Coast Guard detains Mexican fishermen with over 1,600 pounds of illegally caught fish

The U.S. Coast Guard apprehended 11 Mexican fishermen successful national waters disconnected southern Texas, portion seizing astir 1,600 pounds of illegally caught reddish snapper and 9 sharks.

Last Thursday, Coast Guard Station South Padre, on with respective different Coast Guard divisions and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) located and stopped 4 boats, oregon lanchas, disconnected the Texas coast, which were successful national waters conscionable northbound of the maritime bound line.

Lanchas, the Coast Guard said, are slender sportfishing boats utilized by Mexican fishermen that are astir 20 to 30 feet agelong and outfitted with an outboard centrifugal and susceptible of traveling astatine speeds implicit 30 mph.

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Coast Guard Station South Padre Island vessel crews, successful coordination with Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi ticker standers, Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews, and Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley, located and stopped a full of 11 Mexican fishermen engaged successful amerciable sportfishing disconnected the Texas seashore connected Feb. 6. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Station South Padre Island)

Oftentimes, lanchas are utilized to transport amerciable narcotics into the U.S., but besides for amerciable sportfishing successful the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent the U.S. and Mexico border successful the Gulf of America.

When Coast Guard crews encountered the lanchas successful national waters, they discovered determination were astir 1,600 pounds of reddish snapper connected the boats, arsenic good arsenic 9 sharks.

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The Coast Guard interdicted 3 lanchas, detained 11 Mexican fishermen, and seized astir 1,600 pounds of illegally caught reddish snapper and 9 sharks successful national waters disconnected confederate Texas. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Station South Padre Island)

The food were seized on with the sportfishing cogwheel and highflyers, which are utilized to people the opening and extremity of agelong sportfishing lines.

Authorities besides took each 11 fishermen into custody and transferred them to CPB officials for further processing.

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"Our crews volition not propulsion backmost from efforts to extremity amerciable sportfishing and trafficking of invaluable earthy resources connected the maritime border. We stay committed to enforcing the laws of this nation," said Lt. Shane Gunderson, commanding serviceman of Station South Padre Island. "Whether connected the confederate borderline oregon on the maritime bound enactment successful the Gulf of America, the Coast Guard volition detect, deter, and interdict illicit enactment that threatens our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."