Two Coast Guard response boats head out into the Gulf of Mexico to patrol Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, at the United States Coast Guard Station South Padre Island. (Denise Cathey | The Brownsville Herald)
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Three men were arrested off the coast of South Padre Island last Friday after it was found that they had illegally caught 1,275 pounds of red snapper to sell in Mexico.
Heriberto Cruz Villanueva, Pablo Irving Fernandez Mendo and David Fernandez Beatriz were charged with transporting fish in violation of any law, treaty or regulation of the United States or in violation of any Indian tribal law.
At around 8:30 a.m. on that day, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo, a surface vessel and a small boat observed a target of interest about 18 nautical miles east of SPI, according to a criminal complaint.
The surface vessel turned on its blue lights, sirens and called out to the target, but the crew looked at both Coast Guard vessels and continued toward the U.S./Mexico Maritime Boundary Line at about 25-30 knots.
The surface vessel then fired multiple non-lethal shots at the target with no effect, so they then fired several disabling rounds at the target’s engine causing it to stop.
Then at about 8:57 a.m., authorities were able to board the vessel and found four people on board, including Cruz, Fernandez Mendo and Fernandez Beatriz all of whom were determined to be Mexican citizens without permission to be in U.S. waters.
During an interview with authorities, the men admitted to illegally harvesting red snapper.
The three men made their initial appearances before in Brownsville federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignancio Torteya III who set their bonds at $25,000 each.
They are currently scheduled for their preliminary examination before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Betancourt in early June.