Fresh catch.
A Florida Keys charter boat captain was arrested in a multi-agency drug bust after allegedly selling kilos of cocaine he reportedly stumbled upon at sea.
Bradford Todd Picariello, 65, was arrested on Monday after allegedly selling a kilo of cocaine for $10,000 to an undercover Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detective, the department said in a statement.
The drug deal set-up occurred around 3 p.m. at the marina where Picarrielo runs his coincidentally named business, Outlaw Fishing Charters, in Marathon, according to an arrest report obtained by the Miami Herald.
The alleged crooked captain told the undercover agent over the phone to bring a cooler to the deal so it would look like he was picking up fish, cops said.
Picariello also allegedly informed the agent that he had 100 pounds more of cocaine, in case he was interested in buying the illegal drugs.
After the “buyer” arrived at the boat, Picariello handed over the kilo of cocaine for the agent to place in his cooler, the arrest report said.
As the captain asked the agent to bring the money, deputies and agents swarmed the area and cuffed him, police said.
Picariello then told cops that the rest of his loot was inside a storage unit, which he allowed them to search, the outlet reported.
Inside, they discovered nearly two dozen wrapped kilos of cocaine all marked with a “332” stamp, the report added.
Investigators seized approximately 23 kilograms of cocaine, $8,000 in cash, a .40 caliber handgun, and a 38-foot vessel during the operation, according to police.
“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 ordered held without bond on trafficking cocaine, selling cocaine, and possessing cocaine, according to the Herald.
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area investigators, US Customs and Border Protection, US Border Patrol, US Drug Enforcement Administration, and CBP Air and Marine Operations all assisted with the investigation into Picariello.
The case is expected to be prosecuted federally, police said.
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