A grand jury in Texas has indicted four Mexican fishers on charges of illegally harvesting red snapper in U.S. waters.
According to the criminal complaint, U.S. authorities observed a crew of four fishers from Matamoros, Mexico, operating several miles north of the U.S.-Mexico maritime border in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government. Operating in an unmarked, unregistered, panga-style fishing vessel without running lights, the crew reportedly harvested 315 kilograms of red snapper.
The criminal complaint alleges that the fishers attempted to transport the fish back to Mexico to sell there, despite not having a permit for fishing in U.S. waters or a quota for red snapper.
The four fishers, who were arrested when the criminal complaint was filed, are Miguel Angel Ramirez-Vidal, 32, Jesus David Luna-Marquez, 20, Jesus Roberto Morales-Amador, 27, and Jose Daniel Santiago-Mendoza, 22. The crew is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Betancourt on 22 May for their arraignment. If convicted, the fishers face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of USD 250,000 (EUR 223,669).
The U.S. Coast Guard has caught more than 50 Mexican fishers illegally harvesting red snapper in U.S. waters in 2025 so far.
Just one day after the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas announced the indictments above, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that it had caught another four Mexican fishers operating illegally in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the U.S. government, a Coast Guard boat crew interdicted the fishers, seizing 450 pounds of red snapper. The fishers were taken into custody and transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for processing.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned five individuals for allegedly organizing illegal fishing missions on behalf of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico.
