The United States on Tuesday sanctioned members of a Mexican drug cartel over the illegal fishing of red snapper and shark species in U.S. waters.

The US Department of the Treasury has identified members of Mexico's Gulf Cartel as key players in illegal fishing operations targeting red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. The fish, abundant in US waters due to strict conservation rules,

For years, U.S. authorities and fishermen have complained about illegal fishing for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, and now it’s clear who is behind the lucrative trade: a Mexican drug cartel

The cartel allegedly uses fishing boats to smuggle drugs and migrants — and catch tons of red snapper, a commercially valuable but vulnerable species.

The Treasury Department issued sanctions against a Mexican drug cartel for their role in illegal red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.