Coastguard vessel flips while making a bust on the sea

A Belize Coast Guard vessel reportedly capsized near the mouth of the Rio Hondo on Friday afternoon. According to the Mexican media, the Coast Guard personnel had intercepted a canoe with two men who were smuggling several cases of soft drinks bound for San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The officers boarded the canoe, detained the two men and attached the canoe to their vessel. But with too many persons in the small wooden vessel and rough sea conditions, both boats eventually sank in the Bay of Chetumal. After about fifteen minutes in the water, the six Coast Guards and the two detainees were rescued by a water taxi that runs from San Pedro to Chetumal. The report says that the Coastguard personnel discarded their weapons in the water while attempting to stay afloat, but it is not known if the guns have been recovered. Mexican authorities spent hours trying to flip the Coast Guard boat back over and weren’t successful until Saturday morning, when the vessel was towed to San Pedro. According to the Mexican reports, witnesses say that the arrest occurred in their waters, but Harbor Master, Captain Alvaro Flores, confirmed that they were in Belizean territory.