Florida Keys fishermen risk prison by keeping cocaine found at sea
Fishermen in the Florida Keys are finding plastic-wrapped bricks of cocaine and marijuana in the ocean, colloquially known as "square groupers." Rather than reporting their discoveries, some are keeping the drugs and profiting from them, risking significant prison sentences in the process. A charter boat captain was arrested in January for trafficking cocaine sourced from such ocean finds, highlighting the illegal yet persistent activity among some locals. This trend reveals a significant drug trafficking problem and a troubling willingness among some to prioritise financial gain over legal obligations.
In August, three men from Marathon were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for operating a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation between 2020 and 2023, which relied heavily on recovering packages from the sea. Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay estimates that only about half of discovered packages are reported to his office, with the remainder likely going to Miami, where a single kilo can be valued at approximately $20,000. Over the past year alone, Ramsay's office has received an estimated 40 to 50 kilos of uncut cocaine, believed to originate from the Caribbean, Colombia, and the Bahamas. An increase in water-based drug trafficking has been observed following stricter US-Mexico border security, with smuggling tactics evolving from high-speed boats to sailboats with hidden compartments.
- Fishermen are finding cocaine and marijuana packages in Florida Keys waters
- Some keep the drugs despite prison risks, with kilos worth around $20,000
- Border security changes have increased water-based drug trafficking
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Fishermen in the Florida Keys occasionally find packages of cocaine and marijuana floating in the ocean, locally nicknamed "square groupers." Whilst some report their finds to authorities, others sell them for profit, risking lengthy prison sentences. The practice reflects a broader drug trafficking problem in the region.
The scale of this problem is substantial. The Monroe County Sheriff estimates that only about half of discovered drug packages are reported to his office, with the remainder likely being sold elsewhere, particularly to Miami where a single kilo of cocaine can be worth approximately $20,000. Over the past year, the Sheriff's office alone recovered around 40 to 50 kilos of uncut cocaine, believed to originate from the Caribbean, Colombia and the Bahamas.
This pattern reflects changes in international drug trafficking routes. As border security between the US and Mexico has tightened, smugglers have shifted tactics away from high-speed boats towards methods like sailboats with hidden compartments that drop packages at sea for recovery. The Florida Keys sits in the direct path of these evolving trafficking routes from South America.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Florida anglers are now going fishing for bricks of cocaine dropped by drug smugglers… and many are keeping the narcotics for themselves”.