BELIZE CITY. Mon. July 26, 2021– Over the weekend, two Fisheries officers were reportedly robbed while responding to a report of coral being tampered with in the Boca Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve. The officers have since been identified as Dennis Aranda, a ranger from the Fisheries Department, and Henry Brown, Jr., the department’s biologist.

The robbery, which took place on Saturday morning, was allegedly carried out by two Hispanic men, who are believed to be from Mexico, since the skiff in which they were traveling reportedly displayed Mexican credentials.

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, the Police Department’s communications director, told local media that the officers who were robbed gave police a lengthy report, and that they noted that they saw the skiff speed off in the direction of Mexico while they were entering the location.
After one of the officers went into the water to address the matter of concern — the coral that had reportedly been tampered with, the boat reportedly returned to the area, after having gone to the shore, where the two men apparently went into an abandoned building.

According to ASP Yearwood, one of the Fisheries officers said that the captain of the skiff pointed a firearm at him and fired two shots, both of which missed, and the other proceeded to board the vessel and rob him of a number of items, including two firearms and an extra tank of fuel.

The two officers subsequently navigated to the Coast Guard base in the area and made a report of the incident to police on Sunday after they arrived in San Pedro.

ASP Yearwood said that the Police Department is taking the report very seriously and is investigating the incident actively, since it involves crime at the territorial level.

At this time, members of the Police Department and the Coast Guard continue to patrol the area in an effort to monitor any sign of activity.