The US Department of the Treasury has identified members of Mexico's Gulf Cartel as key players in illegal fishing operations targeting red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.

The fish, abundant in US waters due to strict conservation rules, is illegally harvested and brought to Mexico's Playa Bagdad, a coastal area near Matamoros, for sale and export, the agency said in a press release this week.

Treasury officials said the cartel uses small, fast boats called lanchas to cross into US waters, catching red snapper and shark species in violation of fishing limits. These boats also serve as vehicles for drug and human smuggling operations, highlighting the cartel's reliance on overlapping criminal activities to generate revenue.

While US fishermen face strict seasonal closures to protect red snapper stocks, the department said the cartel's unsanctioned harvesting undermines US conservation efforts and puts additional strain on marine ecosystems.

Last week, the US Coast Guard stopped three lanchas in US federal waters off the southern coast of Texas and seized about 2,200 pounds of red snapper. The fishermen were detained, brought ashore and then transferred to US Customs and Border Protection for further processing, as Undercurrent News reported.

Due to Mexico's insufficient action to curb illegal fishing, US authorities banned Mexican fishing vessels from accessing US ports in 2022—a restriction still in effect as of 2024, reported the Associated Press.  

While US authorities have long sanctioned the Gulf Cartel, Tuesday's announcement identified five individuals tied to the group's illegal fishing operations.

The lanchas used in these activities reportedly generate millions annually, and some of the illegally caught fish enter US markets despite ongoing enforcement efforts.