fell.

But Kuta wasn't able to hold on long enough to be rescued and fell six stories to the alley below.

"I just heard yelling and screaming," a resident who knows Kuta said. "I'm sad because he's just a kid. Kids sometimes do stupid things."

Detectives were at the site investigating and it appears there was no foul play.

A police pursuit that reached speeds of 140 mph on Southern California freeways ended when the driver slammed into two other cars, sending two of the vehicles careening out of control.

California Highway Patrol officers first reported pursuing the car on the northbound 57 Freeway in the Yorba Linda area after the driver allegedly refused to pull over for a traffic violation.

The driver — accompanied by one passenger — then made his way into Los Angeles County, maintaining triple-digit speeds and narrowly dodging other cars as he threaded his way through light Saturday night traffic on the 210, 134 and 405 freeways.

On the southbound 405 Freeway in the Marina del Rey area, the driver apparently attempted to slip in between a car and a pickup truck that were traveling side by side, but collided with both. The pickup truck flew into a retaining wall, the other car spun out and the pursued car slowly rolled to a stop as sparks flew from underneath it.

The driver and passenger came out of the pursued car with their hands up and were taken into custody by CHP officers.

It was not immediately clear what happened to the occupants of the other vehicles in the crash.

Two people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Culver City Fire Department officials said. It was not immediately clear which of the vehicles the injured were in.

There were no updates on the chase as of 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

Visitors at a zoo in Southeast Florida on Friday witnessed a rare sight: the birth of an endangered animal.

An Arabian Oryx gave birth in her exhibit as both visitors and Zoo Miami staff looked on.

The Arabian Oryx species is considered highly endangered, and was declared extinct in the wild in 1972. Zoo Miami's Ron Magill said captive breeding programs in zoos helped rebound the wild population numbers close to 1,500.

These antelope are now found in Saudi Arabia and Oman, and can go for weeks without water. According to Magill, the Arabian Oryx is believed to have started the legend of the unicorn, since it appears to have only one horn when seen in profile.

Police are asking for help finding a man who they say fired a gun in the parking lot of a Queens casino at the same time dozens of people were attacking each other in a food court brawl there.

Authorities found no one who had been injured by the gunfire, but used surveillance footage to track the suspect's movements, police said. The NYPD's Facial Recognition Unit identified him as 22-year-old Jaquan Roberts, police said. It wasn't immediately clear if Roberts had a lawyer.

The 911 call reporting gunfire in the parking lot of Resorts World Casino Friday night came in at the same time as a number of 911 calls reporting a massive brawl.

Police responding to the casino found dozens of people throwing punches and hurling chairs, authorities said.

Three people were arrested and many more suffered minor injuries in the free-for-all, police said. One officer suffered a hand injury.

Police say hundreds of people watched and dozens participated.

A witness told NBC 4 New York that the melee started when two people argued about their place in line at a new Fat Tuesday daiquiri stand in the casino.

One of the arrested men was given a summons for disorderly conduct and released. Two others had previous warrants and were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.

A Resorts World Casino spokesman said in a statement that the casino's security had responded to the fight and worked to get it under control.

"The safety of our patrons is Resorts World's top priority, and there is absolutely no room for this kind of behavior at our facility," the statement said. "We are reviewing all aspects of this unfortunate event and are fully committed to taking steps to ensure similar acts do not take place ever again."

The FBI is offering up to a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of one of FBI San Diego’s Most Wanted Drug Fugitives.

Rene Arzate-Garcia, or “La Rana,” is known as a high-ranking member of the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel. He is wanted for allegedly conspiring with others to bring large quantities of Marijuana into the U.S.

Arzate-Garcia has been has been identified as the Tijuana Plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel and is believed to be responsible for their operations in Northern Baja California, Mexico, including coordinating and enforcing violent operations on behalf of the cartels. Those operations include multiple murders and kidnappings, according to the FBI.

One of the indictments unsealed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California charged Arzate-Garcia in his role for conspiring to bring large amounts of marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico. 

He is described as a Hispanic male with black hair and brown eyes approximately 6 feet tall and 220 pounds in his 30s. He also goes by La Rana, General and Apa.

A woman was sexually assaulted while her male companion was forced to lay face down in the sand at a southern California beach just after midnight Sunday, police said.

The attacker, who is still at large, "simulated the use of a handgun" when he approached the man and woman, who were sitting in the sand in the 3400 block of the waterline at 12:16 a.m., according to a press release from the Manhattan Beach Police Department.

Property was taken from the man and woman, in their 40s, before the attacker fled on foot, police said.

