A Brownsville grand jury has indicted four men from Matamoros, Mexico for illegally transporting fish from the Gulf of Mexico, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The news release said 32-year-old Miguel Angel Ramirez-Vidal, 20-year-old Jesus David Luna-Marquez, 27-year-old Jesus Roberto Morales-Amador and 22-year-old Jose Daniel Santiago-Mendoza are scheduled for arraignment on May 22.

The crew of four allegedly attempted to transport roughly 315 kilograms of red snapper illegally from U.S. waters on April 17, according to the news release. They were allegedly intended to sell the fish in Mexico.

The news release said a criminal complaint alleges authorities saw the crew's fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, seven miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border and 21 miles east of South Padre Island.

According to the news release, the crew was allegedly fishing with approximately four kilometers of heavy nylon fishing line and 1,200 fishing hooks.

The criminal complaint said they were allegedly in an unmarked and unregistered vessel which was not flying the flag of any nation and operating without running lights. The crew also did not have a permit to fish in U.S. waters nor had a quota for red snapper, in violation of federal law, according to the news release.

The news release said if convicted, the four individuals face up to five years in federal prison and a possible maximum fine of $250,000.