U.S. Border Patrol agent and suspected drug smuggler killed in shoot-out near Puerto Rico coast

A United States Customs and Border Patrol Agent and a suspected drug smuggler were both killed in a shoot-out off the coast of Puerto Rico on Thursday, according to USCBP.

In a statement released to the press, US Customs and Border Patrol revealed that three agents who were approaching a suspected drug smuggling boat about 14 miles off the west coast of Puerto Rico on Thursday were shot at by the occupants of the small vessel, killing one agent and injuring at least one other. One of the two men on the other boat was also killed.

“On Nov. 17, at approximately 8:00AM, three CBP Marine Interdiction Agents were involved in an exchange of gunfire with two individuals on board a suspected smuggling vessel upon approach 14 miles off the coast of Cabo Rojo Puerto Rico,” said the CBP statement.

“The Marine Agents suffered various gunshot injuries as a result. The agents were airlifted by Coast Guard to the Puerto Rico Trauma Center and to a Mayaguez Hospital.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas discussed the incident while testifying in front of a House Select panel on Thursday, confirming one agent had been killed and others “gravely wounded” during the marine operation.

Mayorkas acknowledged the dangers of the CBP agents’ roles in his testimony, saying, “The difficulty of this job cannot be compared to the difficulty that our front-line personnel face every day.”