Police searched the area for the man, but couldn't find him. Detectives will investigate the crime, according to the press release.

The Giants announced that Hall of Fame broadcaster Lon Simmons peacefully passed away at the age of 91.

“Like many fans, my earliest Giants memories were listening to Lon and Russ on my transistor radio,” said Giants President and CEO Larry Baer. “Hearing his broadcasts ignited my and thousands of others’ passion for Giants baseball. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”

To Giants fans everywhere, his voice was synonymous with Giants baseball for five decades. Best known for his booming baritone voice, encyclopedic sports knowledge, flair for the dramatic and self-deprecating sense of humor, Lon was the link between generations of Bay Area sports fans and their hometown teams. He was a legend among Giants fans, whose career with the team spanned five decades – beginning when he joined Russ Hodges in the broadcast booth during the team’s first season in San Francisco in 1958. Simmons and Hodges worked together for 13 years.

In 1973, Simmons retired temporarily and then returned to the Giants in 1976 for three more years. He then moved across the bay to Oakland, where he teamed with Bill King and Ray Fosse to broadcast Athletics games from 1981-95. In 1996, he returned to the Giants broadcast team again, working a partial schedule, until his retirement after the 2002 season. In recent years he was a community ambassador for the Giants, visiting San Francisco on selected homestands as well as during the offseason and Scottsdale for Spring Training.

Simmons broadcast the pennant-winning Giants team of 1962 and he counted as his biggest thrills calling the 600th home run of Willie Mays and the dramatic home run that marked the return of Willie McCovey to San Francisco in 1977. For those and many other home runs, Simmons gave his trademark call of “tell it goodbye!”

Simmons was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in the summer of 2004 as the Ford C. Frick award winner.

Simmons will be deeply missed by the entire Giants family and their thoughts and prayers are with his daughters Robin, Cindy, Lisa and Kelsey.

Per Lon’s request, no services are planned.

More at CSN Bay Area

#RIPLonSimmons pic.twitter.com/iQfWMMj7Qn

— World Champs (@SFGiants) April 5, 2015

Nearly 3,000 people are without power in the Santee area during an unplanned outage, San Diego Gas and Electric said. 

The outage happened at approximately 4:26 p.m. Sunday in Fletcher Hills, El Cajon, Santee and Carlton Hills area. 

2,791 customers are without power, but SDG&E said the power should be back on by 7 p.m. 

A man was arrested after police found human remains in two duffel bags on Saturday in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

An active murder investigation is underway after the gruesome discovery. Police allege that the man was an accessory after the crime of assault and battery causing serious bodily injuries and improperly disposing of a human body.

Police were called to the busy Kendall Square area about an unusual bag. Officials found the remains in a duffel bag at an apartment building on Binney Street. Suvelliance videos led the investigators to Kendall Crossing Apartments where they discovered a second bag with more human remains in a common area, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan confirmed.

The remains could all belong to the same victim.

That person arrested in relations to this horrendous find is expected to be arraigned Monday.

The Massachusetts State Police is assisting the Cambridge Police and Ryan's office with the investigation.

A San Diego company will have to pay more than $425,000 to a Carlsbad resident after she was seriously injured while walking across a crosswalk.

Arizona State University student Haley Shook, now 23, was hit while walking in the middle of a marked crosswalk when she was 19 years old.

The truck belonged to the San Diego-based digital reproduction firm American Reprographics, LLC, whose truck driver admitted fault when he collided with the girl.

“Although the driver hit his brakes, he could not stop in time to avoid hitting our client. She jumped in the air to try to avoid the impact, landing on her right foot, breaking two bones,” said Thomas Penfield, one attorney for Shook. “Following impact, she fell to the street, and shortly thereafter required foot surgery. Although the crash happened in 2011, she has continued to experience chronic pain in her foot.”

Shook was awarded $425,741.67 for her medical expenses, general damages for pain, loss of quality and enjoyment of life by a jury after a three-day trial in Vista Superior Court.

A man is expected to survive after he was stabbed in the neck in Ocean Beach Saturday night, police said.

The stabbing happened at approximately 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Abbot Street and Newport Avenue, when police say three men got into a fight.

During that fight, one man was stabbed in the neck.

Officials later found the victim at a gas station on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, where an employee found him.

“He was walking this way...because I see the blood. I told him are you okay?” Sam Yousif, the employee, said. “’Tell him I’m no ok.’"

The man was taken to the hospital.

Officials are searching for the suspect.

A man is recovering after a sea lion bit his hand and pulled him underwater, officials said.

