Multiple Coast Guard law enforcement crews detected and interdicted three Mexican lancha boat crews illegally fishing in federal waters off South Texas on Tuesday.
Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crews and the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson crew, in coordination with Coast Guard Sector and Air Station Corpus Christi, located and stopped three lanchas with a total of 14 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing.
Coast Guard personnel interdicted three lanchas with approximately 440 pounds of shark and 2,425 pounds of red snapper along with fishing gear, radios and GPS devices. Coast Guard crews detained the Mexican fishermen and are scheduled to transfer them to border enforcement agents for processing.
“Working collaboratively with our federal, state and local partners, we continue to detect and deter illegal fishing occurring in the U. S. Exclusive Economic Zone,” said Capt. Kristi Luttrell, chief of response, Coast Guard District 8. “Successfully protecting our limited marine resources requires a whole-of-government approach, and these successful cases illustrate our commitment to that effort.”
Lanchas are open, 20- to 25-foot fiberglass boats powered by outboards. Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and illegally fish in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.
If you witness suspicious activity or illegal fishing out to 200 miles offshore, contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 361-939-0450.
