U.S. unveils new speedboat to snag smugglers

SAN DIEGO - US border agents may soon have faster boats with long-range infrared cameras to find smugglers ferrying people and drugs into the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed off a prototype vessel Monday in San Diego that it hopes will aid agents during high-speed pursuits.

The $875,000 speedboat is faster, more stable and carries more fuel than the agency's current craft.

It also comes with infrared cameras that give detailed images as far as the horizon goes. Currently, agents often use goggles, which can see only as far as the naked eye.

CBP hopes to get funding to replace its fleet of about 65 vessels for high-speed chases. Authorities say heightened enforcement on land borders has fueled an increase in human smuggling by sea, particularly in the San Diego area.