US agent and suspected smuggler killed in gunfire exchange off coast of Puerto Rico

By Smith On Nov 18, 2022

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declared that in a gunshot exchange, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and a suspected smuggler died in the gunfire exchange when the agents suspected a smuggling vessel off the coast of Puerto Rico. The incident occurred on Thursday, November 17, around 8 AM, about 144 miles from the coast of Cabo Rojo in Puerto Rico.

The CBP agency stated that the investigations are underway, and the one of the two suspected smugglers died

Initially, the CBP statement had said that three agents werte wounded in a gunfire exchange off Puerto Rico coast without mention of any casuality. The agency had said that the agents had been airlifted to the trauma centre in Puerto Rico.

Mayorkas statement:

At the congressional hearing, Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary, said that he had been informed about the tragic loss of one of the frontline officers and others severely wounded. He also said that these personnel worked for CBP’s Air and Marine unit operations.

US sanctions Russian officials over nerve-agent attack

Tough stance

The measures, emphasizing the use of the Russian nerve agent as a banned chemical weapon, marked the Biden administration’s first sanctions against associates of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader was a favorite of former President Donald Trump even during covert Russian hacking and social media campaigns aimed at destabilizing the U.S.

Wide ranging sanctions

The Biden administration also announced sanctions under the U.S. Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act for Russian entities, including those the U.S. said worked to research, develop and test chemical weapons.

Russia’s reply

The U.S. intelligence community concluded with high confidence that Russia’s Federal Security Service used the Russian nerve agent Novichok on Navalny last August, a senior administration official said. Russia says it had no role in any attack on the dissident.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday denounced the new U.S. sanctions as part of its “meddling in our internal affairs.”

At a senate panel on Thursday, Mayorkas said while disclosing the shooting news that these agents were a brave part of U.S. CBP’s operations.

Further, he added, “The difficulty our frontline officers face every day cannot be compared to any other jobs. The country must recognize their selfless and brave services.”

FAQs:

What is CBP?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the first unified border organization of the U.S., is the world’s largest law administration entity of the U.S. with more than 60,000 officers. It facilitates lawful international trade and travel while monitoring terrorist activities.
When was the last time when CBP saved smuggling?
As per CBP reports, in 2021, the unit arrested more than 122,000 and saved 518 people. Around 1.1 million pounds of narcotics were seized, with a value of $73.1 million.

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