In November 2024, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on five of Mexico’s gulf cartel members who help run a large-scale illegal fishing and trafficking operation in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. Coast Guard boat crews based in Texas spend considerable effort catching Mexican high-speed fishing boats (lanchas) in U.S. waters. In FY2021, coastguardsmen seized 78 lanchas and 15,000 pounds of fish – mainly red snapper, the primary target species for Mexican illegal fishing operators. The fishermen are attracted by the comparatively healthy fishery in the U.S. exclusive economic zone, but when they encounter the Coast Guard, their boats and catch get confiscated.
The Treasury says that these fishermen are backed by…
