On Friday, Alejandro Acosta, Jr, 26, Aaron Quintero, 23, Jesus Israelas Carrion Corrales, 51, Gonzalo Ruiz Quezara, 28, Victor Sandoval, 41, and Jose Burgueno Sanchez, 39, entered pleas of no contest to illegally importing 2800 pounds of marijuana into the United States on June 12.

All six men were immediately sentenced and received prison sentences of 2 years.

These charges stem from a multi-agency response to a Panga boat landing near Mill Creek in Big Sur in the early morning of June 12.

The United States Coast Guard first tracked the boat at sea by radar and started a ground response when the boat entered United States waters just after midnight and began a high speed run toward the Big Sur Coast.

MONTEREY (BCN) — Six men were sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling 2,800 pounds of marijuana in a boat that landed off of the coast in Big Sur earlier this year, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

The men were identified as Alejandro Acosta Jr., 26, and Aaron Quintero, 23, both of Yuma, Arizona, and Jesus Israelas Carrion Corrales, 51, Gonzalo Ruiz Quezara, 28, Victor Sandoval, 41, and Jose Burgueno Sanchez, 39, of Mexico.

They all pleaded no contest to charges of transporting marijuana, possessing marijuana and conspiracy that stem from the discovery of a Panga boat that landed near Mill Creek in Big Sur during the early morning of June 12, prosecutors said.

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — As Mexico's top court prepares to consider arguments that could open the door to the recreational use of marijuana, some families are hoping such a step could help make medicinal marijuana more accessible.

The parents of 8-year-old Graciela Elizalde of Monterrey have already seen a difference in their daughter since she began taking a marijuana extract recently. A federal judge gave them permission to import the marijuana oil.

Mexico's Supreme Court postponed on Wednesday a much-anticipated hearing on a citizen group's bid to legally smoke marijuana, a potential landmark case in a country beset by drug violence.

While dozens of legalization supporters gathered outside the court in the capital's historic center, a judicial official said the justices decided to delay the debate until next week or a later date.

The case was brought by the Mexican Society for Responsible and Tolerant Personal Use, whose Spanish acronym spells "SMART," which is seeking permission to grow and consume its own pot.

Mexico's Supreme Court will debate on Wednesday a citizen group's bid to legally consume marijuana, an effort that activists hope will break pot prohibition in a country beset by drug violence.

The legal battle is being waged by the Mexican Society for Responsible and Tolerant Personal Use, whose Spanish acronym spells "SMART" and which argues that federal laws violate their fundamental right to smoke weed.

While the court's ruling would only apply to SMART, a decision in favor of the cannabis club could open the floodgates for others seeking to legally smoke marijuana in Mexico.

On Wednesday, Mexico's Supreme Court will debate whether the prohibition of the consumption and cultivation of marijuana for personal use is unconstitutional. The Court will determine whether the prohibition of the consumption of marijuana -- and its cultivation for non-commercial ends -- violates the human right to the free development of one's personality. This landmark case could lead to the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes if followed up with legislation.

Mexico’s Supreme Court next Wednesday will vote on a case that many think could set a precedent for widespread marijuana legalization in the country. But strangely enough, the forces behind Mexico’s weed-legalization efforts have little do with the greater criticism of a drug war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives over the past decade.

Instead, Mexican weed enthusiasts argue they have a basic human right to get high.

In 2013, Mexico’s first marijuana club, The Mexican Association for Responsible Self-Consumption and Tolerance (or SMART in Spanish), filed a legal petition demanding the right to cultivate, possess and consume marijuana for recreational purposes. The initial motion was denied, but SMART managed to appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court.

SAN DIEGO — Authorities seized 12 tons of marijuana and arrested 22 people after discovering one of the longest cross-border tunnels between the U.S. and Mexico, officials said Thursday.

The passage connecting warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, was about 2,400 feet (730 metres) long and 30 feet (nine metres) deep. It was lit, ventilated and equipped with a rail system — hallmarks of the most sophisticated tunnels found along the border.

Near-simultaneous police stings on Wednesday resulted in six arrests in San Diego and 16 in Mexico. Authorities recovered two tons of marijuana in the U.S. and 10 tons in Mexico.

U.S. authorities said smugglers tried to move the first load of drugs through the tunnel on Wednesday but that nothing got through undetected.

SAN DIEGO — Mexican authorities said Thursday they seized about 10 tons of marijuana in an elaborate tunnel with a rail car system that extended well into San Diego and was designed to smuggle drugs into the U.S. from Tijuana.

The discovery on Wednesday marks one of the longest and more sophisticated clandestine tunnels found on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The passage was 9 feet deep and about 2,600 feet long — about three-quarters of that distance in Tijuana and the rest in San Diego. It was lit, ventilated and built with metal beams to prevent collapse.

It was unclear whether any drugs got through the tunnel or if it had an exit yet in the U.S.

Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, declined to comment.

Cannabis is legal for recreational use in several countries around the world (Source: Getty)

High hopes for the legalisation movement: Mexico could be close to legalising marijuana, as the country’s supreme court gears up to discuss the issue later this month.

The supreme court will be discussing a proposal that would legalise consumption and production of marijuana for recreational use.

Mexico has already approved medical use of the drug, as a lower court in the country granted a couple the right to import marijuana-based medicine to treat their daughter’s epilepsy in August.

Since recreational use of the drug has been made legal in several US states, political pressure has been mounting on Mexico to follow suit.