Border Patrol, Smugglers Exchange Gunfire Near Los Ebanos



Posted: Oct 22, 2012 9:27 PM Updated: Oct 22, 2012 9:55 PM

LOS EBANOS - Five Mexican nationals are facing charges after a shootout between Border Patrol agents and drug smugglers near Los Ebanos.

Border Patrol officials said agents exchanged gunfire with someone on the Mexican side of the border. The incident happened at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Friday downriver from the ferry crossing.

Five Border Patrol agents saw several people loading bundles into a Ford Expedition. The agents called for backup and drove to the scene on a marked vehicle. Air and marine units were dispatched to the scene.
The five agents in the marked vehicle came under fire when they approached the scene. The agents returned fire.

Court documents do not indicate that any of the agents were hit. There is no information on how many shots were fired or how long the firefight lasted.

Border Patrol officials issued a statement saying that someone on a tree on the Mexican side of the border opened fire on the agents.
Five people were arrested after the shooting. Agents seized 63 bundles of marijuana weighing a total of about 1,000 pounds.

The men were charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

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