Mexican fishermen plead guilty to illegally catching nearly 700 pounds of fish near South Padre Island
By Jose De Leon III
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Texas (KRGV) — Four members of a Mexican fishing crew admitted to illegally transporting fish taken from the Gulf of Mexico, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.
The men were arrested on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, after leaving Playa Bagdad in an open fishing vessel, and crossed into U.S. waters. At about 25 miles east of South Padre Island, they deployed four miles of longline containing 1,200 hooks, according to a news release.
The men — identified as Jose Daniel Santiago-Mendoza, 22, Miguel Angel Ramirez-Vidal, 32, Jesus David Luna-Marquez, 20, and Jesus Roberto Morales-Amador, 27, — were caught with nearly 693 pounds of red snapper and four sharks.
Santiago-Mendoza pleaded guilty on Tuesday, while the other three men had previously entered their pleas.
The men knew the catch would be seized if they were caught in U.S. waters but chose to take the risk due to the limited supply of red snapper in Mexican waters,” the news release stated. “They intended to sell the catch once they returned to Mexico. The snapper they unlawfully took from U.S. waters have an estimated retail value of over $9,000.”
Ramirez-Vidal, the captain of the boat, had been arrested on 28 prior occasions for illegal fishing. The others also have similar previous arrests, the release added.
Sentencing for Ramirez-Vidal was set for Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. Sentences are pending for the other three men.
Each man faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. They will remain in federal custody pending their respective sentencing.
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