In the early hours of yesterday, modern pirates ambushed two sardine boats near the Progreso Fiscal Dock, armed with guns, machetes, and knives. They proceeded to dismantle parts of the vessels.
Faced with threats, both teams working at sea could only comply with the thieves as they were at a disadvantage, having only fishing tools. The loot, including money, cell phones, products, and belongings of the fishermen, amounted to 50,000 pesos.
Furthermore, one boat was left adrift and had to be towed by another vessel back to its homeport in La Caleta. The incident had repercussions in the fishing community as these attacks leave permit holders in debt and their crew members without work.
Midweek, it was reported that several committees and coastal fishermen had already spotted a couple of unidentified extraction vessels that lacked a name or any identifiable registration.
Less than 24 hours after that report, a new chapter in the sinister history of modern buccaneers was written when the plundering of the two boats was made public.
Juan Patrón Alcalá, operational chief of the Fisheries Department, confirmed that the incident occurred amidst the adjustments made by the department in La Caleta in recent days. However, communication is maintained through the municipality’s cooperatives to provide support when a crew is intercepted by these criminals.
On the other hand, during the visit made by this correspondent, one of the dock inspectors indicated that the affected fishermen chose not to speak to the local press for personal reasons. The only thing known is that complaints were made to fishing organizations and government agencies regarding the lack of support provided to victims of piracy.
Approximately, since 2016, there have been three to five high-sea assaults per year, with some fishermen experiencing multiple attacks involving heavy-caliber weapons. Additionally, there is no knowledge of any arrests or follow-ups by law enforcement authorities after the respective reports were filed with the State Attorney General’s Office by the permit holders.
Other fishermen confirmed that they have reached a point of frustration where their only alternative is to arm themselves to defend against the buccaneers, even though this may lead to other tragedies involving loss of life during sea robberies and further financial debts for the boat owners.
Part of the problem that may have driven some fishermen, unrelated to these activities, to become high-sea criminals is believed to be the low production during the octopus season, which has resulted in economic scarcity.
The appearance of modern pirates and crews engaging in illegal fishing of protected marine species has become a recurring issue. Similar incidents occurred last year, with several kilos of octopus being seized aboard private vehicles.
TYT Newsroom
