[KARAH RUCKER]

The U.S. Treasury Department issued new sanctions after figuring out who is behind illegal red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico: Mexican drug cartels.

The new sanctions target the Gulf drug cartel, which operates in cities just across the border from the southern coast of Texas.

Their hub is located at Playa Bagdad in the city of Matamoros, Mexico, less than ten miles from the border with the United States.

According to the Treasury, the cartel uses boats for drug and human smuggling. Each year, they catch millions of dollars worth of red snapper, a valuable but *vulnerable* species of fish, as their boats travel through the Gulf.

U.S. fishermen face strict limits on fishing for red snapper, but cartels have taken the fish and sold them at markets in Mexico’s border towns. Some fish are sent to the U.S. for resale.

The U.S. has taken actions against Mexico before in efforts to prevent over-fishing, including preventing Mexican fishing boats from entering U.S. ports along the Gulf Coast.

This is also the latest in a string of cartel-related sanctions. In the last six months, the Treasury has sanctioned more than 20 people and over a dozen companies tied to cartels.

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Karah Rucker.

And for all the latest top stories and updates, download the Straight Arrow News app.