Four Mexican fishermen have pleaded guilty to illegally harvesting and transporting a large quantity of red snapper from U.S. waters, marking a shift in how authorities are handling cross-border commercial fishing violations, federal prosecutors announced.
Jose Daniel Santiago-Mendoza, 22, entered his guilty plea this week in federal court, joining co-defendants Miguel Angel Ramirez-Vidal, 32, Jesus David Luna-Marquez, 20, and Jesus Roberto Morales-Amador, 27, who previously admitted their roles in the illegal fishing operation. All four men are Mexican nationals and are currently in U.S. custody awaiting sentencing.
The group was apprehended after crossing into the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone aboard a 25-foot open fishing vessel that had departed Playa Bagdad, Mexico, under the cover of darkness on April 16. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the boat operated without running lights and ventured approximately 25 miles east of South Padre Island — well into U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico, now referred to by the U.S. government as the Gulf of America — where the crew deployed nearly four miles of longline fishing gear containing about 1,200 hooks.
When U.S. authorities intercepted the vessel, the crew was found in possession of approximately 693 pounds of illegally caught red snapper and four sharks. Officials estimate the retail value of the red snapper alone exceeds $9,000.
Ramirez-Vidal, the boat’s captain, has a long history of similar violations, having been arrested 28 times before for illegal fishing in U.S. waters. The other crew members also have previous records.
"The arrest and prosecution of Mexican commercial fisherman [sic] marks a change in policy concerning the protection of U.S. marine resources," the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
"In past instances, authorities would seize the catch and destroy the vessel but release violators back to Mexico. Any commercial fisherman now apprehended in U.S. waters caught violating the Lacey Act," a U.S. law aimed at protecting fish, wildlife, and plants, "face potential fines and imprisonment," the office added.
Each of the defendants could be sentenced to up to five years in federal prison and fined as much as $250,000.
Sentencing for Ramirez-Vidal is scheduled for August 13 before U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera. The other three men will be sentenced at later dates and will remain in federal custody in the meantime.
The case was the result of a multi-agency investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, NOAA, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the South Padre Island Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hagen is prosecuting the case.