The incident happened at approximately 3:38 p.m. Sunday afternoon when the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) said a man was standing on a docked boat in the Hyatt Mission Bay Marina.

The man was holding a fish when a sea lion jumped up to try and get the fish, pulling him into the water by his hand, said Lee Swanson, spokesman for the SDFD.  

He was underwater for about 20 seconds, though he did not take in any water. 

By the time rescue officials arrived, he was back in the boat. 

He was taken to Scripps La Jolla with cuts to his hand and arm. 

If you find a stranded sea lion, don’t approach the pup or try to feed it. Instead, call SeaWorld’s rescue line at 800- 541-7325. SeaWorld has been flooded with calls about the stranded pups. At time, they will wait to come and rescue the pups because sometimes the animals will go back into the water on their own.

Lon Simmons, a Hall of Fame broadcaster whose career spanned five decades calling San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics and 49ers games, died Sunday. He was 91.

The Giants announced that Simmons had died "peacefully,'' saying, "The Giants family and Bay Area sports community lost a true gentleman.''

Simmons was one of the original voices of the Giants when they moved West in 1958, and he covered Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda.

"Like many fans, my earliest Giants memories were listening to Lon and Russ on my transistor radio,'' Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said. "Hearing his broadcasts ignited my and thousands of others' passion for Giants baseball. He will be deeply missed by all of us.''

Simmons broadcast Oakland's victory in the earthquake-interrupted 1989 Bay Bridge World Series, with that booming voice, announcing, "The A's have won the World Series in a sweep!''

The A's noted that Simmons "called some of the greatest moments in Oakland history, including the final three outs of the A's 1989 World Series championship.''

"His humility and humor made him one of the most beloved figures in franchise history, which makes today such a sad day for A's fans and baseball fans around the world,'' the team said in a statement. "Lon was an incredible broadcaster, but his personality and wit set him apart as one of the game's all-time greats.''

Over three stints with the Giants, Simmons considered one of his greatest thrills getting to call Mays' 600th home run. His signature phrase on the longball became, "Tell it goodbye!''

"If they had a Nobel Prize for baseball, Willie would have won it,'' Simmons said during Mays' 80th birthday festivities in May 2011.

He also announced many of home run king Barry Bonds' drives during his pursuit.

"R.I.P (hash)LonSimmons you will forever be in our hearts. Broadcasting Bay Area sports since 1958,'' Bonds posted on Twitter.

But Simmons, who was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award by the Hall of Fame in 2004, also had a famous call on Hall of Fame quarterback

Steve Young's epic, back-and-forth game-winning scramble

for 49 yards against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 30, 1988, that still lives in the memories of Bay Area sports fans.

"Young, back to throw, in trouble, he's going to be sacked. No, gets away, he runs, gets away again, goes to the 40, gets away again, to the 35, cuts back at the 30, to the 20, the 15, the 10. He dives. Touchdown, 49ers!''

49ers CEO Jed York said the team "was deeply saddened to lose one of our own today with the passing of Lon Simmons.''

"Much more than an iconic voice in the great history of Bay Area sports, Lon shared his passion for this region's teams with generations of fans. For more than two decades 49ers fans were treated to the great talents of a man of high integrity and tremendous humility,'' York said. "Whether it was a game-winning touchdown pass from Joe Montana to John Taylor or the miraculous scramble by Steve Young against the Vikings, he brought some of our greatest moments to the world.''

Ahead of the Niners' final season at Candlestick Park in 2013, Simmons reflected on the run-down stadium where he did most of his work. Simmons often took shots at himself and that humor became part of his charm, along with his baritone voice and personable nature.

"I felt that Candlestick and I were soul mates: We were both big and ugly, we were both windy and they could never figure out how to get rid of either one of us,'' Simmons said. "As John Brodie used to say about Candlestick, he said, 'We have the advantage when we play at home, I have the advantage because I've played in the wind and things and I know what the ball's going to do.' The guys come in to play one game a year and the winds and stuff killed them because it really did affect the ball throwing it.''

Simmons, who spent much of his time in the radio booth alongside Russ Hodges, dealt with cancer more than once in recent years. He requested not to have a memorial service, the Giants said. He attended selected games last season and still worked as a community ambassador for the Giants after retiring in 2002.

"I'm grateful for the support of the Bay area fans,'' Simmons said upon being selected winner of the Ford C. Frick Award. "The fans are more important to me than anything else because those are the people I tried to please the 40 years.''

#RIPLonSimmons pic.twitter.com/iQfWMMj7Qn

— World Champs (@SFGiants) April 5, 2015