Coast Guard seizes 40 sharks that were illegally caught by lancha boat crew off Texas coast

By KTRK Staff

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    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KTRK) — A lancha boat crew was stopped and seized of 40 sharks that were illegally captured in federal waters off southern Texas, according to the Coast Guard.

On Tuesday, officials responded to a report about four fishermen engaging in illegal fishing aboard a lancha boat about seven miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson said they launched a 26-foot over-the-horizon cutter boat crew and seized illegal fishing equipment and 40 sharks were found on board the lancha.

Coast Guard personnel reportedly detained the four fishermen and transferred them to border enforcement agents for processing.

A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is approximately 20 to 30 feet long with a slender profile. It has one outboard motor, and is capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph.

Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and illegally fish in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.

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