Coast Guard law enforcement crews interdicted a Mexican lancha boat crew engaged illegally fishing in federal waters off the South Texas coast, Monday afternoon.
USCG says crews stopped the vessel with a total of four Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing.
According to USCG, the lancha boat, 151 red snapper, two mangrove snapper and one shark, a combined total catch of 921 pounds, were seized. The Mexican fishermen were detained and transferred to border enforcement agents for processing.
A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is approximately 20-30 feet long with a slender profile, typically has one outboard motor, and is capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph. Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and fish illegally in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi says they have detected 140 lanchas, 41 of which were interdicted, that were north of the U.S.-Mexico Maritime Border since Oct. 1, 2017.
