Cocaine and cash recovered during the operation. Credit: Monroe County Sheriff's Office
MARATHON, Florida – A 65-year-old charter boat captain from Marathon, Florida, was arrested on January 19, 2026, after authorities seized more than 20 kilograms of cocaine, a 38-foot vessel, and thousands of dollars in cash during a multi-agency drug investigation led by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Bradford Todd Picariello faces charges of cocaine trafficking, selling cocaine, and possession of cocaine following the bust, which involved drugs he allegedly discovered at sea.
The arrest stemmed from an undercover operation where Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Detectives purchased one kilogram of cocaine from Picariello for $10,000 in cash.
In total, investigators seized approximately 23 kilograms of cocaine, $8,000 in cash, the suspect’s 38-foot boat, and a .40-caliber handgun.
The operation was supported by High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) investigators, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and CBP Air and Marine Operations.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay praised the collaborative effort in a statement: “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.”
Picariello was booked into jail, and the case is expected to be prosecuted at the federal level.
Copyright 2023-2025 FloridaWord.com
