File Photo: A Coast Guard aircraft captures imagery of a lancha near South Padre Island, Texas, on Sept. 30, 2021. Lanchas pose a major threat, usually entering the United States Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico with the intent to smuggle people, drugs, or poach the United States' natural resources. U.S. Coast Guard Photo
The U.S. Treasury Department has taken decisive action against Mexico’s Gulf Cartel, sanctioning five key members for their involvement in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing operations that serve as a front for human smuggling and drug trafficking activities.
The operation, centered at Playa Bagdad near the U.S. border, involves the use of small, swift boats called “lanchas” for illegal fishing of red snapper and shark species in U.S. waters. These same vessels are utilized for smuggling drugs and migrants across the border.
“Today’s action highlights how transnational criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel rely on a variety of illicit schemes like IUU fishing to fund their operations, along with narcotics trafficking and human smuggling,” said Acting Under Secretary Bradley T. Smith.
Among those sanctioned are brothers Ismael “Mayelo” and Omar “Samorano” Guerra Salinas, who oversee operations at Playa Bagdad, and Francisco Javier Sierra Angulo, who leads the cartel’s activities in Matamoros. Two lancha camp owners, Raul Decuir Garcia and Ildelfonso Carrillo Sapien, were also designated for enabling illegal cross-border fishing operations.
The sanctions, implemented under Executive Order 14059, block all U.S.-based assets of these individuals and prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them. This enforcement action results from collaboration between multiple U.S. agencies, including the Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit.
The Gulf Cartel’s illegal fishing operations not only generate millions in annual revenue but also contribute to environmental damage through the inadvertent death of other marine species. The organization has a documented history of violence, including involvement in the kidnapping and murder of American citizens in March 2023.
The Treasury Department participates in the U.S. Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing, established by the SAFE Act to coordinate anti-IUU fishing efforts. In 2022, President Biden’s National Security Memorandum identified IUU fishing as a major threat to ocean health and global fisheries, impacting economic growth and food systems worldwide.
“Treasury, as part of a whole-of-government approach to combatting transnational criminal organizations, remains committed to disrupting these networks and restricting these groups’ ability to profit from these activities,” added Smith.
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