Corpus Christi, United States - March 12, 2025 The Coast Guard swooped in and detained 16 Mexican fishermen caught red-handed poaching fish, seizing a whopping 2,500 pounds of illegally caught loot in federal waters off southern Texas on Tuesday night. The dramatic bust involved Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr and Station South Padre Island boat crews working alongside Sector Corpus Christi Command Center watch standers and Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews. They spotted and stopped four lanchas north of the Maritime Boundary Line in the Gulf of America, where the fishermen were illegally hauling in their catch. After rounding up the culprits, Coast Guard teams brought them ashore and handed them over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for processing. They also confiscated 2,500 pounds of red snapper, plus fishing gear and equipment stashed on the boats. Two of the lanchas were seized, while the other two, flooding and unstable, were marked and left adrift. Lt. David Anderson, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr, didn’t mince words. "Our crews will continue to relentlessly detect and deter threats to our nation’s sovereignty," he declared. "These illegal activities support trafficking and other criminal activities on our nation’s southern maritime border. Our enduring at-sea presence is vital in combatting these illegal operations." Lanchas, the speedy 20-30 foot boats favored by Mexican fishermen, are built for trouble. With slender frames and outboard motors pushing speeds over 30 mph, they’re often used to plunder the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone near the border. The illicit red snapper trade fuels criminal outfits, and these boats don’t stop at fish — they’re also linked to smuggling drugs and aliens into the U.S.