Did Mexican Bandidos Flee into Belize After Shootout with Police?

There have been reports there was a shootout between Mexican law enforcement and members of a drug cartel in the vicinity of La Union.  One media story says it is believed that the gunmen may have fled into Belize.  While the police department on this side of the Rio Hondo was made aware of the situation, there was no official report filed with Belizean authorities.  Nonetheless, measures have been put in place to intercept the bandidos near the northern border point should they encounter local police elements.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We did receive an unofficial reporting that there was some shootout between the Mexican law enforcement authorities and some cartels in the La Union area of Mexico.  The unofficial reporting that we got also suggested that members of the cartels may have escaped Mexico into Belize.  So what we did was to ensure that we place our composite patrols that we have along our northern unofficial borders to be on high alert and to mount sporadic VCPs in different key locations, areas where we believe that if those persons were to come to Belize would be their only access point.  Those operations are still ongoing and up to now we have not received any official or unofficial information that the cartels who escaped Mexico, or who escaped that scenario in Mexico, came over to Belize.  We continue to remain on high alert along our northern unofficial border areas, just in the event that any of those persons would show up, that we would be in a position to apprehend them.”