US Coast Guard law enforcement crews of Corpus Christi, Texas has detected and interdicted two Mexican lancha boat crews engaged in illegal fishing in federal waters off southern Texas.
On November 1, US Coast Guard crews stopped a lancha (motor boat) with four Mexican fishermen fishing illegally. The lancha had 20 sharks totaling 157 pounds (72 kg.) aboard the vessel. A second lancha with three Mexican fishermen was stopped October 27, 2018, with two Amberjack fish weighing 67 pounds (31 kg.). The equipment and fishermen from both motor boats were detained and transferred to border enforcement agents for processing.
A lancha is a Mexican fishing boat approximately 20-30 feet long with a slender profile. In most cases, the lancha has one outboard motor, is capable of moving with speeds more than 27 knots and is regularly used to fish and transport narcotics illegally in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S./Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.
Over the year many incidents of illegal fishing has been reported in the Gulf of Mexico with the use of lanchas and the U.S. Coast Guard has detected and interdicted most of them.
The Corpus Christi Coast Guard Sector/Air Station has interdicted three lanchas north of the US/Mexico Maritime Border since October 1.
