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 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.
Police said 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-caliber 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.