A veteran charter boat captain is trading his 38-foot vessel for a jail cell after a multi-agency sting operation allegedly caught him offloading a massive haul of cocaine he claimed to have found floating at sea.
Bradford Todd Picariello, 65, was arrested on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, following an undercover operation led by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say the Marathon resident attempted to sell a kilogram of cocaine to undercover detectives for $10,000 in cash.
The transaction, however, was just the tip of the iceberg.
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Following the initial purchase, investigators seized a total of approximately 23 kilograms (roughly 50 pounds) of cocaine. The bust also yielded $8,000 in cash, a .40-caliber handgun, and the captain’s 38-foot boat.
The arrest highlights a recurring issue in the Florida Keys, where packages of drugs—often referred to locally as “square grouper”—wash up on shore or are spotted floating by boaters. While law enforcement urges citizens to report these finds, some turn them into a business venture.
“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 following the arrest.
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The operation was a heavy-hitting collaborative effort. Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Detectives worked alongside High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) investigators, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Border Patrol, the DEA, and CBP Air and Marine Operations to execute the takedown.
Picariello now faces serious charges, including trafficking cocaine, selling cocaine, and possession. He was booked into jail immediately following the sting. Given the volume of narcotics and the agencies involved, officials expect the case to be prosecuted at the federal level.
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