The US Coast Guard continues to apprehend Mexican Cartel boat crews off the Texas coast illegally fishing in US waters. The boats - called lanchas - catch hundreds of pounds of highly-prized Red Snapper for the Gulf Cartel (because the Red Snapper population off Mexico has been depleted by overfishing)
The US Treasury Department says the Gulf Cartel earns millions of dollars each year from the sale of Red Snapper illegally poached from US waters.
Lanchas are 20-30-foot boats powered by outboard motors that can zip through the water at more than thirty miles an hour. With their slender profiles, white hulls, and blue interiors, they blend into the Gulf waves at night, making them hard to see. They can also be tough to catch in the hands of an experienced captain (known as a "lanchero").
The latest reported seizures of Gulf Cartel lanchas occurred this month off the Texas coast:
The US Coast Guard and US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Agents apprehended 13 lancheros on June 13, 2025. Fifteen hundred pounds of illegally caught Red Snapper were also seized.
Five days later, the Coast Guard apprehended another Gulf Cartel lancha off the Texas coast. Four Mexican fishermen were taken into custody along with a 300-pound illegal catch of Red Snapper.
These offshore operations by the Gulf Cartel off the Texas Coast also raise Border Security concerns because they are known to use the lanchas to move drugs and migrants into the United States.
Should more be done to deter the Gulf Cartel's illegal activities in U.S. waters?
Share your reaction in the comments on this article!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
USGC needs more manpower/assistance in the Gulf.
If not already being utilized, I wonder if the use of drones to help patrol would be an option?
Thank you for all your reporting on border news! Excellent work!
Always gr8 work!