Boat captain accused of selling cocaine found at sea to undercover cops in sun-soaked tourist haven: police
A Florida charter boat captain is in hot water after allegedly peddling drugs he reportedly found at sea to undercover deputies, according to authorities.
Bradford Todd Picariello, 65, was arrested Monday on charges of trafficking cocaine, selling cocaine and possessing cocaine in the Florida Keys, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted to social media.
Authorities allege Picariello coordinated a drug deal with undercover deputies at his self-owned business, Outlaw Fishing Charters, in Marathon around 3 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report obtained by the Miami Herald.
Ahead of the deal, Picariello allegedly spoke with the undercover agent over the phone, reportedly instructing him to bring a cooler to the marina so it would appear as though he was picking up fish.
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The boat captain also allegedly told the agent that he had an additional 100 pounds of cocaine, in the event he was looking to purchase even more of the illegal drugs, the outlet reported.
When the agent arrived at Picariello’s boat, he allegedly handed the kilo of cocaine over to the "buyer" for him to place in his cooler, authorities reportedly said.
As Picariello waited to be handed $10,000 in cash to complete the illegal transaction, authorities reportedly swarmed his boat and placed him under arrest.
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Police said that the captain revealed the remainder of his illegal stash was hidden inside a storage unit, and allowed them to conduct a search, the outlet reported.
Authorities subsequently discovered nearly two dozen kilos of cocaine, covered in plastic wrap and marked with a "332" stamp, according to the news release.
As Picariello was being taken into custody, officials also seized approximately 23 kilograms of cocaine, a .40 handgun, roughly $8,000 in cash and a 38-foot vessel from the premises, authorities said.
"I want to thank all the Sheriff’s Office members and our law enforcement partners who investigated this case and continue to work to keep dangerous drugs out of our community," Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement.
Picariello was transported to the local jail, and the case is expected to be prosecuted federally.
The investigation was conducted with the assistance of Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Operations Detectives, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area investigators, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Drug and Enforcement Administration, and CBP Air and Marine Operations.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.