Shots Fired Near Illegal Border Crossing

Things got heated over the weekend along the Rio Hondo River. News Five confirmed that members of the Mobile Interdiction Team were shot at on Saturday evening. No injuries were reported. We understand that a shot was fired by an individual across the Mexican border near the illegal border crossing in Santa Cruz Village. Sources say that at around six-thirty-five pm MIT officers attempted to intercept a boat with seven male passengers who were coming from Botes with contraband goods. We are told that when the contrabandistas were unloading sacks of onion on the Belize side, someone across the Rio Hondo River fired a shot at the officers who were attempting to detain the contrabandistas. The officers then returned fire. Two of the male persons swam back across to Botes and the remaining persons jumped back into the boat and made good their escape. It is an international incident that could have been fatal. Border jumpers are an increasing problem for law enforcement authorities in Belize.